Barely 2 miles from the trail head, I had to ask.
"Did you check the trail reports?"
The reason I asked was that we were almost to the snow park and there was no snow.
"The last report was from 2 weeks ago and the gal complained about all the snowmobiles out on the road."
That was another sign we might be in trouble - I had yet to see a truck hauling snowmobiles. Our snowshoe might just turn into a hike.
We pulled into the parking lot to find that yes there was snow, but it was crappy snow. It hadn't snowed for several days so there were bare spots in the trees and tree debris on top of what snow there was.
It wasn't an auspicious start to our adventure, but we'd make the most of it. We always do.
The "we" here was me, my Sissy, a friend of ours, and an intern at Sissy's company. The intern wanted to get out and about as much as possible before he headed home to New York. What better way to see the state than a snowshoe through the wilderness on the backside of our volcano.
Clouds hung low through most of the day so we weren't able to see the crater rim. But anything could happen, right? We set off down the snow covered road avoiding the few snowmobiles enjoying each others' company and sharing stories.
About a mile along the road, is the turn off to the lake. Snowmobiles aren't allowed on the trail and since there weren't that many, we didn't leave any hectic traffic jams behind.
Heading up through the woods, I realized I am in far worse shape than I imagined myself to be. This should be an easy jaunt yet here I was dragging behind and huffing and puffing. I have a lot of work to do to get into shape for climbing Mt St Helens.
It didn't take long for the rain to start and I have to say it - I hate snowshoeing in the rain. It's miserable. I'd rather have blowing snow than rain. Ugh. We soldiered on and in no time we were at the lake. A pretty sort of a lake especially in the snow with snags and a waterfall on the far side. In the summer, this place serves well as a starting point for the Loowit trail - the 30+ mile hike around the volcano. In the snow it's an enchanted land of snow queens and fairies. At least in my fantasy.
We shared a big tree near the edge of the lake that served well to shelter us from the rain and ate our lunch before heading back to the car in the rain.
It may be a long drive, but I do enjoy snowshoeing to June Lake. I just wish the rain could have waited a little longer.
