I took a friend out to check out this trail, as I hadn’t been in a number of years and it holds a special spot in my heart.

The trail itself is in really good shape (shout-out and thank you to those who are putting in the effort to keep it maintained, it is much appreciated). Salmonberry is getting a little brushy in spots, and there is a handful of logs to step over, but nothing crazy and the trail is always visible and easy-ish to follow.

We do think we were followed from just after the junction with Thunder Mountain down to the lake, likely by a cougar. We could hear it moving down the ridge above us on our way down to the lake, breaking branches as it went, and caught a strong scent of it on the way back up towards the very top of the switchbacks on the ridgeline. I’m pretty positive it was just curious about us, rather than stalking us aggressively, but figured I would mention it so others could be aware.