A challenge in the snow, Anderson Lake wore us out.
- October 29, 2021
- Team: Craig
- 9.5 miles, 2750' gain
- splattski 2018
- davefaitlemonde 2019
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
We're trying to grasp those last few days of Fall while dreaming of the skiing to come. So on his first venture up the East Fork, Craig and I headed for Anderson Lake. It was a gorgeous morning, although the water in Lake Fork was a little higher than it had been, and that made rock hopping a little tricky and somewhat perilous. But all went well. Not so much crossing the East Fork. I watched Craig successfully tip toe across the partially-submerged rocks, knowing they were slippery. On the longest step, my foot went our from under me and I landed with a splash on my tail bone. Yep, I got wounded on the buttOCKS. Pretty darn undignified for someone my age. But after removing my soggy gloves and hat, we pressed on. Still early and being a little unnerved I didn't hold quite still for this photo of the pups. |
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| It's a really nice trail, and the folks who run the IMTUF 100-mile backcountry footrace clear it every year. |  |
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Ruby would rather be a model. |
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I've always called this 'Spanish moss.' Julie says it's 'elk lichen.' I doubt that either of us is correct. |
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We hit our first little spot of snow at about 6100'. Not long after that it was continuous. |
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And then it got deeper. Heavy, soggy, wet, and cold. And lots of work postholing and breaking trail. Note to self: time to start packing snowshoes. |
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| Off to the right, there's Boulder Mountain. Our lake sits right beneath, so we're getting close. Sort of. |  |
| Looking to the east, there's the ridge that separates the South Fork from the Middle Fork. I explained to Craig that if we were in the bottom, we'd be heading (slowly) toward Malony Lake. A little light bulb went off. |  |
Up high, we were wading through 14 to 18" of white pudding. And then we were at Anderson. |
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| Despite exhortations to the contrary, Dakota went swimming. |  |
Ruby remembered her training from Uncle Dave. We bundled up and then sat and had lunch. I asked Craig if he had the time, to which he responded 11:40. Moments later it started sprinkling on the lake, fulfilling the NOAA forecast of rain at noon. |
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| Between NOAA and the threatening skies, it was time to head down. |  |
One last shot before I stow the camera. On our return, with an abundance of caution I succesfully made it across the East Fork. But it was Craig's turn; he slipped off a rock, avoiding falling all the way in like me, but still filling both his boots. They probably needed a wash anyway. And walking a mile with boots full of water always leaves your feet so clean and shiny! For a map of this hike, check out the links at the top of the page. |
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