We woke up this morning to snow! It seems the weather is not quite done spitting and sputtering yet. But we are not done yet either. We repacked our gear, waited a bit until noon, and then set off up the trail.
It is exactly as I remember it. I have such vivid memories of the last time we were here. The burnt-out forest, the marshy swaps, then the steep climb up to the Matthieu Lakes. I remember every curve of the trail. The rain won’t stop.
We met some ladies coming back down, and they cautioned us that it was very snowy. They had lost the trail and didn’t make it to the lakes. We kept going and followed their tracks, got lost for a way, but then found the trail again and were able to make it to the lakes. It certainly wasn’t worse than what we just backpacked through in the Wallowas, but it was clear that the lakes were as far as we could go.
We met another couple at the lakes who were doing a loop, and they said that beyond was impassable because of snow. We hiked around the lake to a nice private spot on the peninsula and set up camp.
Even under the grey skies, the lake is really pretty, a deep turquoise-green color, and very still. We can see the rain coming as it sweeps across the lake, and have time to duck and cover.
It has continued to rain and snow, and won’t let up. We are huddled for warmth inside our sleeping bags and trying to stay entertained with audiobooks and some episodes of The Expanse on my phone. Even though we won’t make it to the obsidian fields, maybe we’ll get some nice weather tomorrow so we can do some day hikes and exploring. We are loving being out here, even in the rain. It’s so good for the soul.
