Lake Serene
7.2 miles roundtrip
2000 ft. elevation gain
March 26, 2016

Saturday promised sunshine, and I was eager to be outside.

As usual, I started early to beat the crowds. This is an incredibly well-built trail. This time it was just a little muddy and had a few blowdowns from the winter’s storms. One was a bit formidable, right on the corner of a steep switchback, but I managed to clamber over without too much trouble. The steps are wonderful and the trail feels solid all the way up.

And it is a ways up. I haven’t done a hike like this all winter, but it was good to be back at it. And oh, was it ever worth it!

I reached the lake around 10, with Mt. Index peering down at me, and ate lunch on Lunch Rock with grand views across the snow-covered lake.

It was wonderful, listening to avalanches and watching the sun break through the thin clouds.

I hiked down quickly, past the mass of people moving towards the lake. I’m pretty well convinced that the secret to life involves waking up before everyone else and doing things in the early morning hours. It always, always pays off.

And it was a fantastic day for a hike.