The whole thing's probably a lot easier when there's not 3 feet of snow. Views are nice at the lake, but nothing spectacular before that. Directions I-90 east from Seattle. Turn north, under the freeway on FSR 9030. 1 mile later, turn right on FSR 9031.
Dodge potholes for another mile or two until the road ends at the trailhead.
Maybe I was pushing the timetable a bit, but with spring a scant 12 hours old, I was determined to start the season in style. And with a friend coming to visit in May, I needed to scout potential overnight campsites. So, I packed up my hummus and made tracks for the woods. The day dawned sunny, as expected. Plus, it was my sister's birthday and I had to drive up to Vancouver that afternoon to party it up.