[Sadie's Driver]

Well, lots of changes in 23 years! It's a lot nicer trail today than it was then. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't much better today than it was that day in July! The weather "guys" had said that there would be snow above 3000', so I thought that a trip up to Dorothy might be in snow not rain if there was preciptation. Wrong. A cloudy day in Seattle ended up being a constant downpour all the way from the trailhead to the Lake. The road is clear to the trailhead and there is no snow until after the bridge across Miller. All of the steps, boardwalks and bridge are new since I was last on this trail. There are a few blow downs along the way - but nothing you can't easily get over. Just at the end of the bridge, the snow starts.

Snow just on the other side of the bridge

It's on-again, off-again - but totally passable. It is melting out rapidly, so don't be surprised if you break through frequently. At about 3050' and 1/4 mile from the Lake, the snow is solid.

Continuous snow from 3050' to Lake and beyond

You don't need snowshoes, or at least I didn't today. It was an easy boot path with little sinking. But the rain, oh the rain! I had visions of going on to Big Snow - having seen a trip report from May 3rd where someone had crossed the Lake on skis and made it to Big Snow.

Northwest side of Dorothy

There would be no crossing the Lake today - it looks way too dangerous now and by the time we were at the end of the Lake, we were soaked to the skin!

Sadie thinking about Lake Dorothy on a sunny day - raindrops aside

So, we settled for a "nice" little day on the trail - probably could have stayed a lot drier at Discovery Park! But, another day on snow is far preferable. Besides, we already had two great hikes in the last 4 days, so who can complain?! Maybe someday I will actually see this Lake in the sun!

Rainy day at Lake Dorothy looking South

A "moss stream" off of the rocks on the trail up to Dorothy

Looking downstream from bridge

Miller River from bridge to Lake Dorothy

[Slugman]

Wow, that Sadie is one rockin' hikin' doggy! That's three in a row. Thanks for the road and trail conditions update.

[Andrew Cheung]

Would this hike be uncomfortable for an inexperienced hiker (aka my dear Mum)? I know it's tame stats wise, but the whole "sinking through" bit has me worried. Would snowshoes make it more comfortable?

[Sadie's Driver]

Would this hike be uncomfortable for an inexperienced hiker (aka my dear Mum)? I know it's tame stats wise, but the whole "sinking through" bit has me worried. Would snowshoes make it more comfortable? Frankly - the first 1 mile would be just fine - it's snowless and not particularly steep. However, the rest of the trip might not be such a hot idea, just because it is slippery. Now, if dear ol' mum (which I am one) has good boots, is rather agile on her feet and confident about tromping around on snow, she would be fine. It's not that steep and you can avoid the sink holes. Snowshoes don't make sense until the last 1/4 mile to the lake. (see pic in report) Of course, that was as of last Sunday. If it warms up this week considerably, there could be a lot more melt-out and the trail could look a lot different than it did when Sadie and I were on it. Hate to be so wishy-washy, but I don't want you to get up there and be miserable. In another 3 weeks, it probably won't matter at all - the snow will be pretty much all gone. Another trip to consider for Mum's Day is Lake 22 or Heather Lake. Check and see just before you go if there have been any trail reports for any of these. Also, Greider Lakes are a possibility, as is Barclay Lake; another real possibility is Wallace Falls - the new trail - there have been some trip reports on this one (www.wta.org). Hope this helps. We certainly would want Mum to enjoy herself! Happy Trails. Sadie's Driver