Twelve hikers completed the Esten Lake loop, starting at the Washington snow dump. The rain held off and the weather turned out to be much nicer than forecasted. When the sun peaked out, it felt downright springlike and we stripped off layers as we hiked. There was still snow on the ground and most the trail was pretty wet, but only a few sections were flooded and required detouring. We stepped carefully and managed to stay (mostly) dry footed. We saw flocks of birds busily chirping away, reminding us that spring has indeed arrived.
We stopped for lunch and photos at the Esten Lake beach and noted that the lake was opening up. We then continued on to Frame Crescent and returned to our cars via the Woodpecker Trail. It was a nice day for a hike and we all enjoyed ourselves. We were happy to see Jesse again, who had not been out with us in quite a while!
