Oh those leaves could not wait. The leaves seemed to fall yesterday, so today's return hike to the western end of Esten Lake was largely leaves on the ground. A jolly group of 10 managed the almost 11km. The route through the swamp was about as dry as it gets and was reasonably well marked. Lunch was taken on an almost treeless hill to enjoy the vista looking east along Esten Lake. We practised walking in extended line for a short period on the way back, just to say we did. Perhaps this route may be snowshoed in the future, taking a shortcut across the ice.
