After getting lost in the maze of the Denny Creek campground, we finally found our way out to the real trail. Wait! We're supposed to be hiking alongside llamas? Is that a good idea? And does this mean Vodka can't be on this trail?!
It was a beautiful day, there were several folks on the trail, but it definitely wasn't overcrowded. We saw tons of native plants along the way - trillium, polygonatum, dogwoods, columbines and more..
The first waterfall was pretty crowded - guess a lot of the campers at Denny Creek were hanging out here - bummer we couldn't hang out here - I love hopping around on the bare rocks near the water.
We crossed the bridge and continued hiking up towards Keekwulee Falls (we even saw some skinny-dipping action from afar!) The trail got steeper and we soon hit the switchbacks across the boulder fields.
We finally crested at Hemlock Pass after trudging through a couple of slick snow patches. From here, it was about 1/2 mile down through mud and slush to Melakwa Lake. We then made our way along the western edge - across the steep snow face to this outcrcopping on the north-western edge of the lake. Sorry Autumn, we'll try to avoid such adventures next time :)
Time for lunch - amazing how food tastes *so* good after all that hiking! Scrambled egg sandwiches, grapes, cherries ... *yum*! Just as we finished eating, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and a cool wind started blowing - too bad, we were hoping to take a dip in the water! Instead, we plodded back through the snow to the south end of the lake and tried to take a few more pictures until the bugs chased us back down!
Phew! Even with all that scrambling across the snow, our kneecaps escaped the Duval Curse :)
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