Photos from this trip can be found here.
Even with the snow, it was nice nevertheless for all of us to get some exercise. Partly cloudy in the Leavenworth area, but with limited hiking options with roads still washed out. Seeing that the chance of precipitation around Stevens Pass area was only 30%, I decided to give Lichtenberg Mountain a try.
As soon as we got to the east of the pass, it started to rain. We were the first to arrive, followed by two vans full of snowshoers 10 minutes later. We started hiking at 9 AM.
The service road was packed enough that I didn’t need snowshoes to get to the inconspicuous trail from that split off from the road and headed to Lichtenwasser Lake. I was hoping to see some boot tracks to not have to break trail. Wishful thinking of course.
Rain and snow continued with no signs of stopping. The boys and I spent three hours scrambling while taking pictures and frolicking before finally arriving at the lake. Just as expected, the lake was still fully covered in snow.
The wind began to blow right before we got to the lake and worsened over time. We took a break behind big trees to dodge the cold wind. The boys didn’t seem to have a problem with the dropping in temperatures.
The boys strolled on and around the lake for a while, it very much reminded me of our hike to Surprise Lake on Christmas Day. I walked around the lake but opted not to step onto it. I was uncertain how sturdy the lake surface was at this time of the year.
We stayed long enough to eat and get our group photo before heading back down into the forest. More clouds rolled in just as we were leaving; the wind continued to blow.