This may be the first 2,000 foot elevation hike I've done. It was deliberate, since I've been finding I can regularly get up 1,000 foot hikes with little trouble.

Closeup of the trail. We didn't do the Bridal Veil Falls spur trail - we were conserving strength, but we will probably try it next time, since we WILL be doing this hike again.

These (salmonberries?) weren't ripe. Trust me.

Note how the bridge is slightly off the side of the trail. Chris has already crossed. The approach to the bridge (not pictured) is not glaringly obvious, but it is not hidden, either. Shortly after successfully crossing this bridge, we heard chattering, and then someone saying, "hey, there's a bridge!" and then a splash. Heh heh heh.

I take a lot of pictures of the trail just so I can remember the footing.

This looked pretty cool - someone had pulled a berry off, and it left this crazy colorful structure.

This picture does no justice to the roaring water bubbling beneath us. We're standing on a bridge, and the next couple pictures of waterfalls were taken from the bridge.

MVI_0725.AVI - waterfall in action, from the bottom up.
MVI_0730.AVI - The top of the waterfall only
This and the next two pictures are the same series. Top...

middle...

bottom.

We learned all about "crib steps" today. They were in really good shape.

Chris, at the bottom of the next waterfall. Bridal veil falls turned out to not be just one waterfall. We got views of at least four HUGE waterfalls.

The angle's kind of weird... I'm actually looking up at these, not down. The flat part of the rocks is sloped at about 60 degrees from the ground.
MVI_0736.AVI - The movie gives a better idea of the angle of the rocks.

HUGE

Beautiful.

Crossing was a small challenge. I think the water was even higher by the time we came back down the trail. This was one of the first warm Saturdays of the summer, and all the snow up top, that you'll see later, was contributing to the water flow.
MVI_0739.AVI - Waterfall in motion

Whoooooosh

Stubby fuzzy tree.

Trees munching on a rock.

Trail surface. Kind of rough on the ankles.

Chris under a HUGE fuzzy maple tree. After about four more switchbacks, we could look at the top of the tree.

Fuzzy

HUGE

Middle of the fuzzy maple tree.

To the right is the fuzzy maple tree. Finally got to the top of it.

Bunchberry in bloom!

Weird caterpillar bug.

Mmmm, views.

Also huge.

More trail surface.

Miniature bunchberry, growing in the moss on top of a rock.

Trail surface. We're coming out of the woods now, about to the snowline.

This is Mt. Index, which looms over the lake.

Trillium were in bloom up here, right next to the snow.

About 2,200(?) feet up, we started having to walk on snow.

At any time, we might have broken through the crust and got some soggy legs.

More falls.

Snow covered trail

Yay, marching around in the snow in shorts. We'd lugged jackets along, since we knew the lake was snow covered, and we were glad we did. But up to the point where we crossed the ridge to the lake, even while tromping through the snow, shorts were fine. It was probably about 65 outside of the lake basin, and 50 inside.

We could not see where said "toilet" was, unless it was referring to the wooden box that looked like an outhouse, without the house.

The snow melted first around the trees, but I wasn't sure why.

Cool bridge made out of a huge log. It's at least 2 feet wide.

Beautiful Lake Serene.

Snow & views on the way out of the basin

Chris wanted to put his fingers in the lake. As a bonus, he stuck his boot in the lake also.

A trillium, but with pink striping.

Trail surface

Trail surface. Looking down three "stories" of switchback.

A bi-color jewelweed? I've never seen one before.