Laurie at Poland Lake:
“After some last minute organizing (a few people signed up for this hike then changed their mind Sat. afternoon or eve. – this makes life difficult for organizers and meant that we had an empty spot even though I’d originally turned people away from this hike – don’t do this!), seven of us hit the Poland Lake trail in Manning Park around 12:30 pm last Sun. We were blessed with sunny skies and fairly warm temperatures for this time of year (warm enough for T-shirts in the sun, and just a light jacket or fleece in the shade). Contrary to my call-out, we also had some nice views of the Cascade mountains – I’d forgotten all about those. We encountered ankle-deep snow from the switchbacks on but it was fairly well packed down on the trail. Those of us who remembered gaiters and those of us like me (actually, it was only me) who were dorky enough to tuck their pants into their socks didn’t get wet pant legs. We reached the lake just after 3, had a quick lunch in the sun, then turned around at 3:30 to reach the parking lot by 5:30. By that time it had cooled off considerably and some toques and mitts were donned for the last part of the trail. All-in-all, it was a great hike with a great group. Special thanks to Christian for volunteering to drive at the last minute and thereby saving the hike!”
