The first half of the short trail to Lanham Lake was a walk in the park (if it's a really steep park). About halfway up the trail started to vanish beneath old snow that grew to more than two feet deep in spots. Shortly after we hit snow, we came across blow-downs so numerous that most of the time we were unsure of where the actual trail was. We did our best not to tread on new spring growth, but there was hardly 100 feet of uninterrupted trail in a row and we were forced to scramble around again and again. The lake itself is lovely and free of snow and ice, but the shore is not accessible. The water in the outlet is so high, we didn't dare try to cross to the west shore and in the opposite direction thick brush, steep terrain and tumbled logs blocked our access. It's pretty country though and in spite of all the obstacles we felt we had a great afternoon's adventure. Didn't see another soul all day.

Trip #41 in Dan Nelson's snowshoeing book: Lots of fresh snow overnight (6-12""). Ideal conditions!! This is a short (3.2 miles) snowshoe, but a good workout breaking trail in the fresh snow. Was able to follow basic trail from previous snowshoers. Fairly constant uphill, arriving at a small snowcovered lake in a beautiful basin. Didn't see another soul all day! The joy of playing in the mountains on a weekday! Park at the Stevens Pass Nordic Center (the center is closed Monday-Thurdsay).

The trailhead is directly across from Stevens Pass Nordic Center. The trail crosses under the powerlines after 1/4 mi. At this point follow the groomed ski trail up hill about 1/8 mi to the well marked continuation of the trail. The last 1/2 mi is steep and a definite trail was not apparent. Just stay on the ridge to the west of the creek bed. The frozen lake is a welcome site. The sun was shining here from about noon to 2 pm. The round trip is only 3.5 mi but it feels more like 5. The snow conditions today were crusty and uneven, I'd recommend snowshoes.

Getting there: Drive US 2 east over the pass to the Stevens Pass Mill Creek ski area (south side of hwy.). Park immediately after turning off in a large parking area (on your left), and find the trail a few hundred feet up the road (again on your left). The trail: Well this was my last attempt at getting up another peak (post snow storms). Originally I thought that the recent rain storms had melted all the snow... but that wasn't the case! The trail begins crossing old logging roads and going underneath some power lines and then following an old logging road before the route enters national forest (none of this trip is actually in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness). In 1.5 miles you'll find yourself at the lake, once at the lake contour around to its east side and begin heading due east up to the north ridge (a little east of north) of the summit of Jim Hill. There is a little bit of brushwacking to get to the ridge but it is predominantly open forest and wide open (no brush) once on the ridge. From the ridge follow it southward (3-4'of snow on the ridge) through some deep powder slowing progress greatly. The true summit is to your right (the westerly one) but I was hoping that I could ascend the ridge directly south of the ridge and traverse westerly to the summit. Well... this route didn't work I got to the ridge okay but the ridge was untraversable as far as I was concerned. So... back down I went contouring south and westward through some realllly deep snow up to a notch just east of the true summit. Once again I reached an impasse a 40' rock step covered in ice with steep cliffs falling away in both directions. At this point I was thinking about calling it a day but I figured one more attempt! Luckily the snow was stable enough not to avalanche due to the extremely cold temperatures. Though I didn't have great boots for kicking steps (a pair of ""Sorrel's"") I was able to ascend directly beneath the north face to gain the summit ridge west of the exposed notch area. From here a short (scary) tarverse on the north side of the ridge finally led me to an area where I could safely ascend to the summit (west along the ridge, the last 200 feet or so on the south side of the ridge). Needless to say I was the only one on the mountain on this fine glorious day. Fortunately I was able to jar the summit register loose with my ice axe and scratch my name inside. The only real problem I had was prying my frozen hand from the brass cannister trying to screw the lid back on! Well it was a cold day that continually got better as the day went on but never any full on sun, just some very high clouds. I reached the top with about an hour left of daylight but the descent was nothing comapared to the ascent (time wise). I'll end this report with some few words of advice 1) I think winter may have arrived (contrary to what the ""weather people"" are saying) 2) this means snowshoes would have greatly enhanced my ability to ""walk"" on this trek 3) this may have not been an ""official"" winter climb but it was darn close 4) if you are going to try to do this trip make sure that snow conditions are sound, this route could be dangerous! Take care and see ya on the trail, Pilar.

This is a good snoe trip for beginners, although at least one person in the party should have routefinding experience. The trail starts at the Stevens Pass Nordic Center where you can enjoy a bratwurst and sauerkraut after the hike. The trailhead is well-marked and climbs gradually to a powerline. Cross the powerline and intercept the trail again. The trail stays to the west of Lanham Creek and heads nearly due south. There are occasional steep slopes alongside the Lanham Creek drainage, but the trail stays clear of the edge. The lake is reached after a mile and a half and about 1130 foot elevation gain. The lake is completely iced over and the snow depth is about eight feet. When the trail coincides with the groomed X-C ski run, stay to the outside. http://www.geocities.com/~rangermike