This was the third time going to Lake Ann for an overnight and my second attempt at the loop. The previous trips/attempt resulted in horrible weather conditions (snow in July, dense fog) - there is something about the Lake Ann area that draws storm clouds. For this trip, however, there was not a cloud in the sky nearly the entire two days. I left my car at DeRoux, took the trail that parallels the road and started at Esmeralda trailhead.
I hiked about 5.5 miles to the Lake Ann trail and set up camp in the meadow area. The stream that runs through the meadow is still running and is lined with Jeffrey Shootingstars. The evening was windy and blissfully bug-free. The clouds stayed away and the temps dropped while the winds picked up; the trade-off was amazing stargazing including the Milky Way.
The next day, I packed up and headed toward Fortune Creek Pass which has a full-on view of Mt Daniel. From there, I kept climbing steeply, crossing a couple of snowfields, until I couldn't figure out where the trail was. I checked Gaia and saw that I was headed for the summit of an unnamed peak. When I backtracked, I could clearly see the trail I should have taken that descends from the pass. However, it is not so obvious when you are at the pass that the trail goes over the other side, so keep that in mind.
From the pass, the trail descends, gently at first, then more steeply until you come to the road which is a 4x4 jeep road. It is not an easy stroll as it ascends the head of the valley without switchbacks and has plenty of standing water in places. After all that work, you will be at Gallagher Head Lake... and will probably want to keep moving. Bugs, tire tracks in the meadows and a little trash - not a pristine wilderness experience. Once you get on a trail again, you will mostly descend. One highlight is the meadow below the lake which has some nice camp areas. Otherwise, not too exciting of a trail.
Flowers: Lupine seems to dominate so far, but there is also Jeffrey Shootingstar, Columbine, Paintbrush and others.
Social Distancing: I was thrilled to note that 100% of hikers on the loop wore a mask and gave space when passing. Wow! Good job, Teanaway hikers - keep it up!
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