With the Middle Fork road covered with snow that appeared deep enough to high center a Subaru, we chose to park at the Mailbox trailhead and walk 1/4 mile to the Granite Creek connector. Showshoes were mandatory immediately upon leaving the road. There was 1.5 feet of lovely fresh powder, making the woods lovely but the trailbreaking slow. A few leaning or downed trees pose minor obstacles. A great day to savor views through the trees, filagreed twigs and branches, and the stillness of winter on a calm day.
We proceeded as far as the 2.8 mile junction with the more direct Granite Lakes trail, which bore no signs of use since the snow Wednesday night. We saw tracks of chipmunk, snowshoe hare, and deer, and encountered no other parties.
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