No cars in the lot, didn't see anyone during our trip. There were a few blowdowns near the beginning. Annette Lake Trail is melting rapidly towards the bottom. Fully snow covered above the power line crossings except for the small streams. I put my snowshoes on at the first avalanche chute and broke trail through the fresh snow. I left them on all the way, but they certainly weren't necessary to get to the lake.
It was my first time walking across a frozen lake. Getting up to the saddle was incredibly difficult. The snow was almost knee deep and the terrain was quite steep. South Silver was not my intended goal and it's summit felt very anticlimactic. I regret not heading up the ridge to Abiel. I never even considered it until I got home. Great views on the way up and down from the saddle. Abiel loomed overhead much of the time. I love the frosty, windswept trees along the ridgeline.
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