Backpack - Pete Lake

With chances of rain/snow and thunderstorms, we made a last minute destination change from Lila Lake to Pete Lake. We all slept in a few extra hours and arrived at the trailhead around 12:30 PM. The trailhead parking lot was half full - not surprising given the weather report.

The hike in had periods of dry, light rain, and regular rain but the rain had stopped when we arrived at the lake, allowing us to set up camp in dry weather. Despite seeing a few groups of backpackers on the trail, the lake was mostly quiet. There was one other small group on our side of the lake - and another group or two at the other end.

We had a tarp set up, which came in handy when the rain came back later in the afternoon. By the time dinnertime came around, the rain was done. We started a campfire that we kept going for hours, saw deer prancing through the area, heard different wildlife noises (which all got attributed to various versions of Sasquatch), shared ghost stories, passed around campfire treats, and stared at the endless stars in the moonless sky.

After a cold night (brr, autumn is here!), we woke up to a glorious morning with a still lake, sun, and just the right amount of clouds against the blue sky to take the breath away. The morning was so peaceful and beautiful that we opted to sit and enjoy a leisurely morning instead of cramming in a side trip. We got back to the car at 1:30 PM (no issues at the parking lot) and enjoyed a mid-afternoon lunch at The Brick.

Despite this not being the originally planned trip, it turned out to be a lovely autumn overnight with a great group of folks.