Our trip to the TH went well, partially because I granted mercy and stopped at the toilets at the Applegate Lake Dam. This was largely due to recent sensitivity training from She Who Must Be Obeyed. Road 1050 up to the TH had been largely cleared of rubble and there was a crew working on the fire road beyond the TH. There had been huge fire damage but quite a few trees made it through the blaze, probably because there wasn't a lot of deadfall. 

We wended our way through the forest and it was soon apparent that the area was months behind lower elevations, with flowers here at their peak. Our botanists were very excited.  We met a number of PCT hikers including one from Prague and one from Ireland. The 12 hikers arrived above Echo Lake for lunch on a perfect hiking day. The air was very clear and we tried to identify various peaks many miles away while sitting on the cliff.  

After lunch we headed down towards Lilly Pad Lake and the new views were sensational. Through much the hike the fires had openned the views. We decided the views were more important than Lilly Pad Lake and turned around before the Lake and climbed back up to the Echo Lake overview. After a fairly quick descent, the troops inhaled the gallons of cold water I had brought and we all headed for Boomtown. 

John

Track download: Cook & Green Pass towards Lilly Pad Lake.gpx