Unfortunately, for various reasons, our numbers dwindled and the very late snowpack kept us from coming up with a great plan. So the few of us left over decided to go backpacking... an easy 5ish-mile hike into Serene Lake outside Estacada. Not very stupid, but pleasant. Boy, were we wrong... it ended up being very stupid!
I swear by William L. Sullivan guide books. The book we used for Serene Lake was not a Sullivan book... big mistake. First, directions to the trailhead seemed very clear in the description, but in reality, we had to stop several times on the Forest Service roads in to check maps and GPS. We guessed and luckily ended up where we needed to be.
It was cloudy, cold and drizzly, but Sarah, Tyler, Brad and I were finally ready to go:
We found the trailhead but were immediately thrown off course at a fork because both sides were covered with so much running water that we thought they were creeks instead of trails. We chose the wrong side and later ended up bushwhacking to cut over to the other trail. Because it was basically one giant mushy marsh with creeks running throughout, it was very difficult to know where to go. We'd catch sight of trail sections and know we were on the right track... at least on some track. We spotted a sign next to the "trail":
Once we gained a little elevation, the wet, marshy trail turned to snow. We might have been the first hikers of the season to tackle the not-yet-ready trail because we saw no other boot prints. We got lost a couple times, having to turn around and head different directions. We don't have photos of this snowy section because Brad's hands were busy with the map, compass and GPS! Since we were just guessing our way up the trail, we were thrilled each time we'd see a downed tree that was cut with a chainsaw or an old blaze on a tree ... sure signs that we'd stumbled across a piece of the real trail. But they were few and far between.We did spot these really cool things (presumably a fungus of some sort) growing on dead branches and logs. I'd never seen them before. Some were tiny and others were as big around on the bottom as quarters. They were squishy but didn't just mush if touched. I called them gummies... like little fruit snacks. Don't worry... I didn't eat any. Do you know what they are??
We finally reached the lake, and Tyler decided to go for a dip. Keep in mind, it was about 40 degrees outside, we were at 4,300 feet, there was snow on the banks of the lake and we didn't have a campfire. 
All the way in:
We had the whole lake to ourselves as we ate yummy dehydrated backpacking food and took in our surroundings. 
It poured all night, and we woke Sunday to wet tents and more fog and rain. On the wet, snowy hike in, the waterproofing failed on our boots (aside from Tyler, who had warm, dry feet the whole weekend!). Mine were so soaked that they squished with each step. But we pressed on, putting our feet back in the cold, wet boots for the hike out. Yuck.
Hiking out was a bit less challenging but was still an adventure. We mostly followed our own bootpack through the snow and tried to follow the real trail through the marsh/creek area:
Toward the end, Sarah and I gave up on trying to walk around the trail, which in some spots had 4-6 inches of water running down it, little whitewater, standing waves and tiny waterfalls . Our boots were already soaked, so we just splashed down the trail. It was very freeing and fun!
Our "after" photo:
The wet weather provided some good waterfalls along the road:
We stopped at Carver Hangar for a well-earned dinner of burgers and fries/tots.
I LOVE this picture as we waited for our food:
TOTS!
Our little hike turned into another memorable Solstice Stupidity! I can't wait to see what next year brings :)
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