Skye and I hiked into Hazel and Hub Lakes on Thursday (23rd). The trail was in good shape with just 5 or 6 trees across the trail; with all being just a simple step over more or less. I was surprised at that with the amount of wind that came through last week and throughout the winter. There was quite a bit of small to medium sized branches though. I didn't run into snow of any kind until a 1/4 mile from Hazel Lake, just before the Hub Lake creek crossing. I was surprised at the lack of snow even for May.
I had brought along a pair of wading shoes but my feet were already wet from the brush coming up the trail so I just did a quick 2 step through the creek. The log that is normally used for crossing was wet and very slick so I opted out of that potential fall.
The trail down to Hazel was completely free of snow. The lake had open areas at the outlet and inlet across the lake. I stayed for about 15 minutes and then on to Hub Lake.
The trail from Hazel to the ridge was free of snow. There was still 4-5 feet of snow on the north side of the ridge, across the creek and to Hub Lake. The usual crossing was a nice 4 foot drop into the creek so we went upstream a bit to find a better crossing. Hub Lake also had open water at the outlet and inlet with the rest of the lake frozen. I took a few pictures near the outlet then went to the other end for lunch and more pictures.
I would venture that both lakes will be free of snow and ice by next weekend and the fish should start feeding. There just isn't a lot of snow this year. I did see a few bugs flying around but it wasn't that warm. It was a fairly nice day with little wind and some sun. Including stops, I made Hub Lake in under 3 hours and then hiked out in under 2. Timing was good as I didn't get any rain until I got back to the trailhead.
I am hoping to go up past Heart Lake this coming week to check on the lakes up Trout Creek. I talked to the Superior RD on Friday and they said the road was open to Lake Creek just past the Heart Lake Trailhead. I imagine Hoodoo Pass will be open with 2 weeks.
