CRESCENT LAKE

Despite severe weather warnings, Champ and I headed south Friday hoping to hike to the Crescent Saddle Cabin Saturday morning.  Alexis and Ted rounded out our troop as we plowed through heavy winds and pouring rain aiming for the Carter lake trailhead about 30 miles from Seward.  Plan was to spend the night at the trailhead and start hiking Saturday morning.  When we reached the trailhead, rain was pretty hard so we headed into Seward where Ted and Alexis got room in Army Rec hotel and Champ and I bunked in truck.  Rained all night and still raining next day.  After nice breakfast we headed back to the trailhead only to be stopped short by an avalanche of mud and downed trees that had the highway closed.  So we headed back to Seward and spent the morning in the Safeway drinking coffee and bullshitting.  By noon the road was opened so off we went.  Hiking by 12:20 as we went steeply uphill dodging small streams in the trail and wading larger ones that crossed the trail.  Reached 1600 feet and Carter Lake in short order and watched the ducks there enjoying the weather.  Just before we reached the trail to the cabin, met two hikers who advised that getting there would involve waist deep stream crossings.  Worried about what they would look like the following day as it was still raining, we chickened out and turned around at Crescent Lake.  Probably wise move as the steams we crossed earlier in the day were much deeper on our return to the truck.  Oh well, at least we got a nice workout...a 7 mile dayhike with full pack.  Plus Champ had fun!