The hike up the last stretch of trail to Emerald Lake was slightly more difficult due to snow blowing all over creating a bit of soft snow on the surface as well as some steep portions where snow shoes would have been excellent. But it was no problem, though I did end up sliding down a portion on my butt on the way back down!

Once I reached Emerald Lake, a normally windy place just like Dream Lake, the amount of wind was simply ridiculous. A few people reached this point but none lingered long. I did try to walk over the lake a bit but it was quite an annoying walk due to the painful snow blowing in my face, the extreme wind, and the soft snow.

Despite the wind, it was well worth it reaching Emerald Lake today. I've always thought this was one of those places that is way more impressive during the winter than summer and indeed today was no exception. It was, however, quite different from my last visit in November. In November the entire surface of a the lake was a covered with a beautiful, highly reflective, dark icy surface. Today, all snow. You wouldn't even know there was a lake here!