Snowshoed up to about 11,700 today, clocking 6.3 miles. Stunning trail! My friend and I started just after sunrise, breaking trail all day in a solid 6-12 inches of fresh snow. Because of that, we moved pretty slowly and it felt like three times as much elevation gain as it was today (about 1400 feet). We didn't go up to the lake and instead followed the creek up to a gorgeous but windy vantage point for lunch. We saw some large slab avalanche debris (in one of my photos) on an East facing slope just a ridge away from Herman Lake that likely ran sometime this weekend. It might be a good idea to stay off of the Southeast facing slopes leading up to the lake in winter. Great views, though, go make use of our trench (though it was filling back up with snow as we descended, so it might be a bit weak now). Didn't see anyone else on the trail all day!