I rode out to the lake and back and really had a hard time enjoying the ride even on a perfect weather day.  I did this three years ago and had more fun.  It starts off with the completely depressing shooting pit parking lot that is a toxic waste dump.  Lots of fresh shotgun shells and destroyed garbage is a great way to start a day in the wilderness.  Upper conversion section is getting so loose with 4" rubble getting less and less rideable especially with the off camber endless serpentine trail that really needs some banking.  Getting farther along the road conversion the brush (red alder?) trees are getting nearly impenetrable on both sides of the trail.  Brush is wrapping around brake levers and making it impossible to ride.  Singletrack sections were nice with some much loved mineral soil and berms which is totally lacking on the road conversions.  Fast road descent after single track connection was in good shape.  The wet side of the ridge toward the lake is supper brushed in and I had to push through a number of areas.  The last built road conversion to the lake is quite an unrideable rock garden.

I really wish that I could enjoy this ride more since it is a very rare actual mountain bike ride in the Cascades but I fear that the minimal use and challenges of maintaining the dynamic forces of open mountain trails may just be too much.  Could be a truly amazing experience that could draw a lot of riders if trail was rideable for intermediate riders.  As it stands it is a significant bike/hike for advanced adventure seekers only that may need to carry a machete.