submitted by Andy Miller
Week 2 on the trail crew was sunny and warm. My job was to escort a fresh team of volunteer trail-workers into the heart of the valley and then return to Vancouver the following day. 6 new trail-workers and I hiked for 2 days to catch up to the industrious group that remained from week 1. This rain weary group of 4 from week 1 welcomed the sun that allowed them to move out of their cave way up on the pass at Solstice Lakes and down into the giant tree headwaters of Clayoquot River Valley where they got back to work clearing the overgrown trail.
The new group of six trail workers for week 2 took seven hours to hike from the trucks into Solstice Lakes, and stopped at every swimming hole along the way for a refreshing plunge in a pool of icy glacier water on Serenity Creek, the warm but mysterious Spire Lake, and the brisk alpine Solstice Lakes. We camped in the thick but warm fog at Solstice Lakes. On day two the sun re-emerged and we hiked on past upper and lower Murrelet Lakes where we again plunged into the warm water, and then on down to Hill Bottom Camp with its giant cedars, firs, and hemlocks. For week 2, the trail-workers goal is to re-clear the trail for 2 km on either side of Hill Bottom Camp, connecting to Murrelet Lakes where work had been done the week before,  and then on to beautiful Norgar Lake. After I helped the new team of trail-builders hike in and meet up with the other crew remaining from week 1, I swiftly headed back to Vancouver.