Soooooo, neglected to notice that this is a point-to-point hike. We started the hike at 2:00 p.m. and then after the side trip to Mission Peak, we kept going with the intention of making it to the lake. After looking at the map we eventually realized that to reach the lake is a total trip of 9 miles…meaning we would have to walk another 9 miles back to our car…18miles RT….and we only brought 3 bananas, a ziplock of almonds and 2.5 liters of water between 2 people. We decided to continue until reaching Mount Allison, and then we turned back. We consoled ourselves saying next time, we would start at the lake and hike to Mission Peak and back. This way we will have completed the original plan, just in two trips. The hike itself was great. It rained in the morning so it was VERY muddy. Much prefer this trail to reach Mission Peak because there isn't as much foot traffic and there is more diverse scenery. Recommended.