Lanham Lake, Jim Hill Mt. 9.14.10

I haven't had the best of the weather lately so I did the only sensible thing one can do in this situation...... I bought new rainpants. The last few trips proved to be too much for my old ones so a replacement was in order. True to form the weather forecast was stellar for Tuesday. When I woke I was suprised it was cloudy thinking I might be in for another wet trip I pressed on. Thankfully after leaving Monroe the clouds broke and I was treated to some sunshine. I was so happy I let out a yell that scared the dogs. I knew I needed dry weather to make this trip go. The plans was to use the standard North Spur Route of Jim Hill. I parked near the Lanham Lake Trail, this was an added bonus because I had never been on this trail. I probably looked as I was staying a few nights with my bloated pack. I knew the route above Lanham was steep and I was unsure how I would handle the initial portion of the East Ridge. Since I was solo I wasn't leaving anything to chance I brought everything. The weather couldn't have been more ideal as I made my way to the lake. The trail did have some brushy areas so I was glad for the drier weather. I was able to make the lake in 45 minutes. I was surprised by the healthy surface action, the trout were all on top feeding, I was also surprised by the lakes lack of appeal. It was much smaller than I expected and not very scenic. I was also taken back by the fact that the outlet had no water flowing in it. It seemed strange since there was decent flow at the Mill Creek Road crossing. I found a nice sunny spot to have a snack, I gave some serious thoughts about just planting myself and enjoying the warm sun.