Our Party of 3 hit the trail head at about 9am and the weather was fantastic. This was my first real back country camping trip so I was nervous and excited at the same time. The other 2 members of my party had hiked the trail before so I was able to work the hike and try to enjoy the scenery when I could. The hike was steep and long for me and there were only a few spots where there was any kind of view. We packed overnight equipment and made our base camp at Lower Pierce Lake. The next morning we hiked as high as Upper Pierce Lake. There has been an avalanche between the lower and upper lakes which has destroyed the trail and removed the markers. After hunting around for 1 1/2 hours one of the party found a marker and we were back on the trail. The majority of the upper lake was still completely frozen and it looks like the tent platform has been pushed around by snow loads. We stopped short of summiting McFarlane and because of that I think I may have to come back to this one! I will try to add some photos to this post soon. - Oct 29, 2011 - Well, I am FINALLY updating with the photos. I needed some technical support from Bruce. Thanks Bruce!!