Holloween hike to the ghost town Monte Cristo. It's 4 miles mostly flat.
After passing the town, we took Poodle Dog Pass trail towards Silver Lake.
At the junction of Silver Lake, we continued up (instead of going down to the lake) towards Twin Lakes. At this junction, you cannot see Silver Lake. But you'll see it on your way to Twin Lakes.
Instead of going down to Twin Lake, we hiked up to Twin Peak (west peak). Even without an established trail, this part is very straightforward. The upslope was the north side, so the snow is more solid, easy to walk.
View is gorgeous.
This is a long trail, due to the first 4 mile walk each way.
Condition:
1) river crossing about 1 mile in towards the ghost town. There's a big log which you can cross. But it may be slippery when wet. Wear traction device or cross over the river bed. I went in on the log, and out via the river.
2) snow covered 4000' and above. Some icy rocks on the trail. Very wet. Flat terrain lots of post-holing. Almost no one comes this way this late in the season. We had to break trails. So, bring your GPS map, and know how to use it.
3) very windy this day. Wind died down in the afternoon.
Panorama photos
1) on the way to Twin Lakes
2) The first flat spot to see the lakes before going down to the lake
3) Top of Twin Peak