Plenty fall color left on the way up, passing many burned or charred trees. Newly minted trail signs clearly mark all junctions. A brand new bridge. The last 2 miles seem not bothered by the fire. Some big trees. Snow started maybe at 3000'. Trail was still easy to follow with boot track. A few down trees. Some muddy spots. We saw sunshine briefly, and soon, it snowed. Very pretty, a winter wonderland. 
We were going fairly slowly, so despite of being sick of flu, I had no trouble hiking up 7 miles, 4000', ahead of the group, with Lisa, who was telling me about her kids and her boyfriend and his ex-wife. Boy, so much drama, but kept me entertained. She is turning 59 the next day (Monday)! She's in great shape, and is going to climb Aconcagua in a month or 2. Yes, no view at Sherrard Point, only snow and fog.
We turned around quickly after a couple of photos. Had lunch at the end of the road (road was unassailable: covered with snow), cleared some snow for seat, put all my clothes on, and my umbrella. We met at least a dozen other hikers/runners. Saw a couple of guys going in jeans and sneakers, two in shorts. Not a good idea in snow. I brought gaiters and microspiles (didn't use either), and wore waterproof boots. By the time we returned, the parking lot next to the lodge was full (3:30pm). A lot of people in shiny clothing dressed up for photos. We were pretty dirty. The sun was shining, a nice crisp autumn day.Overall, a good workout, with decent view. I actually fell from a one log bridge because of its slippery surface, and I had to pass a dog. I was shocked, but no harm done, except for a couple of bruises.
