If you're contemplating a hike up either of the Coldwater trails to the Boundary trail, be aware that there is a reasonably sketchy patch of snow on the Coldwater trail as it passes below Coldwater Peak. It is a very sheltered spot where the hillside is fairly steep (true of most of the trail). The trail is completely covered in several feet of snow for about 60 feet. I wouldn't want to cross it without trekking poles (I actually wanted spikes) and a good pair of boots.. I managed to kick steps into the snow bank as I descended but it was slow going. If you lose your footing, it could be a quick slide into rocks and trees. Then there's snow at the junction of Coldwater 203 and the Boundary trail. I don't know how far it extends up the Boundary trail toward the back country, likely not very far, but it appears to be several feet deep with a bit of a slope to it.
The rest of the hike was wonderful. I hit the trail at 0715 and didn't see a sole for almost 5 hours. There are flowers everywhere, paintbrush, penstemon, lupin, yarrow, avalanche lilies, strawberries (some have ripe fruit, delicious), thimbleberry to name a few. I even saw one tiger lily on the Boundary trail on the way to the Johnston Ridge Observatory. The wildlife certainly seem to appreciate the recent trail work on the Boundary trail. There were fresh elk tracks all over it as well as multiple fresh piles of scat (e.g. bear, coyote, bobcat or cougar). I didn't see any mountain goats but I did see tracks and plenty of hair in the brush once I passed Harry's Ridge. I was amazed by the number of hummingbirds, maybe 15-20, and to see a bald eagle soaring in circles by the arch. The trails are passable but there are many areas of pretty poor footing on fairly steep slopes. In particular the Coldwater trail as it passes around the Blastzone Butte has a lot of loose rock and a couple of spots of eroding trail. The stretch of trail between Harry's Ridge and the turn onto the Coldwater trail also has multiple steep sections with pretty loose footing. The Boundary trail between the Devil's Elbow and Harry's Ridge could use some brush work in the alder groves, which I'm sure it won't get thanks to the road closure. A few had a real Heart of Darkness vibe to them. There were 6 pairs of backpackers heading up the South Coldwater trail, a pair hiking around the lake, a lone hiker heading up to Coldwater Peak, and 4 other people following my route around the closure area. I had pleasant chats with all of them. It was an exhausting but fun day.
Early view of the mountain