We wanted to get an early start on the mountain, so we drove up in the afternoon and spent the evening “hiking” up to Lake Serene at 2,500 feet. This area gets lots of moisture and can get quite overgrown. The day was exceptionally hot and we sweated our way up the trail, fending off mosquitoes. The situation changed suddenly as we crested a ridge and dropped down to the lake. Lake Serene is in a depression at the foot of Mount Index and is shaded most of the day even in Summer; cold air pools in this depression, and the lake was still mostly frozen. We were soon shivering and putting on all the extra clothing we had. This was the coldest night of our climb, but the break from mosquitoes was welcome.