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jactradesSo, last weekend Abhi, a couple of friends, the dogs, and I went on a three-day backpacking trip in Desolation Wilderness, which is southwest of Lake Tahoe.
Minus: getting up at 4 am (yes) on Saturday to drive from where we live in South Bay to the ranger station to get our permit. Because it was Labor Day Weekend, and we'd had a late addition to our group, which meant our advance permit was no longer valid, and, so, yeah, had to snag one of the few day-of-entry permits right when the place opened at 8.
Plus: By 9 am we were looking over this:
That's Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, about half a mile and 800 feet into our climb. Since it was just a three day trip, and we had four people and two dogs to spread the weight across, our packs were pretty light. I think mine was maybe 25 pounds? And that's with extras like camp sandals and a daypack for our second day. And Snickers. Lots and lots of Snickers which could be eaten (or slurped in the hot afternoon) for extra energy.
Never go hiking without a Snickers. That's our household's rule.
By lunchtime we'd hiked roughly a gazillion switchbacks in order to climb another 1500 feet in, like, a quarter mile. There was much whining, because, dude, it had said moderate in the trail guide. And yeah, we had a topo map which clearly showed the elevation gain, but, whatever, at that point gravity was the guidebook writer's fault. However, our efforts were eventually rewarded by this:
Then it was up and down, but mostly down (thank god) to our camp site at Upper Velma Lake. This was the view from the tent, and yeah:
Sometimes life's pretty fantastic, you know?
(For any campers/backpackers out there, omg, this was the best camp site ever. A little high, but sheltered from most winds. Close enough to a waterfall to hear its rush throughout the night. Practically a boat ramp of smooth granite all the way down to the water, but a sandy spot sized just perfectly for our four-man tent. Flat area to cook on. Rocks that seemed designed for reclining. I could go on.)
On Sunday we left most of our gear at the camp site and took day packs to hike to the summit of Dick's Peak, which clocks in at 9,974 feet. (We jumped when we got to the top, so I'm calling it as 10,000 feet with no shame.)
As we climbed higher we left summer and entered spring:
The Sierras were pounded with snow this winter, so the seasons are running a bit late when you get up in elevation. The remaining snow was greatly appreciated by everyone when we got up to Dick's Pass after, oh, god, maybe four miles and 1,500 feet in elevation gain:
From left to right, that's Panda Bear the Malamute, my husband Abhi, our friend Matt, and Kajol the German Shepherd/Beagle Chaos Pup.
The last bit to Dick's Peak was a struggle, but the view was worth it:
This photo is actually from a bit below the peak, when we'd hiked back down to get some shade while eating lunch (Snickers). The main lake you see is Dick's Lake, to the left is Fontanillis Lake, and in the middle, way far away, is Upper Velma Lake where we started the morning off.
We took a different route back down, and were surprised by a rather large snowfield along the way:
I've never gone sledding before in September, but it was pretty rad tbh. Panda also thought it was awesome.
When we got back to the campsite, Sumit (our other friend, not pictured) and I went swimming in the alpine lake. The water was somehow more freezing than the snow.
Then we ate Easy Mac and went to bed at five pm. Good times.
The next morning we packed up and crawled our way back to civilization, muscles protesting the entire way. Found the car (it always feels like a big discovery post-hiking!), pulled off the boots, and headed home. We grabbed burgers & fries (animal style, of course) at the first In-N-Out coming back from Tahoe and it was the BEST THING I EVER PUT INTO MY MOUTH.
I love how backpacking does that.
Next trip - head south past Dick's Pass:
Minus: getting up at 4 am (yes) on Saturday to drive from where we live in South Bay to the ranger station to get our permit. Because it was Labor Day Weekend, and we'd had a late addition to our group, which meant our advance permit was no longer valid, and, so, yeah, had to snag one of the few day-of-entry permits right when the place opened at 8.
Plus: By 9 am we were looking over this:
That's Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, about half a mile and 800 feet into our climb. Since it was just a three day trip, and we had four people and two dogs to spread the weight across, our packs were pretty light. I think mine was maybe 25 pounds? And that's with extras like camp sandals and a daypack for our second day. And Snickers. Lots and lots of Snickers which could be eaten (or slurped in the hot afternoon) for extra energy.
Never go hiking without a Snickers. That's our household's rule.
By lunchtime we'd hiked roughly a gazillion switchbacks in order to climb another 1500 feet in, like, a quarter mile. There was much whining, because, dude, it had said moderate in the trail guide. And yeah, we had a topo map which clearly showed the elevation gain, but, whatever, at that point gravity was the guidebook writer's fault. However, our efforts were eventually rewarded by this:
Then it was up and down, but mostly down (thank god) to our camp site at Upper Velma Lake. This was the view from the tent, and yeah:
Sometimes life's pretty fantastic, you know?
(For any campers/backpackers out there, omg, this was the best camp site ever. A little high, but sheltered from most winds. Close enough to a waterfall to hear its rush throughout the night. Practically a boat ramp of smooth granite all the way down to the water, but a sandy spot sized just perfectly for our four-man tent. Flat area to cook on. Rocks that seemed designed for reclining. I could go on.)
On Sunday we left most of our gear at the camp site and took day packs to hike to the summit of Dick's Peak, which clocks in at 9,974 feet. (We jumped when we got to the top, so I'm calling it as 10,000 feet with no shame.)
As we climbed higher we left summer and entered spring:
The Sierras were pounded with snow this winter, so the seasons are running a bit late when you get up in elevation. The remaining snow was greatly appreciated by everyone when we got up to Dick's Pass after, oh, god, maybe four miles and 1,500 feet in elevation gain:
From left to right, that's Panda Bear the Malamute, my husband Abhi, our friend Matt, and Kajol the German Shepherd/Beagle Chaos Pup.
The last bit to Dick's Peak was a struggle, but the view was worth it:
This photo is actually from a bit below the peak, when we'd hiked back down to get some shade while eating lunch (Snickers). The main lake you see is Dick's Lake, to the left is Fontanillis Lake, and in the middle, way far away, is Upper Velma Lake where we started the morning off.
We took a different route back down, and were surprised by a rather large snowfield along the way:
I've never gone sledding before in September, but it was pretty rad tbh. Panda also thought it was awesome.
When we got back to the campsite, Sumit (our other friend, not pictured) and I went swimming in the alpine lake. The water was somehow more freezing than the snow.
Then we ate Easy Mac and went to bed at five pm. Good times.
The next morning we packed up and crawled our way back to civilization, muscles protesting the entire way. Found the car (it always feels like a big discovery post-hiking!), pulled off the boots, and headed home. We grabbed burgers & fries (animal style, of course) at the first In-N-Out coming back from Tahoe and it was the BEST THING I EVER PUT INTO MY MOUTH.
I love how backpacking does that.
Next trip - head south past Dick's Pass:
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Date: 2011-09-13 08:32 am (UTC)(Slightly off topic, but I keep forgetting to ask you - did you get my email? Just to make sure it didn't get lost in a spam folder *gg*)
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Date: 2011-09-13 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-14 08:17 am (UTC)Just wanted to know if that thing ever reached you ^^
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Date: 2011-09-13 02:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-13 05:15 pm (UTC)(PS Cute husband!)
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Date: 2011-09-13 07:43 pm (UTC)(Thanks!)
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Date: 2011-09-14 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-09-15 01:33 am (UTC)Being a California girl, I can't imagine being in flat 'ol Florida - especially when a hurricane rolls around! I'd be like, "...but where are the hills for me to run to?" :)
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Date: 2011-09-14 02:01 am (UTC)BEAUTIFUL pics! It must have been stunning to see in person.
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Date: 2011-09-15 01:40 am (UTC)