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Date: June 20-21, 2008
Location: Desolation Wilderness, CA
Weather: sunny and warm
Participants: mmcpheet, bcrider
Gameplan: convincing ourselves the season is over
Beta: see pics or ask
Pics: bcrider, mmcpheet
Tech Specs: (cameras) Canon SD630, SD800IS, G9, (software) aperture
Intro: It’s always hard to admit the season is over but after close inspection of the Crystal Range I sad to say that it definitely is, at least in Tahoe.
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The Approach
Mmcpheet catches first light on the drive over.
At the trailhead we discovered the parking fee that used to cost $3 (and before that was free) now costs $5. Luckily we scrounged up enough cash.
We decided to access Desolation Valley from the popular day-hiking spot, Horsetail Falls.
The route quickly steepens.
Hard to tell but this is actually the trail.
The main crux of HTF.
No problem.
An hour and a half or so and we’re on top of Horsetail Falls.
Don’t go that way.
Heading north we aim for the west shore of Ropi Lake and beyond to the dam at Toem Lake.
Pyramid Peak from Toem.
There are no official trails to Lake Aloha from this section of Desolation Valley so you just aim NW cross country. The main crux is a cliff band beyond Teom Lake that blocks entrance to the next shelf near Pyramid and Waca lakes. This section looks worse than it was.
This was as bad as it looks.
But with some basic scrambling we are soon past it and back on the rolling granite.
Flower.
After 5 miles os so of hiking, snow and Lake Aloha finally come into view.
And what a view it was.
Now to find a camp spot.
This looks good.
Really good.
Peak 9686 to Mt Price
After setting up camp and eating some lunch we set out to explore the section of the Crystal Range from Peak 9686 to Mt Price.
Some flowers greet us a few minutes into the start.
As we gained elevation our options came better into view. We gained the ridge and dropped through the notch on the lookers left side of the peak.
Hiking on rock.
And in suncups.
To our left is Pyramid Peak and it’s late-season snowpatch looking tasty.
We want to head north though not south so we ride through the notch a few hundred feet and traverse left to the next ridge. Mmcpheet and Lake Aloha.
bcrider
On the ridge.
Cool line if we brought ice axes and crampons but we didn’t so we turn to our right…
and see this. If you’re thinking what I was thinking the answer is YES, see next pics. 🙂
It had to be done.
Woohoo.
After a ride at the waterpark its back to our business of heading north to Price. Matt leads the way.
Hiking in runnels is fun.
Looking up to the diving board on. Mt Agassiz.
And to another notch in the ridge.
Before we come to Mt Price.
We hiked to the shadow line below the summit.
The snow was very suncupped but we figured it was better than walking down. Mmcpheet goes first.
bcr is next.
Looking south over to Agassiz.
North to Mosquito Pass.
And up to mmcpheet on top of some serious suncups. 😮
After a few hundred feet of the uber-deep suncups we find some smoother snow and start to have some fun.
bcr spies a nook.
mmcpheet gets it on.
At the bottom.
Looking back up to Agassiz and Price.
We were stoked on our full day and new exploration as we made our way back to camp along the west shore of Lake Aloha.
Peak 9686 above our camp.
More great views.
Relaxing at camp.
The Visitor
After relaxing at camp and eating dinner we received a visitor.
I thought he was just after my socks but he was pretty much just curious about everything.
After taking 5,000 pictures of the marmot we had our dessert, blueberry cheesecake.
The color started getting better and even our friend the marmot enjoyed a look.
Sleep came before the time for long shutter pics but I did wake up to take a couple. I still need some work.
Morning
Morning color.
The sun soon warmed our tent and surrounding rock.
Our kitchen included granite countertops and a bay window.
Go ahead and laugh but you’d be stretching too if you hiked 8 or 9 miles the day before too.
We had to exit fairly early so we stayed closer to camp looking for a few good turns.
The view of Aloha was gorgeous.
mmcpheet drops first through a slot above a decent little pitch.
I follow.
We traversed left on foot and saw this little guy.
We walked past a cool granite pool that we envisioned was heated with a Japanese monkey chilling in it.
Back on snow we take what we can get.
mmcpheet flirts with a waterfall.
I get in on the fun too.
Time to put the breaks on.
One more little shot to the lake.
The Exit
We tried to exit to the east closer to Waca and Pyramid Lakes to see if we could find a better route through the cliff band.
Pyramid Lake.
Streams.
Flowers.
And the cliffband.
Good times.
At Toem Lake we go on auto-pilot to the top of the falls we we take a small break before the last stretch to the road.
We made it. 🙂
We celebrated with bacon cheeseburgers at Strawberry Lodge and called it a great trip. Good times. Thanks mmcpheet!!! 8)
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