Backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness

Well, with one proviso: I didn't actually go backpacking. I mean, I sorta did. I camped in the back of the truck and strapped 50 pounds to my back and snowshoed for a few hours. And then I gave up.

Now, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I did NOT whimp out. Okay? Just so we've got that straight.

I did, however, get frustrated that I wasn't making very good time. I should have picked another route. I thought about a short, but difficult trek. Instead, I chose the longer "easy" trek. That seems to make sense when there's not 3 feet of snow. But I'm not sure the flatness helped me that much.

I was making about a mile an hour, not including breaks. And it was exhausting. While the lake I was hiking beside was pretty, it was hardly breathtaking, and let's be honest, I didn't carry all that stuff so I could get away from it all. Sleeping in the truck the night before, I was already away from it all. In fact, I was the only person up there as far as I could tell. No, I went for the pictures.

See, the Desolation Wilderness is known for it's...well...desolation. No plants really, just rock. And more rock. And incredible cathedral-like cliffs. So I figured all that rock would be pretty covered with snow. I'm sure it was. But I was having a little trouble getting to it. Another 5 or so hours and I might have made my destination by nightfall. And then what? Hike back out all day Sunday only to be exhausted with no time to take pictures?

I decided to head back and spend the 8 degrees in the truck (it sounded colder until I heard how cold it's been in Missouri). Though I must say, I've not gone as soft in the mild Bay weather as I thought. I handled the cold pretty well.

Lichen handled it well too. In fact, he loved it. That dog was born for snow. I don't know how much snow they get in the Australian Outback, but he played the entire time. He loved to chase the little snowballs down the hill that form with nearly every step you take.

Well, every step he took anyway. My steps consisted largely of one foot staying on top of the snow and the other one sinking 4 feet deep, leaving my first foot chest high and me looking like a turtle on its back trying to right itself.

But actually, it was fun and I'd like to do it again if I had a little more time, without the pressures of having to hike back out the next day. And I got a feel for what it's like to camp in the snow. To be honest, there's not a lot of difference between the tent and the back of the truck. So instead, I drove back towards Lake Tahoe and enjoyed a night hike into the other end of Desolation Wilderness and then drove home.

It was a fun trip even though it was cut short. Here's overlooking Lake Tahoe at night from the Eastern edge of Desolation Wilderness, and the lake where I started my trip.