This year we decided to combine a group campout at Jackson Meadows with our annual mountain climb. We normally, for the past 12 years or so, have climbed Fall Creek Mountain, but this year we climbed Mt. Lola Continue reading “Annual 2021 Birthday Mountain Climb and Jackson Meadows Group Campout”
Tag: hiking
Loch Leven Fall 2018 hike
On October 24 this year Kate and me and Charlie hiked out to Loch Leven lakes. We went via Lake Valley Reservoir Continue reading “Loch Leven Fall 2018 hike”
Spooner Lake, NV October 2017
The best time to go to Spooner lake on the east side of Lake Tahoe is the first or second week in October when the aspen are turning. This particular time Continue reading “Spooner Lake, NV October 2017”
Annual Birthday Hike to Fall Creek Mountain
On September 17, 2017 we did our annual birthday hike to Fall Creek Mountain. Along with Kate and me were Janelle, Continue reading “Annual Birthday Hike to Fall Creek Mountain”
TRT Hike Ward Creek to McCloud Falls
On Fathers Day, Kate, Ben and I started our project of hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail, which is 165 miles. Doing it piece by piece in day hikes only. We started on the trail where it intersected Ward Creek Blvd just south of Tahoe City a mile or two, in the town of Sunnyside. We went counterclockwise to the lake, hiking south. I used a really sweet app by Guthooks, that shows the trail and tons of waypoints and handy information, plus shows you your location on the map. Between taking photos of wildflowers, messing with my new app, and checking my Garmin GPS (somewhat redundant), Kate often was way ahead of me, as she kept hiking while I fussed around. Ward Creek was running nicely and we had lunch alongside it. The weather was perfect with solid blue skies and nice wind. Wildflowers were simply outstanding. It was the absolute perfect time to take this hike. Prime time. The pictures just do not capture the glory of this trail. The grade was pretty easy until we hit switchbacks heading up to the falls, probably about mile number three. McCloud Falls were at the 4 mile point and we started to feel the beginnings of some aches and pains, so we turned back at that point figuring 8 miles round trip would be plenty that day. Even Ben’s feet or his ankles were getting kinda sore.
The trailhead was about an hour and fifteen from Colfax. We were out on the trail for about 4+ hours. Hiking time to the falls was about 1.5 hours. The TahoeRimTrail.org has some maps on line of the area we hiked here.
Ward Creek
Beginning of the trail
McCloud Falls
McCloud Falls
Ward Creek
Emerald Pools Hike
On Pi day, 3/14/15 Kate and I hiked to the Emerald Pools on the Yuba River, off the Bowman Lake Rd, with Janelle and Stephen. The weather was high 60s, but because of the drought the river was much lower than normally would be at this time. Plus there normally would have been snow at this level. We bushwacked it first to the canyon then to the pools and big waterfall. I was so glad to get back into the mountains. Everyone loved it including Ben and Biggs.
Fall Creek Mountain Hike 2013
After a couple delays we finally did our annual Fall Creek Mountain hike on 9/22. It was just Stephen Bannister and Janelle and me this time. We added to the normal route by going north after the climb toward Culbertson lake and then dropped down to the Crooked Lakes Trail and back to Island Lake.
Here are photos of the trip. You can go right thru them by beginning with first one and clicking the arrows to move fwd or back.
Crooked Lake in the background
Heading back down
Azelea Lake and Flora Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail
Last Sunday Kate and I tried a new hike. We went to Boreal Ski Ranch to pick up the Pacific Crest Trail head but instead of going north toward Castle Peak, we instead went south planning to see the three lakes … Azelea Lake, Flora Lake and Lake Angela. The PCT is well worn so its a great trail, easy rolling at around the 7200 foot level.
In about a mile we found a trail off to our right and looking at my Garmin Dakota GPS it had to be the trail to the first lake, Azelea. Sure enough a real beauty. (click images for full size)
The next lake, Flora Lake was not far away at all according to the GPS and sure enough the lakes side trail led us right to it. However, the trail seemed to end at Flora Lake and we resorted to bushwacking climbing over nice granite but also plowing thru manzanita.
Biggs, being so low to the ground, had a rough time so Kate or I carried him thru some but then decided to just put him in my pack.
We finally got to some relatively flat granite where the big watt power lines were going overhead. I kinda thought if we followed them we would get to Lake Angela but it was getting a little late, and I forgot that I had Google Earth on my phone and I was getting reception. That would have showed me what you see here on this map I pulled up at home.
If you look carefully and blow up this map you will see the power lines. Lake Angela is off the map to the left.
Instead we chose to go left and try and get back down to PCT which we could just make out below the cliffs we were on.
Here is what we were dealing with:
We finally gave up on going to PCT and just retraced back to Flora lake and everyone but me had a nice swim.
Next time we will go all the way to Lake Angela, probably following PCT till it meets up with side trail to that lake.
Lakes Basin Spring Hike
Kate, the dogs (Ben and Biggs) and I took a nice 1.75hr drive up to Sierra Buttes in Lakes Basin area. We wanted to check out the campsites for future RVing up that way. It was perfect timing as the snow had greatly receded. In fact, it was equivalent to late June in a typical year. So the lakes were full and the waterfalls and streams were running full blast. We hiked to Frazier Falls, which I had never seen before since I usually go to this area late summer or fall and they are dried up. They were magnificent. Something like a 300 foot drop and this was at the 6200 foot level. We like to camp right on or very near lakes, so we really didnt find any great campsites in that regard, so we will have to just continue doing day hikes in that area. (click to enlarge photos)
