Prologue
"You know, 15 miles a day is really my sweet spot."
That’s what my good friend Pablo said the last time we went backpacking together.
Two years later, he knew exactly what I had planned for this trip. I'd shared the details with him about a month earlier.
Hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Highway 50 near South Lake Tahoe to Highway 80 at Donner Pass.
A 60-mile stretch I intended to cover in 3 days and 2 nights.
He agreed to join me. I’m just not sure he did the math before he showed up.
That’s what my good friend Pablo said the last time we went backpacking together.
Two years later, he knew exactly what I had planned for this trip. I'd shared the details with him about a month earlier.
Hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Highway 50 near South Lake Tahoe to Highway 80 at Donner Pass.
A 60-mile stretch I intended to cover in 3 days and 2 nights.
He agreed to join me. I’m just not sure he did the math before he showed up.
Day 1
Daily Miles: 25.78
Total Miles: 25.78
Daily Elevation Gain: 4087 ft
Daily Elevation Loss: 5124 ft
Paula drove us 90 minutes to the trailhead and we arrived at 11am. After a quick picture, we were on the trail just before 11:30 on one of the hottest days of the year.
Clean and dry.
We passed 40 or so hikers on the trail next to Echo Lake as well as on the trail that climbed to Lake Aloha. The oppressive heat radiated off the granite we walked on the entire way. We were both soaking wet with sweat.
Looking back from the climb above Echo Lakes
We stopped at Lake Aloha for a snack and to allow the breeze to dry us out a bit before descending to Heather Lake and then making our way around the shore of Susie Lake. Pablo had never hiked this 60+ miles before and I was excited to share this beautiful stretch of the PCT with him.
Lake Aloha
We walked the ⅙ of a mile off trail to Gilmore Lake which sits at 8307 ft. just below Mt. Tallac and almost a thousand feet above where we had started just over 10 miles earlier.
We found a section of rocky shore, slumped down to the ground, and started eating. We both needed fuel and water. After purifying some water and getting it into our parched bodies, we stripped down and splashed into the deliciously cold lake where we stayed for over 20 minutes, just letting our bodies cool down and recover. While soaking we heard the call of a Red Tailed Hawk across the lake which made me smile.
We found a section of rocky shore, slumped down to the ground, and started eating. We both needed fuel and water. After purifying some water and getting it into our parched bodies, we stripped down and splashed into the deliciously cold lake where we stayed for over 20 minutes, just letting our bodies cool down and recover. While soaking we heard the call of a Red Tailed Hawk across the lake which made me smile.
Gilmore Lake --- Photo Credit - Pablo
Once out of the water, it was lunchtime. For me it was crackers with a Skippy Peanut Butter Squeeze Pouch. But before I left home, I took out about one-third of the peanut butter and replaced it with honey. Not just any honey. Honey from the bees that Pablo meticulously cared for in his backyard. It was an amazing lunch, a wonderful view, and I had terrific company as well.
We finished up before heading out towards our next challenge, Dicks Pass. At 9375 ft. this would be our highest point over all three days. Luckily, the clouds covered the sun for most of this beautiful climb. With views of Susie Lake, Half Moon Lake, Dicks Peak and the rest of the Crystal Range, every step brought beauty.
We finished up before heading out towards our next challenge, Dicks Pass. At 9375 ft. this would be our highest point over all three days. Luckily, the clouds covered the sun for most of this beautiful climb. With views of Susie Lake, Half Moon Lake, Dicks Peak and the rest of the Crystal Range, every step brought beauty.
Susie Lake and the Crystal Range from the climb to Dicks Pass
We rested at the top for a few minutes, peering northwest and straight down at the next two bodies of water we would pass: Dicks Lake and Fontanillis Lake. The descent was gradual and on a mostly smooth trail free of rocks. One of the first stretches like that since we had started earlier in the day.
Dicks Lake in the foreground and Fontanillis Lake behind
We passed by Dicks Lake but stopped a couple of times at Fontanillis. Once to admire its beauty and once at the outlet to collect some of its cold wet magic.
The next mile climbed a bit before descending past a trail intersection and then to Middle Velma Lake. This is one of my favorite lakes in the area and the one I have camped at most. As I led Pablo to my favorite spot, we passed through three different groups who had set up camp. Most were sitting around having dinner. It was 6:30pm after all. I apologized for walking through their camps, telling them we were making a quick swim and dinner stop before heading on.
The next mile climbed a bit before descending past a trail intersection and then to Middle Velma Lake. This is one of my favorite lakes in the area and the one I have camped at most. As I led Pablo to my favorite spot, we passed through three different groups who had set up camp. Most were sitting around having dinner. It was 6:30pm after all. I apologized for walking through their camps, telling them we were making a quick swim and dinner stop before heading on.
Fontanillis.Lake --- Photo Credit-Pablo
We headed out to my favorite part of shore, stripped down and got in. It was magic. The sky was turning a million colors of sunset as we just floated around and enjoyed being cool and clean once again.
Middle Velma Lake ---- Photo Credit-Pablo
When out, we pulled out some dinner and enjoyed the changing colors. This was a fastpacking trip. Fastpacking is a style of moving where you hike faster than traditional backpacking. You carry minimal items that all qualify as ultralight gear. It usually involves very few nights on trail and skipped luxuries like tents, stoves, and other non-essential items. In essence, fastpacking is for people who want to cover more miles in less time. Since our goal was to hike 60 miles over two nights and about two days, fastpacking fit the bill.
Dinner for me on both nights included two Walking Tamales. I recently found this product and am in love. Made by a company called Fillo’s, they are shelf-stable, all natural, with 7g of protein, 250 calories, and come in various flavors. They are one of the best non-cook real foods I have ever carried on the trail.
Dinner for me on both nights included two Walking Tamales. I recently found this product and am in love. Made by a company called Fillo’s, they are shelf-stable, all natural, with 7g of protein, 250 calories, and come in various flavors. They are one of the best non-cook real foods I have ever carried on the trail.
Once air dried and full, we dressed, slid into our even lighter packs, and made our way back through the camps. At the last, we stopped to chat with a group of guys who were quite amazed that we were not only not done for the night, but had no idea where we were stopping.
We had grabbed our headlamps before leaving Middle Velma but did not turn them on right away. About 45 minutes later, the light had faded to the point it was time to click them on. We hiked for another few hours. Long enough for Pablo’s headlamp to dim to the point that it was almost useless. He had forgotten to charge it before the trip.
We had grabbed our headlamps before leaving Middle Velma but did not turn them on right away. About 45 minutes later, the light had faded to the point it was time to click them on. We hiked for another few hours. Long enough for Pablo’s headlamp to dim to the point that it was almost useless. He had forgotten to charge it before the trip.
Losing light
At about 10:30pm and about 26 miles, we crossed over the boundary to Desolation Wilderness. This had been our ultimate goal for the day based on permits and regulations. We did not have an overnight wilderness permit and had instead grabbed a day permit. This was planned, as was the decision not to carry a bear canister which was required to stay inside the wilderness boundary. In the spirit of fastpacking, carrying a 7.6 oz Ursack (a bear-resistant food storage bag made of bulletproof-like fabric) was much more efficient than a hard-sided bear canister weighing 33 oz. We camped legally just west of the boundary.
We found a cleared-out area to set up camp. I chose a granite slab and thought Pablo had chosen an open area of ground. Because I was only using my inflatable Nemo pad, my 12 oz. 30-degree quilt, and my 6 oz. water-resistant bivy, my new strategy had been to keep it all connected and together with the pad deflated and stuffed at the bottom of my pack. Therefore, all I had to do was pull it out, unroll it, blow up the pad with just three full garbage bags of air and boom, I was done. I was in my bag and staring at the stars in minutes.
It turned out that Pablo had also chosen a granite slab, but unlike mine, his slab was slanted to the point that he had to reposition himself all night long as he would wake up having slid downwards.
We found a cleared-out area to set up camp. I chose a granite slab and thought Pablo had chosen an open area of ground. Because I was only using my inflatable Nemo pad, my 12 oz. 30-degree quilt, and my 6 oz. water-resistant bivy, my new strategy had been to keep it all connected and together with the pad deflated and stuffed at the bottom of my pack. Therefore, all I had to do was pull it out, unroll it, blow up the pad with just three full garbage bags of air and boom, I was done. I was in my bag and staring at the stars in minutes.
It turned out that Pablo had also chosen a granite slab, but unlike mine, his slab was slanted to the point that he had to reposition himself all night long as he would wake up having slid downwards.
Pablo's slanted site
Day 2
Daily Miles: 26.46
Total Miles: 52.24
Daily Elevation Gain: 4,504.6 ft
Daily Elevation Loss: 4,202.8 ft
I woke up about 6:00 and a little over 30 minutes before Pablo. I spent the time charging my watch and phone for the day ahead. While charging, I focused closely on my map, looking for every possible water source we would cross that day. I knew from hiking this section of the PCT many times before that from here to Highway 80, water management would be extremely important. I marked the streams I knew flowed all year long. Those we could count on. There were many other smaller streams but without hikers coming towards us with intel, we could not count on them. In the dark hike the evening before, we had passed multiple seasonal streams that were bone dry.
We were on the trail shortly before 8am. A slow start after a very big day.
Richardson Lake was just a mile ahead and we planned to filter, drink, and fill our bottles there. There were two other seasonal creeks after that but no sure thing for 17 more miles. The day was a bit cooler with more cloud cover, but it was sure to be another hot one.
We were on the trail shortly before 8am. A slow start after a very big day.
Richardson Lake was just a mile ahead and we planned to filter, drink, and fill our bottles there. There were two other seasonal creeks after that but no sure thing for 17 more miles. The day was a bit cooler with more cloud cover, but it was sure to be another hot one.
Getting water at Richardson Lake
After a stop at Richardson we were back at it. Miller Creek, just a mile and a half later, was running strong. We continued hiking through mostly covered forest, enjoying the cooler weather. A little further down the trail we met a couple hiking towards us. They were hiking the same section of the PCT we were, but in the opposite direction from 80 to 50. In the almost 25 years I have been hiking this trail, I had never met anyone else doing the same section. I had met plenty of TRT and PCT hikers as well as many in Desolation, but none doing the 60 miles I had done for years.
We chatted, sharing a bit about ourselves but most importantly, giving and getting some water intel to each other. Apparently, there were some seasonal water sources that were indeed running in the direction we were headed. This would really help in terms of weight, effort, and speed to not have to carry water for the planned 17 miles. We said our goodbyes and headed on down the trail.
The climb in and out of the trees to Barker Pass was pretty mellow and just before cresting the rise to the road I mentioned to Pablo that a stranger had once given me a soda at this very spot.
As we took the last few steps up to the road, I was amazed at the number of cars parked. We crossed the road and walked into the small parking lot where the Tahoe Rim Trail Association was set up with a trailer and piles of gear. It turned out they were supporting and guiding a group of 12 hikers that were circumnavigating the lake over a two-week period. We were approached by two TRT members, one a guide, and offered a soda and a cookie. We were in heaven. Yup, after only 24 hours on the trail, and about 30 miles hiked in the heat, we were ready and willing to accept some trail magic.
After some conversation, and handing the empties back to them, we walked away with smiles on our faces. I remembered back fondly to my own 2002 thru-hike of the TRT. In the moment, I had my stats completely wrong and when I got home I looked it up. I had hiked the route in 12 days (with one zero day at Gilmore Lake to nurse an injury). The trail was only a little over a year old when I hiked it. At the time, I was #51 to complete it. Over the decades, thousands of hikers have completed the trail and some logged their hike complete before mine was. Therefore, currently on the TRT Website, there have been 3225 confirmed finishers and I am now logged as #113.
I had forgotten that Barker Pass was not actually the top of the climb. The trail climbed about another 500 ft. in the next couple of miles. It was hot and a bit discouraging that with what was called a pass there was still so much work to do. We passed a small stream and decided to skip it until the next source we had been told about. As reported, the North Fork of Blackwood Creek had water and we topped off our bottles.
We chatted, sharing a bit about ourselves but most importantly, giving and getting some water intel to each other. Apparently, there were some seasonal water sources that were indeed running in the direction we were headed. This would really help in terms of weight, effort, and speed to not have to carry water for the planned 17 miles. We said our goodbyes and headed on down the trail.
The climb in and out of the trees to Barker Pass was pretty mellow and just before cresting the rise to the road I mentioned to Pablo that a stranger had once given me a soda at this very spot.
As we took the last few steps up to the road, I was amazed at the number of cars parked. We crossed the road and walked into the small parking lot where the Tahoe Rim Trail Association was set up with a trailer and piles of gear. It turned out they were supporting and guiding a group of 12 hikers that were circumnavigating the lake over a two-week period. We were approached by two TRT members, one a guide, and offered a soda and a cookie. We were in heaven. Yup, after only 24 hours on the trail, and about 30 miles hiked in the heat, we were ready and willing to accept some trail magic.
After some conversation, and handing the empties back to them, we walked away with smiles on our faces. I remembered back fondly to my own 2002 thru-hike of the TRT. In the moment, I had my stats completely wrong and when I got home I looked it up. I had hiked the route in 12 days (with one zero day at Gilmore Lake to nurse an injury). The trail was only a little over a year old when I hiked it. At the time, I was #51 to complete it. Over the decades, thousands of hikers have completed the trail and some logged their hike complete before mine was. Therefore, currently on the TRT Website, there have been 3225 confirmed finishers and I am now logged as #113.
I had forgotten that Barker Pass was not actually the top of the climb. The trail climbed about another 500 ft. in the next couple of miles. It was hot and a bit discouraging that with what was called a pass there was still so much work to do. We passed a small stream and decided to skip it until the next source we had been told about. As reported, the North Fork of Blackwood Creek had water and we topped off our bottles.
The climb continues ---- Photo Credit - Pablo
We climbed another 500 feet or so and into the Granite Chief Wilderness. Designated in 1984 under the California Wilderness Act, it’s a protected 19,000+ acres of roadless land from logging, road building, and development. Although the area from the eastern boundary to Highway 80 looks volcanic, the predominant rocks in Granite Chief Wilderness are granitic plutonic rocks (granite, granodiorite). These are igneous rocks that form deep underground when molten rock cools slowly. Because they cool slowly, large crystals have time to grow, so you can usually see the minerals like quartz, feldspar, and mica when looking at them. Granite Chief looks volcanic because it is made of sharp peaks and rugged rock, but those rocks formed deep underground as granite, not from surface lava.
Not far into Granite Chief, I saw a hiker a ways ahead. We caught her a bit later resting on a rock. She was the happiest PCT thru-hiker I’d ever met. She was hiking a section of the PCT north from Tehachapi and going as far as she could in the season. She introduced herself as “Siesta” and told us she hiked very slowly and loved to take naps. We enjoyed talking to her for a while before moving on.
The next 3 miles was a beautiful ridge walk with expansive views to the southeast before a very long 1000 ft. drop to Five Lakes Creek. The descent felt never-ending and when we finally reached the creek we collapsed on its shore, stripping off our shoes and socks as fast as possible. We filtered, drank, ate, and soaked our feet for almost an hour. Just before starting to pack up, Siesta came down the trail towards us. We chatted a bit more and she gave us some water intel from her FarOut app, telling us there was water at the headwaters of the Middle Fork American River which was about 3 miles before our planned stop for the day at Mountain Meadows Lake. This would give us an option of stopping 3 miles earlier for the day if needed.
Not far into Granite Chief, I saw a hiker a ways ahead. We caught her a bit later resting on a rock. She was the happiest PCT thru-hiker I’d ever met. She was hiking a section of the PCT north from Tehachapi and going as far as she could in the season. She introduced herself as “Siesta” and told us she hiked very slowly and loved to take naps. We enjoyed talking to her for a while before moving on.
The next 3 miles was a beautiful ridge walk with expansive views to the southeast before a very long 1000 ft. drop to Five Lakes Creek. The descent felt never-ending and when we finally reached the creek we collapsed on its shore, stripping off our shoes and socks as fast as possible. We filtered, drank, ate, and soaked our feet for almost an hour. Just before starting to pack up, Siesta came down the trail towards us. We chatted a bit more and she gave us some water intel from her FarOut app, telling us there was water at the headwaters of the Middle Fork American River which was about 3 miles before our planned stop for the day at Mountain Meadows Lake. This would give us an option of stopping 3 miles earlier for the day if needed.
Storms develop over Lake Tahoe
As we continued, the sky filled with clouds and eventually started to drizzle. We could see storms all around us in the sky but they never really materialized over us for the rest of the day. The walk up through the canyon next to Whiskey Creek was beautiful. The forest opened into broad meadows crossed by snowmelt streams. The walking was a gentle traverse through mixed forest and meadow. Granite outcrops poked through the soil in sharp contrast with the striking, rugged granite peaks above. It felt remote even though Lake Tahoe was just over the ridge to our right.
We took a short break at a spur to the Tevis Cup Trail. Also called the Western States Trail, the Tevis Cup is a 100-mile endurance horse ride held every summer, running from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, CA. The route follows historic emigrant and mining trails, much of it the same corridor as the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run that I love following and attending the finish of every year.
We took a short break at a spur to the Tevis Cup Trail. Also called the Western States Trail, the Tevis Cup is a 100-mile endurance horse ride held every summer, running from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, CA. The route follows historic emigrant and mining trails, much of it the same corridor as the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run that I love following and attending the finish of every year.
Break time at the Tevis Cup Trail
Not long after our break we crossed the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the American River. Pablo stopped to get water but we agreed to continue to Mountain Meadow Lake and because of that I decided to forgo taking my pack off to filter. I had enough to get me another 3 miles.
The trail climbed to the boundary of Palisades Tahoe, the new name for the Squaw Valley Ski Resort and host of the 1960 Olympics. Their property was beautiful and we walked through it for about 30 minutes
The trail climbed to the boundary of Palisades Tahoe, the new name for the Squaw Valley Ski Resort and host of the 1960 Olympics. Their property was beautiful and we walked through it for about 30 minutes
Storms over Lake Tahoe intensified ----- Photo Credit - Pablo
Earlier in the day, I had estimated we would finish our day about 6:30pm and not have to deal with the dark. Unfortunately, between the dense cloud cover and the fact that it was just past 7:30 when we arrived at the lake, we were indeed going to have to deal with the dark.
The lake was about 800 feet off the trail and just before making the turn we stopped to take multiple pictures of the stunning sunset
The lake was about 800 feet off the trail and just before making the turn we stopped to take multiple pictures of the stunning sunset
Photo Credit - Pablo
Last light of the day before leaving the trail for water
By the time we hit the lake it was dusk. We each started to filter water and suddenly I was soaked. My Cnoc water bag had delaminated and had a huge hole. Had I not been with Pablo I would have had to resort to using my backup bleach. We finished filtering, put on our headlights, and wandered back to the trail to find a camp spot. Our line through the forest was not great and we ended up having to climb a small peak before wandering around a bit more and finding an open spot to set up.
We quickly ate our dinner and got into our beds. I awoke at about 1:15 to raindrops on my face. I woke Pablo, who was out cold, and set up my tarp in less than a minute. As I did, I told Pablo that I did not think it would last long and he decided to just roll up under his tarp for a while. As I thought, the drizzle ended in about an hour and the rest of the night was clear and dry. This night was about 10 degrees cooler than the night before.
We quickly ate our dinner and got into our beds. I awoke at about 1:15 to raindrops on my face. I woke Pablo, who was out cold, and set up my tarp in less than a minute. As I did, I told Pablo that I did not think it would last long and he decided to just roll up under his tarp for a while. As I thought, the drizzle ended in about an hour and the rest of the night was clear and dry. This night was about 10 degrees cooler than the night before.
Day 3
Daily Miles: 10.98
Total Miles: 63.22
Daily Elevation Gain: 1,890.0 ft
Daily Elevation Loss: 2,743.0 ft
We had planned the night before to try to hit the trail earlier than the day before. We were both up by about 6am and on the trail just after 7am. We had about 11 miles to get to the trailhead where we had planned to meet Lucas, Pablo’s son, to pick us up at noon.
We started out climbing for a bit and then dropped 500 feet to the headwaters of the North Fork of the American River which was bone dry.
We started out climbing for a bit and then dropped 500 feet to the headwaters of the North Fork of the American River which was bone dry.
View down into Chief Creek and the North Fork of the American River
As we climbed back to the ridge we crossed over two seasonal streams that were both running well enough to collect water if needed. We needed none. Back on the ridge we crossed under Tinker Knob and saw a hiker coming down from its peak. When we crossed paths he urged us to make the short trip to the top. We dropped our packs and did just that. The 360-degree view was well worth the bit of effort. After breathing it in and taking some pictures we headed back to our packs and then on down the trail.
From atop Tinker Knob
The rest of the hike was beautiful and always one of my favorites. It stayed on the ridge all the way to the base of Donner Peak before making its final descent to the trailhead off Old 40.
As I stepped onto the asphalt I looked to my right and Lucas was driving towards us. It was exactly 12pm and we were both right on time. We hopped in the car and drove 15 minutes to a beautiful natural pool on the South Yuba River to get clean before heading down the hill to Auburn for some lunch.
I love this 60-mile section and know I will return to it many more times. The access was easy, the views were incredible, and Desolation remains one of my favorite places. You just cannot ask for more than the ridge walks it offers. This time felt even more special because I finally hiked it with a friend instead of solo, and I was grateful to share it with my good friend Pablo.
I love this 60-mile section and know I will return to it many more times. The access was easy, the views were incredible, and Desolation remains one of my favorite places. You just cannot ask for more than the ridge walks it offers. This time felt even more special because I finally hiked it with a friend instead of solo, and I was grateful to share it with my good friend Pablo.