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1999 Seniors Backpacking Trip to Desolation Valley
(interim report)

Dates:
August 12th to 15th
Trip Leaders:
Adults: Mr. Hitchings & Dr. Cowing
Scouts: S Williams.
Dads: M. Abell, S. Williams
Scouts: C. Atkinson, M. Abell, B. Cowing, P. Hitchings, B. Stoehr, J. Torrano
Where:
Desolation Wilderness, west of Lake Tahoe, north of Hwy. 50
Summary - Dad's point of view
4 dads and 7 scouts drove up to the Ralston Peak trailhead opposite Camp Sacramento (Elev. 6,440 ft.), and hiked up and over the trail that passed near to Ralston Peak (Elev 9,235 ft). At a point part-way towards lake of the Woods, we left the trail and went cross country to wards Ropi Lake, encountering some rather awkward boulder hopping and vegetation. After about 5-1/2 miles we reached the trail near the lakeshore, we eventually located a suitable lakeside site , and set up camp, with only minimal bother from mosquitoes (the only bug trouble we had). On Friday the Poodle Patrol hiked about 2 miles cross country (mostly bare granite with lots of boulders) and up to the top of Pyramid Peak (Elev. 9,983 ft.), then back again. The view from the Peak includes a great many peaks, notably Mt. Tallack to the north, also visible is the south shore of Lake Tahoe to the east and Union Reservoir to the west. One scout stopped part-way up, due to a severe heel blister, and one adult stayed with the scout. Part of the Pekinese Patrol visited some of the lakes above Ropi, and checked out the Cascades, a beautiful cascading waterfall near camp.
Saturday the Pekinese and Poodle patrols switched activities, and the entire Pekinese Patrol summited at Pyramid Peak. By this time, we had learnt that the other way into our campsite was by way of the Pyramid Creek route, and Horsetail Falls. The guidebook made this route sound dangerous, so on Sunday morning the two uniformed adult leaders hiked down to check out the trail, and found the more-dangerous and less-dangerous routes. The latter route was judged fit for use, so the entire party hiked out past the very beautiful Horsetail Falls. As described in the guidebook, there are a variety of trail segments in the falls area, so we had some "fun" trying to figure out the best route as we descended.
The only mammals we saw were Yellow-Bellied Marmots and golden Mantled Ground Squirrels. Several scouts and dads slept under the stars, and saw part of the Perseids meteor shower. The Poodle Patrol ate well, due to the services of a semi-professional scout cook, the Pekinese patrol did not go to bed hungry, but will pay more attention to menu planning on their next trip! All scouts stayed dry (except when swimming ) thanks to the lack of rain, and stayed warm (thanks to good weather).
One neat aspect of the Desolation Wilderness, at least in this area, is the fact that it is granite boulder-strewn. While this makes for awkward hiking (i.e., lots of boulder hopping), but it also means that just about any route is possible. So it’s a great opportunity to make one’s own way through the wilderness, without creating a significant impact, since granite is a durable surface. To put it another way, its just plain fun to scale minor cliffs and descend improbable looking routes, all in relative safety.
Note that this trip was in a wilderness area, so campfires were not allowed. We cooked on three Gaz stoves, and one portable "restaurant" stove that also took (different) gas cartridges. This latter stove worked really well. Although heavier, it cooked much faster, had a very stable base, and had a broad cooktop. We had the equivalent of three days cooking, and used about 1.5 Oz of fuel per person per day. The only "quick" food we had was instant oatmeal satchets, all other cooking was the regular (slow) way.
 


Photo Gallery Below

Return to Index Page Mt Ralston in the background (our route in from Hwy 50), Ropi Lake in foregrout, the Cascades (waterfal from Desolation Lake) barely visible as diagonal white line at left Part way up to Pyramid Peak Looking down from the rocky peak - where are the two scouts? Scouts and a scouter at the summit Scouts and a dad taking a lunch break on the way down from the summit Pumping ice cooled water into canteens, during the descent from the summit Early one morning, looking at Pyramid Peak and its reflection in Lake Ropi The upper part of horsetail falls. In this area, there are two trail options. We took the left option (not visible) to stay away from the falls and stay safe.