TL;DR
This late spring trip took us 6.5mi into Desolation Wilderness to Lake Aloha (which wasn’t quite a lake yet). Lake Aloha is a seasonal lake that forms from snowmelt accumulating in a granite basin. What we experienced was just tons of snow. Intermediate terrain allowed for us to brave the snow in hiking boots and snowshoes, although microspikes would have probably have been the optimal choice.
Permit Application Destination Zone: 33 Aloha
Thoughts
Desolation Wilderness is one of the most popular wilderness areas in the state. I believe it. I didn’t even go very far in and it was breathtaking. All of that right off highway 50. I applied for permits as soon as I could not really considering the heavy snow year that California was having. I got permits for Memorial Day weekend and as the date got closer, realized that we were going to be doing some snowcamping.
The road to the trailhead wasn’t going to be plowed yet so we had to park at the Echo Lake SNOPARK, which is just a small parking lot with a bathroom. Permits for the SNOPARK can be bought and printed out here. Permits are good for any SNOPARK in California and Oregon so purchasing a permit doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be guaranteed a spot. We were hiking in on a Friday so we beat the weekend crowds. The Echo Lake SNOPARK is almost a mile from the actual trailhead at Lower Echo Lake.
As we hiked along the edge of the first Echo Lake, this hike soon became a test of mental integrity. Making sure each step on the snowy slopes was secure before pushing off really wears on you, especially with a pack on. 50 feet of snow, then 50 feet of trail was our reality for the first 2 miles. We got to the north end of the first Echo Lake and were starting to doubt we would actually make it to Lake Aloha before sunset. We had seen a group go ahead of us from the start so we pretty much followed their path. We were the second group to come through so we had to kick in a lot of the steps.
We made short of the upper Echo Lake and then Tamarack Lake and started the climb up to the pass. Now was when it become pure will power to drudge up the snowy slopes. Its been a long time since I’ve had a leg work out like that. Having to work your quads in addition to the stabilizers in your leg working overtime was rough. It was a slog, pure and simple. Its times like these when I’m reminded that, pass a certain point, you either end up shutting off your brain and just taking step after step, or you brute force it until the end. This is why I am weary of taking friends on their first backpacking trip. Sometimes there’s trails where are all you can do is drudge on and I can’t say its fun. Getting to the destination is fun.
Forcing yourself to take the next step is not. But perhaps in these times its not the pursuit of “fun” that is our reason to go outside (although I will argue that it is often times simply that) but to see how far we can push ourselves…to see how far our bodies will go and how far our mind can push it without giving up. I wouldn’t even say its character building…its more like character breaking to reduce yourself to robot that just takes step after step up a frozen hill. Its also a bit unsettling to know that despite how far you are able to push yourself, you still have to do that all again to go back home.
Alas, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We made it to what GPS said was Lake Aloha before sunset. What it really looked like was a giant snowfield. We happened to find a nice grouping of rocks to setup camp so we wouldn’t be completely in the snow. The group that was ahead up us camped up on a rocky ridge that jutted out into the “lake” but otherwise there was no one else around.
Our plan was to do 2 nights at Lake Aloha. Spend a day exploring, then the hike back the next. Although we were pretty beat and didn’t feel like doing much exploring. The other group we saw packed up pretty early and left. So we took it upon ourselves to see what was up on that ridge and also see if we could find any water, melting snow was taking too long. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky, and low 60s.
With the sun reflecting off the snow it felt more like low 80s. We got up on the ridge and looked around. There were a sporadic amount of small snowmelt lakes forming and to the west was an actual stream. We hiked down off the ridge to check it out. Apparently there was an actual dam release there. It was a bit sketchy because you can’t really tell what you’re standing on until you can see it from the water’s side. All we could tell that at some point there was a supported cement wall, so we aimed for that wall.
The refilled our water stash at one of the snowmelt ponds since they were liquid again by afternoon. We spent the rest of the day reading and relaxing since it became too hot to really want to do anything else. The pros of backpacking in May is that you get some epically long days. Its such a joy to cook and eat dinner before sunset. Since it starting cooling off, we walked around a bit more and got some photos of the sunset.
The hike back out the next day went smoother than expected. The snow was a bet slushier because of the warm weather, and the trail was much more warn in from the people that came in on Saturday and Sunday. Nothing like what we experienced on Friday. Its funny how in the moment, things can be so excruciating and hard, yet days later the memory of it is so much fainter. Your legs are no longer burning, your heart is no longer pounding. You’re no longer hating life. How quickly all that effort fades away. Something to remember, and even more reason, to push myself again.
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