training in tahoe

In a couple of weeks I have a permit to hike Mount Whitney, which is the highest point in the continental United States. It’s a pretty long hike– 22 miles round trip and about 6,000 feet in elevation gain. So lately I’ve been trying to hike more to get into shape for this grueling hike. It’s part of the reason why I went to Lassen last weekend (the other reason being I actually have wanted to hike Lassen for a long time.)

On Saturday morning six of us (Me, Jamie, Chi and Chi’s friends Diego, April and Yun) set out to hike to the top of Mount Tallac. I had been there once before, it’s a pretty amazing view from the summit. Plus it’s a pretty good training hike for Whitney, since at 10 miles round trip and about 3,000 feet of gain it’s about half what I’d be doing at Whitney.

The hike started out pretty well– the trail was well marked and easy to follow.

But after we climbed out of the valley we lost the trail and started bushwhacking.

We ended up at the Glen Alpine spring historical site. Somehow when we started bushwhacking we ended up making a circle. It was getting to be too late to summit Tallac and return before dark, so we decided to head back.

We decided to go to Emerald Bay instead. It’s a much shorter hike– less than two miles round trip and only a few hundred feet of elevation gain.

I like the view at Emerald Bay. When I’m in nature I always feel so small. I wonder how people who are already kinda small feel?

Is there anything more awesome than steaks cooked on a campfire? Yes. Yes there is. Steaks cooked on a campfire with butter and rosemary, served with grilled zucchini and corn and baked potatoes.

Breakfast was pretty good too. Whenever I go car camping I bring my trusty old cast iron skillet. Breakfast was skillet potatoes with bacon and eggs. Good stuff. So good that I forgot to take a picture.

Our campground was literally right next door to the Oktoberfest festivities in Tahoe. So after a rather gluttonous breakfast we went for even more gluttony.

Near the Oktoberfest festivities we found a salmon festival. (Lots of festivals in Tahoe this weekend for some reason…) So we went to that too. They had salmon on the grills there- but by now we were all too full. So we watched the salmon spawning in the creek.

So anyways, what was intended as a weekend of training ended up as a weekend of gluttony.

Things I’m thankful for:

• warm sleeping bags
• hiking and camping friends both new and old
• camp cooking
• Germans, for inventing Oktoberfest