July 1, 2020
- Start – Stealth Site near Barker Peak (mile 135.6)
- End – Fontanillis Lake (mile 153.2)
- Daily Mileage – 17.6 miles
The bigger two-person tent worked out nicely for us last night. Finn and I were able to comfortably sleep head-to-foot, which gave us the feeling of a little more space. Not surprisingly though, I was awake with the sun at 5:20 am. Yet, I stayed in my bag savoring the warmth for the next hour while I let Finn sleep in. He’d need the rest if I wanted to try to push us 17-18 miles today.
The cold front that pushed in a few days ago meant it was really chilly out this morning, and I was hoping the temperature would rise quickly as the sunshine broke through the trees. I’m definitely glad I swapped out my quilt for my sleeping bag and added some warmer clothing for this second bit of the trail. I wasn’t cold at all last night, thanks to those wise decisions (and perhaps because another person was exhaling warm air into the tent all night too).
I nudged Finn awake around 6:30 as I was getting out of the tent to brush my teeth and make us breakfast. I went for my good old standby of hot oatmeal, while he wanted more something more savory and packed out phō (a Vietnamese ramen-style soup). It was an odd breakfast choice for sure, but it was a warm option that only required me to boil water and pour it into the pouch. Then, I transitioned into barista-mode and whipped up some backcountry lattes for the two of us (Not really, it was just instant coffee and a packet of vanilla-flavored Carnation instant breakfast. But it sounded nice, right?).
BARKER PASS
When breakfast was done and we’d both changed into our hiking clothes, we did a slow and deliberate breakdown of our campsite. I wanted to carefully double check that we weren’t leaving anything behind so we didn’t get an hour down the trail only to have one of us discover that we left our tent stakes sitting on a log.
While I focused on getting us packed up, I sent Finn off into the wood to refill his cathole. He’d been so excited to pre-dig it last night, but neither of actually needed to use it. The most action it saw was us spitting our toothpaste into it this morning. And, honestly, I think Finn was a just little disappointed about his wasted efforts.
We were all set and marching our way toward the Barker Pass trailhead by 8 am. I’ll admit, it was a nice way to start the day, with the first few miles gently winding us downhill. We stopped once for Finn to filter water from a stream, but I had to keep moving to stay warm. It was barely 50 degrees out. Plus, the trail was in the shade of tall evergreens, so the sun’s warm rays didn’t seem to be penetrating down to me yet.
When we arrived at the Barker Pass trailhead the parking lot was packed with about two dozen cars. That surprised me given how few people we’d seen on trail. I quickly discovered that part of the reason it was so full was because there were some OHV trails nearby.
Finn made a bee-line for the pit toilet at the edge of the parking lot. but returned just moments later though. Apparently, this pit toilet was so popular that it had run out of TP, so he needed the supplies I’d brought out for our catholes. Four more cars pulled into the parking lot while I stood they waiting for Finn to finish up. Apparently, this trailhead really was the spot to be this morning!
EASY MORNING HIKING
The new few miles where filled with wildflowers as we continued out easy hiking downhill toward Miller Creek. Last winter wasn’t a particularly high snow year in the Sierras, so Finn and I got an early preview of the peak bloom that will come later this summer. Yellow, blue, purple, and orange flowers dotted the trail everywhere – with some of them even covering the trail up to our knees. Orange butterflies seemed to be flitting everywhere too. I seemed almost magical in the cold morning air.
Although there were plenty of water sources this morning, but we didn’t stop for our first “real” break until Miller Creek Road, about five miles into the day. The mid-morning sun was now out and warming us up, so Finn decided it was time to strip off his pants. Off course he was shy about it and wandered off toward the tree line to change, while I sat on a sunny rock enjoying a snack and looking at Miller Meadows.
As I sat there waiting for Finn to return, my thoughts were interrupted by several OHVs driving by up the dirt road beside us. I’ll admit I have a love-hate relationship with OHVs. I can appreciate their appeal to recreational users, especially out in places like northern Arizona where the trailheads tend to be down long, washboard dirt roads. OHVs also allow less able-bodied people and families with young kids experience the wilderness. Plus, they’re just fun to ride on.
But, I’m also not keen on having my tranquil environment drowned out by the gunning of engines and air pollution either. And the Tahoe Basin, right along the edge of creek and a meadow just didn’t seem to be the ideal spot for backcountry hikers and OVHs to co-exist.
HEADING TOWARD DESOLATION
After grabbing a bit of water, Finn and I were back on the trail and heading gently uphill toward the Desolation Wilderness – where we planned to camp this evening. So many hikers I crossed paths over the years raved about how the stretch of the TRT that went through the Desolation was their favorite section. And that’s a huge part of why I planned to have Finn join me on the trail between Tahoe City and Echo Summit. Not only would he get the experience of hiking 50 consecutive miles on a backpacking trip, but he’d also get to do it through one of the most adored sections on the trail.
Just before we entered the Desolation, we passed Richardson Lake, a pretty lake with crystal clear water. There were tons of flat open spaces to camp or rest, and it would have been the ideal spot for lunch. There was only one problem. We were only 7.2 miles into the day, so it was a bit early to stop for lunch if we hoped to camp near one of the alpine lakes tonight. I had my sights set on camping near one of the Velmas (Middle Velma Lake or Upper Velma Lake), which meant a 17-mile day today.
As Finn was filtering his water (Again! Seriously, this kid drinks twice as much water at me), I could hear a bunch of loud voices coming across the lake. I shielded my eyes from the glare of the sun reflecting off the water and tried to see where they were at, but I didn’t have any luck. I know the Sierra Club has a backcountry hut on the opposite side of this lake called the Ludlow Hut. It’s one of four huts they maintain in the Sierras for hikers, cross-country skiers, and trail crews, so maybe where the noise was emanating from.
I was distracted enough by my search to identify the voices that I initially led us along the trail beside the river, which turned into a flat, two-track forest road for the next half mile. We were headed in the right direction, but I knew this route had to be wrong. We were supposed to be heading uphill after the lake and this road was flat as a board. As I looked off to the right where we should have been hiking, but it was just a steep slope covered in dense, tall shrubbery. There was no chance we could bushwhack up that hill back up to the correct trail. Time to backtrack to where we missed the turn.
Entering the Desolation Wilderness
Once we got back on track back at the junction for the lake, the TRT climbed for a bit, and less than a mile later we were upon a sign announcing that we were entering the Desolation Wilderness. Yeah! We finally made it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an immediate transition to the beauty we were expected. That wouldn’t come for another 7-8 miles until we got toward the end of the day. Instead, it was just a lot of forest with blowdowns and bugs. The wildflowers we’d been admiring all morning seemed to disappear. And the scenery was pretty blah in my opinion.
Perhaps people forget about these particular miles when they remember the Desolation with such fondness. They’re still riding the high of all the alpine beauty of the lakes behind them and that memory carries them through the less remarkable bits of the trail. But, since we were heading southbound, we got the boring part first and had to wait for the marvels yet to come.
We planned out lunch break for Stagnant Pond for lunch, which would be about 11 miles into our day. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to the names of peaks or ponds. I realized that some of the prettiest places I’ve been had horrible names – Bait Hole Pond or Nimrod Lake – that don’t capture their beauty. But, Stagnant Pond was exactly it sounded like. A dismal small puddle beside the trail that was neither scenic nor enticing. Plus, it was dense with mosquitos.
We kept walking in hopes of finding a better lunch spot, but ended up just dropping out packs in a place that was pretty unremarkable. Just a semi-flat spot on the beside the trail where we could set up the tent and avoid the bugs that seemed to be increasing in number. It was a bit of a disappointment, given how many other awesome spots we’ve seen on the trail. But, there wasn’t much to pick from. So, we just took off our shoes and socks to climbed inside the test to rest for the next hour.
After lunch, we barely had to walk a mile to the next water source at Phipps Creek. Although it was a nicely flowing stream, the mosquitos were so insane there that we had to stay in constant motion to keep from getting swarmed while we filtered our water. Anyone watching the sight would have thought we were insane — walking back and forth on the same 25-yard stretch of trail while squeezing water into our bottles. But, movement was the only thing keeping us from getting devoured because the mosquitos seemed to increase by about 200% the instant we stopped.
Since we only had a few more miles until the Velmas, we decided to just grab one liter of water. Our main priority was just getting away from the creek as quickly as possible. We were banking on the lakes ahead being far less bug-infested that Phipps Creek.
FINALLY MADE IT
It would be a few more miles before the scenery improved and we finally understood why everyone raved about the Desolation Wilderness. We emerged from pine forests to gray rocks and bright blue skies. As we climbed higher, the alpine landscape emerged, and we finally got to see the Velmas. Wow! The water was an azure blue and so spectacular. But, it was also a bit crowded. I could see half a dozen tents already set up on the opposite side of the lake, so I convinced Finn to push a little further on to the next lake – Fontanillis Lake.
As we rounded a bend, Fontanillis Lake suddenly emerged and it was such a sight. The lake stretched out before us with snow covered banks reaching down to the water. We could see Dick’s Pass a few miles in the distance and the scene was just breathtaking. THIS is what I’d been waiting for all day. This was the Desolation Wilderness that everyone told me about!! Although my pictures turned out nice, they don’t even capture 10% of the exquisite beauty before us. The towering mountains. The blue-green water. It was sublime.
The trail wound us around the left side of Fontanillis Lake. I’d heard there were supposed to be a number of good spots to camp about 0.2 miles beyond the lake right near a small pond. We were on our way there when Finn suddenly announced he really had to pee. And before I had time to object to tell him we were nearly to our campsite, he was scrambled between some rocks on a small side trail to get some privacy.
When he came back, he was super excited. He said he’d found us the perfect stealth campsite up in the boulders. I was more than skeptical. His 13 year old version of “the perfect site” would probably be too small, or precariously perched on a bunch of rocks, or something equally odd. We has less than a quarter mile to go until a sure thing. But, I followed him up the narrow path anyway – just so he felt like he had some say in the matter.
As it turns out, he did find a nice hidden campsite that had been clearly used in the past. It was big enough for out tent and there were several good spots to spread out and cook or head off for some privacy while using the bathroom. The only downsides I could find with it were: (1) there was no direct water view – we’d have to scramble up a few boulders; and (2) it was a little bit windy.
It was already close to 6 pm, so I agreed to consider it. But I wanted to check out the other site too just because it was near a pond. Finn agreed to walk the additional distance to take a look at my spot, and then we’d decide together which option was better. However, we didn’t get more than a few feet up the trail before we saw a group of four hikers headed our way.
These hikers could be headed to another pre-determined camping spot somewhere up the trail for the night. Or they could be looking for a good place to settle down now. So, I made the instant decision. We’d stay at Finn’s spot and set up camp here. He’d found us a little gem. So let’s celebrate what we already have here rather than searching for somewhere better and taking the risk those other hikers might hijack Finn’s spot during our deliberations.
As I set up camp and looked back on the day, I could help but think how proud I was of Finn. He hiked 17.6 miles today and was being a real trooper on this trip. I can’t imagine too many kids his age accomplishing what he’s been doing out here, and with relatively little whining or complaining. He seemed so excited to participate by finding us our campsite, and was off scrambling on the rocks while I cooked us dinner. Today was a good day.
DAY 8 OVERVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS
- The brightly colored blue, yellow, and orange wildflowers lining the trail all morning long.
- Looking down on the Velmas and Fontanillis Lake. I’m not sure my imagination did these alpine lake justice before we arrived this evening.
- Allowing Finn to select our stealth camping spot nestled between the boulders with some great views of the mountains. He was so proud of finding it!
CHALLENGES
- Crossing paths with the OHV trails, with lots of summer riders out there gunning their engines and drowning out the peaceful tranquility of the wilderness.
- The anti-climactic entry into the Desolation Wilderness really had me wondering why everyone was hyping this section of the trail so much. (Don’t worry, I totally understand now!)
- The mosquitos! We literally had to pace back and forth at Phipps Creek to keep them at bay.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
