August 14th to 17th 2008: Desolation Wilderness and Granite Chief Wilderness Day 1 On August 14th, a Thursday morning, the trip began around 4:30 am with me driving up to South Lake Tahoe while Em slept in the passenger seat. PJ stayed at home with Gong-Gong and Lau-Lau. The driving portion of the trip went by quickly in just under 3 hours and by 8 am I was on the trail, walking along the east side of Echo Lake and admiring the boat-in or hike-in homes.
A few miles beyond Echo Lake I came upon perfection know as Lake Aloha. It would have been nice to stay there for a few hours, or few days, but it was only 9:15 am so I pressed on after a photo. More beautiful lakes appeared with names such as Heather, Susie and Gilmore then I began the climb up Dicks Pass, arriving around noon. I was happy with my progress given that I had started the day at sea level, started hiking 4 hours earlier at 7414 feet, was now at elevation 9360 feet, and felt great.
After descending Dicks Pass I went by the lovely Dicks Lake, the stunning Fontanillis Lake and skirted Middle Velma Lake. I was enjoying myself tremendously and looking forward to swimming that night in an equally wonderful lake before bedding down for the night.
Two hours or so later I was nearly out of water. I had crossed many dried up stream beds, and the granite / lakes of lower Desolation Wilnderness had been replaced with a dry, dusty trail. Walking was easy but the terrain was far removed from earlier in the day. Indeed, it wasn’t until after 10 miles of this dry dusty walking that I came upon Richardson Lake. I quickly set my chemicals into action so I could drink in half an hour and while the chlorine dioxide worked on the potential bacteria and viruses I went into the water. Yuck. The lake was surrounded by vegetation and had a muddy, shallow bottom. It was not nice at all and I didn’t linger. After extracting myself from the mud and while waiting for my water I studied my maps and was somewhat horrified to find that the last 10 miles would be the norm for the rest of the trip rather than the exception.
Back on the trail, I headed towards Barker Pass and a point 31.3 miles from my starting point earlier that day at Echo Lake. Where the trail crossed a fire road, I met 4 men standing around looking at maps. These kind men informed me that their was no water for 14 miles beyond Barker Pass and they were leaving the PCT for the night to be able to camp near water. I asked if I could tag along and camp with them for the night while deciding what to do and they graciously agreed. It was only then that I realized that I didn’t join a group of 4 but rather a Boy Scout expedition consisting of almost 20 people! They had also started at Echo Lake, but did so 4 days before me. During my first night I enjoyed meeting the members of the group that ranged in age from a few years beyond double digits to mid sixties and showing them my lightweight gear. Just prior to entering my tent for the night, I found myself on my hands and knees, struggling not to vomit. It seems the combination of the long day, altitude, and the two drinks Terry made me with 150-proof rum joined together to form the perfect storm. Luckily, I was fine after lying down for a few minutes.
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