High Sierra Topix

Took my 13 yo daughter to Desolation Wilderness for a respite from the heat. Cheated and took the Echo Lake Boat taxi for the first 2.5 miles. Left the dock around 5:45PM.


After about a 4 mile hike w/o seeing another soul we settled here.


Nights were extremely warm for being close to 8000 feet. It probably never dipped below 60.

The next morning we wandered 4 minutes west and set up a little breakfast nook with this view.


After breakfast we went for a stroll. First across Lake Aloha Dam. This is only place we saw people on Saturday and even then we saw them from 1/4 mile away.


While climbing below the dam I noticed a little leak
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View to south from dam


We then decide to go for a swim. Ahh refreshing............and cold.


After our swim my daughter wants to climb some granite


We decide to head for this little peaklet just north of Pyramid Peak


Climbing


The mutt thinks she's queen of the forest


We're almost there!!


We gotta climb that?!?!?


Batteries then died and the extras in my bag were dead also. I managed to squeeze a few out after intermittent "rests" to the lithium batteries.

Lake Aloha pano


Pyramid Peak


Mt Agassiz and Mt Price to the north. I made a navagational error and ended up on the pealket instead of Mt Agassiz which is where we wanted to be. Oh well still spectacular.


And we even got the mutt tired!!! This rarely happens


The 'squiters were enjoying a fine dinner as well as us. They were only bad around dusk, but they were bad.


Our view from the breakfast nook on Sunday


A little blurry but this is the peaklet we climbed from our camp.


Pano from Pyramid Peak to Mt Price from our camp.


Sadly it was time to get back to reality. So all this....


...went into these.

Mine weighed in at about 35 ponds, my daughters at 25 pounds.

As we departed one last shot from camp of the crew and or little climb from the previous day.


All in all a fantastic voyage. On Sunday we saw 5 people wander through our camp aside from them twe only saw 4-5 people on Saturday at Lake Aloha, there were lots of people up there we just managed to avoid them. The walk out was another story though. I've never seen so many damn people. I was getting frustrated.

A few observations and rants:

The group size should be limited to 6 people. I saw a group of 10 plus people on the trail that looked like they had never been in the mountains before.

Why don''t people bury their TP or carry it out. I was appalled at the amount of TP I saw.

When the USFS is issuing a wilderness permit, instead of telling you how close to water you can be for camping, eating, and going to the restroom etc. , they should ask you, if you don't know. NO PERMIT. People need to know before they go. I saw far too many groups going in as we were leaving that just on appearance, did not look like they should be in the mountains. maybe I'm just an old curmudgeon.

Nice report--I took my 21 YO daughter on a trip earlier this summer after her college graduation, and it was a great treat for all of us.

And I appreciate your rant about others in the wilderness--this past trip we saw a disgusting garbage dump at 10,000 ft at Lower Indian Lake in the John Muir Wilderness: WAY TOO much for us to try and carry out. And we saw too much TP as well...

But I am curious. DO you know the regulations about dogs in Desolation Wilderness? Because the regulations are that they should be on a leash at all times. hmmmm.

A little funny about all the people but the doggie is loose. Don't worry, I usually had my well behaved dogs off leash and put the leash on along the trails closer to the trailhead in more popular areas. You can leave the people behind in some areas of Desolation, more than you think.

Is that an Australian cattle dog?

Mike M. wrote:Is that an Australian cattle dog?

It does look like it has some Queensland in it.

Actually there is a sign at the trail head that states dogs "must be in owners control" nothing about a leash. I was surprised when I read this though I always have a leash and poop bag in my pocket.

She's a pound pup, part border collie part who knows. Full of energy.

Duane, we've been in there a couple of times before and the only place we see tons of people is on the trail once at camp it's peaceful bliss .

desertdawg, in the old days, never had an issue with bringing a dog in Desolation, one year, even the young Wilderness Ranger had her dog off leash. For years now, if they know you are bringing a dog, they tell you to have it on a leash. I never pay attention to the signs. If anyone has an issue with my dog, or I think it needs a little discipline, it goes on a leash. Unfortunately, I have been dogless for over five years now, my employment situation prevents me from having another doggie.