Hilton Creek Lakes trip report
Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:56 am
This place has been on my winter to do list for a while. Finally got up the nerve to make the long drive from the bay area.
On very little food and sleep I left the Rock Creek sno-park by 10am Saturday. I was very shocked by how little snow there actually was, and also how fast it was melting in what felt like summer temps. I took the safe route by skiing up the road, then braching off at the Hilton Creek Lakes Trailhead and following the trail. By the time I had reached this point the snow was mush and very hard to slog through. It took a very long time to reach my intended campsite here, and given all the whoomping and sluffing I was causing, I ended up having to descend towards Davis Lake before ascending again through the dense trees (all this being said I saw NO sign of any avalanches).
I camped for the night, listening to the music of the ice shifing on the lake and coyotes howling in the early morning. I was intending on moving into Little Lakes Valley the following night, but multiple things - including a ski binding that looked like it was about to blow on me - made me decide to head out the next day.
I'm way behind in processing photos, so I'll try to post more as I go through them, but here is one of my room with a view at the Hilton:
On very little food and sleep I left the Rock Creek sno-park by 10am Saturday. I was very shocked by how little snow there actually was, and also how fast it was melting in what felt like summer temps. I took the safe route by skiing up the road, then braching off at the Hilton Creek Lakes Trailhead and following the trail. By the time I had reached this point the snow was mush and very hard to slog through. It took a very long time to reach my intended campsite here, and given all the whoomping and sluffing I was causing, I ended up having to descend towards Davis Lake before ascending again through the dense trees (all this being said I saw NO sign of any avalanches).
I camped for the night, listening to the music of the ice shifing on the lake and coyotes howling in the early morning. I was intending on moving into Little Lakes Valley the following night, but multiple things - including a ski binding that looked like it was about to blow on me - made me decide to head out the next day.
I'm way behind in processing photos, so I'll try to post more as I go through them, but here is one of my room with a view at the Hilton: