Flagpole Peak Day Hike 8363' Lake Tahoe Basin

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madeintahoe
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Flagpole Peak Day Hike 8363' Lake Tahoe Basin

Post by madeintahoe »

Kerstin and I got ourselves up Flagpole Peak last Friday on a very hot day here in Tahoe...we started at a very late start of 1:30 PM :eek: from Echo Lakes...so it was hotter than heck walking along the South side of the lake with the hot sun beating down on us. We saw a lizard with no tail on our way up..1st time I have seen one without a tail...still very cute! :D
This is an awesome short and very fun hike/scramble climb to the peak...I do not know the history and when the pole was put on the summit and why people even started hanging all the various items of clothing hanging off of it.
We had a beautiful day..the views are very pretty from the top, especially looking right down into Echo Lakes! My pictures of our hike for those who are interested!
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/559496601DYYMMI
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Kerstin
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Post by Kerstin »

That was a very fun scramble up Flagpole Peak! :D It was also fun not really knowing how to get up there but figuring it out in the end. The photo of me laybacking up that crack with the brass urn is pretty amusing. It was hard to climb that with one hand. I'm also embarrassed that I initially had no idea what the urn had been for! :o

I really like the photo of you and Pyramid Peak!
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Post by hikerduane »

It looks like there was some slush left in upper Echo lake. Hmm?
Piece of cake.
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Post by copeg »

Looks like a fun time with great views. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by tomcat_rc »

great job ladies - stunning views for the day and captured well by the photos. urn with ashes - one would think it would be more appropriate to spread the ashes on the mountains.

and so what strange article of clothing did either of you leave as tribute
mountain hiking is addictive:
I can quit anytime I want - I just choose not to want
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Post by Snow Nymph »

Great views of the area! Looks like fun scrambling!
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free . . . . Jim Morrison


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KathyW

Post by KathyW »

Anita:

Flagpole looks like a really fun peak - from the pictures it looks like you and Kerstin were having a great time.

Kathy
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madeintahoe
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Post by madeintahoe »

Thank you very much everyone!
Duane..I think it looks like that in that one picture..but the upper was all melted.
Tom..that silly pole with all those clothing items hanging off of it...we decided not to contribute to it :eek: :eek: ...the brass urn we are thinking at one time was on the peak and fell off with the ashes spilling out of it. Kerstin found it empty with no ashes in it at the bottom there in that picture.

Cori...It really was fun to climb up and down and around those great boulders..you would have enjoyed it
Kathy..Thank you...you too would like this peak...the rocks were so much more solid and sticky than on Dicks peak..made it really fun

Kerstin..It was fun not really knowing where to go next...those rocks were so fun..im glad we finally got up there
:D
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Post by Kerstin »

I hiked up there one more time today with my husband Dan and friend Paul. The views of the Angora fire were really depressing but I'm trying to think of what this area will look like in the years to come--the shrubs will sprout from their roots in the spring and so will the grasses and wildflowers. With more light available, all sorts of plants will spread over the area...Many of the burned trees will fall over this winter, helping to prevent erosion...

There are still smoky spots up there.

It was so windy! The urn is still in the same position. We found a way straight up to the ridge without having to hike up the loose, sandy area to the ramp. But I had to make one fourth-class move. Dan said he found a way down that's even easier than the way we took up there. I descended on the sandy slope. A great day.
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