We wanted to squeeze in one more trip before the season ended, and we opted for Aloha Lake in Desolation because of its proximity to the bay.
After parking in the Echo Lakes parking area, we packed up and headed out. We were hoping the water taxi was running, but the flat hike along lower and upper Echo Lakes was quite enjoyable.
- Hiking along the emerald green waters of lower Echo Lake
- Having lunch at Tamarack Lame
Once the trail started to wind through the forest, we hit several patches of melting snow and ice.
- Patches of snow in the forested areas
After 5 miles from the trailhead, we reached the southern shore of Aloha Lake. We wanted to climb Mt. Price the next day, so we continued along the eastern shoreline to camp closer to Mosquito Pass. You could tell the lake was low, as there were lots of sandy patches between the trail and the shoreline.
- The dry shoreline of Lake Aloha
We found a great campsite with benches and a wind wall made out of logs soon after the turnoff the PCT. We were expecting temperatures below freezing, but Friday night pleasantly surprised us and was one of the nicest nights I've experienced in the Sierras. It was absolutely windless, and the sunset was so incredibly pink.
- Sunset over our campground
The next morning we headed up Mosquito Pass, and once we reached the top we cut off the trail to the left and headed up the mountain.
- Leaving Lake Aloha below us as we head up the ridge from Mosquito Pass
- Having some fun bouldering up some of the rock faces
- Heading up the final ascent, aiming for a notch to the right of the peak
We headed for the large notch to the right of the summit, and the loose rock, snow, and steep incline made it a challenge. Once we made it, we carefully traversed our way to the peak of Mount Price.
- Taking a break on the ridge with the peak in site
- Looking out on the other side of the ridge
- Looking down at Lake Aloha from the summit
It took us a total of 2.5 hours of scrambling from Mosquito Pass to make it to the summit, and after a quick lunch, we headed back down. Coming down was much more challenging and tedious, but after 3 hours we were back at our campsite.
A lot more backpackers showed up Saturday evening, and there was now a slight breeze in the air. We woke up to catch the sunrise before hiking back out.
- Sunrise over Lake Aloha
Being my first trip to Desolation, it was a great combination of off trail adventure combined with those classic Sierra sunrise/sunsets that can't fully be captured in photos. We were worried it would be cold since it was late in the season, but the weather was perfect, there were no bugs, and there were less crowds.
More photos/full trip report can be found here:
http://www.backcountrycow.com/blog/2016 ... o-mt-price
