Mount Tallac & Lovers Leap Roadside Attraction, March 2002

Our plan was to traverse the Desolation Wilderness, starting at the eastern base of Mt. Tallac and exiting down to Highway 50 at the bottom of Pyramid Peak.  Mother Nature had other ideas, throwing a fierce winter storm at us.  We dug a camp in high on Mt. Tallac and waited out the night.  We skied down the next morning in two feet of fresh, then hit the roadside attractions west of Echo Summit.

My Birthday Present -- An Epic Powder Day:

So I'm turning 33 and I figure that there's no better way to spend a birthday than touring the backcountry.  I therefore hooked up with Chris Gallardo, backcountry splitboarder extraordinaire (and his trusty dog Sierra), for a little outing in the Desolation Wilderness.  Unfortunately for us, we ran into perhaps the worst weather of the season.  Here's what the next day's USFS report said:

"Yesterday was an interesting day. Heavy showers in and out most of the day. At 7,000 feet we received 8-10 inches of new snow with light winds. This morning at 0600 at north-northeast wind of 40-70 mph over the crest with recorded gusts to 103 mph. It's howling this morning; in sheltered areas at 8,000 feet the winds are 12-25 mph from the north-northeast. Temperatures are cold; at 8,600 feet, 6 degrees, 8,000 feet, 6 degrees, 7,000 feet 10 degrees, and 6,000 feet 6 degrees. The ridgetops are completely scoured." 

Sounds fun, huh?  Although the weather sort of messed with our plans, we ultimately ended up with one of the best powder days of the year on Sunday.

Click on the link below to see the photos and trip report.

^NEXT

Up to Top