Tahoe National Forest
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Shirley Canyon Tahoe National Forest |
August 26, 2023
It's bucket-list season! As with the recently explored Five Lakes, which are just over the hill from here, I never have walked this particular trail despite having lived near it for most of my life. Go figure.
Recently, this trail has been in the news, for it seems that there have been several
hiker rescues and other incidents. These anomalies seem inexplicable to me; but
I have arrived early nevertheless, armed with a well-marked map.
I hope to be up there later
Winter conditions now? I doubt it
Getting started
I appreciate the necessity of the signpost, however. Olympic Village attracts
countless visitors, and many non-hikers might believe that this trail is just
an easy streamside stroll.
I'll call these Lower Squaw Creek Falls
These warnings are serious!
Sometimes it is a streamside stroll...
...but sometimes not
Upper Squaw Creek Falls
Is that a lean-to, or just forest cleanup?
There is space for a shelter underneath it
Northward view
The route becomes more interesting
It looks as if some real work is about to commence
Yep
They still are ahead, but I am catching up
The base of an expansive granite slab
This is a good place to take a breather. One of the hikers I have been dogging offers to take my photograph, so what can I do?
Yours Truly just got a haircut
Now it is time to tackle the steep slab, which has been overblown online as "difficult",
"scary", and "hand-over-hand", among other things. For me, it's like the
proverbial rabbit in the briar patch; this is my kind of place!
I wish that more trails were like this
Above the slab, there is more work to do
Occasionally, I lose track of the 'main trail', if even there is one; but it hardly matters. By taking any reasonable choice of routes, it eventually works out. Sooner or later, one encounters a reassuring blue line on a rock, indicating that all is well.
The creek channel is the trail for a time
Following the blue marker
Suddenly, there it is — the interim destination and landmark.
Shirley Lake
There are just enough mosquitoes about to keep me from dallying here. One-third of the climb remains.
Broadleaf Arnica
Mountain Pride
This has been a feel-good trail the whole way
Sierra Penstemon
Giant Red Indian Paintbrush
From here, the route takes on a new personality. Above the cliffs now, and out of the forest, the landspace now is cluttered by metal objects, because I have entered a giant ski complex.
I ignore the maintenance road and stay on the trail
Large Mountain Fleabane
Red Elderberry
I didn't come here to walk on asphalt
Granite Chief, 9009', is the region's high point
Narrowleaf Hawkweed
Blue Flax
This stuff must be awaiting the next snow
I can barely make out Tinker Knob and Anderson Peak in the distance
It's not far now
Up ahead is the woman who took my photo
Olympic Valley appears
That snowbank proves a minor nuisance, but soon all is well. Other nearby hikers avoided it, but this is the shortest route.
High Camp, the hub of the big complex
The swimming pool is empty on this beautiful day. Go figure
Doubtless some food concessions are open, but today I am not interested in them; something far more important is in the works.
It's gravy-time! This is the only hike I know of where you don't have to
walk down! Although it costs $40 to get a ride up to High Camp, hitching
a ride down is free! What a deal. I am able to grab a front seat
for good photo-ops, and my waiting time is only five minutes.
Lake Tahoe shimmers in the distance
Shirley Canyon, the recent venue
This tram could hold a hundred people, although I certainly wouldn't want it to
Beautiful
The pitch suddenly becomes much steeper
There's my car!
15 minutes later, there's my car again
§: Well, this walk was wonderful. Albeit far from the "best hike in
the Sierra" that some bloggers claim, it was a highly interesting trek. Whereas
climbing and scrambling through the boulders and slabs admittedly is not everyone's
cup of tea, I found it a great deal of fun; and I'll be happy to redo this outing with
some friends. I'll even let them buy me a sandwich at High Camp!
Granted, I was not on this trail earlier in the year, when there were reported issues involving snow banks, cliffs, and downed trees; but the idea of someone actually becoming lost is mystifying. Today, I didn't use my fancy map at all — not once.
I also was home by 1:30 p.m., including four driving hours. Apparently, I still
can handle a rigorous 2,000-foot climb without it taking all day.
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