at Silver Lake, Eldorado NF
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Granite Lake Loop at Silver Lake, Eldorado NF |
June 15, 2012
It is going to be quite hot at home today; so I need to find a walk at a
higher elevation. Having learned that the shortcut over to SR-88
finally is open for the season, I head for Plasse's Resort at the south end
of Silver Lake — the crown jewel of the region. Many times
I have stopped by here for liquid refreshment after some hike or other;
those days ended, however, when I discovered that the nearby Kit Carson Lodge
sells soft drinks for half the price.
Today's trailhead is just south of the resort, on the far side of Stockton Camp.
The trail starts out uninterestingly enough, on a former roadway. There is quite a bit of deadfall, necessitating several detours. A couple of small snowbanks present no problem.
Two miles from the starting point is a pleasant lake. A hiker is admiring the view, but her little dog can only snarl a bit and make protective noises. The woman and I both attempt to get the mutt to make a friendly gesture, but to no avail.
Hidden Lake
Just a few early-season flowers are out today.
Sierra Stickseed
Spreading Phlox
Strange colors in the Shelf Fungi
At a small creek a log scamper is necessary.
The easiest crossing is beyond this fallen tree
Soon I arrive at today's principal destination — Granite Lake.
Dominating the skyline is Thunder Mountain, 9409'
Thirteen miles north is Pyramid Peak, 9984'
From here, the route is vague. I soon encounter a big pond that is not supposed to be near the trail at all.
When I emerge from the forest, it is time to take stock. A fancy
footbridge is in view below, but the plan was to explore a few off-trail
bodies of water northeast of Granite Lake.
Kit Carson Resort is on that lake shore
I find a way across the creek, then quickly locate two other little ponds. Shucks. I was hoping for something more photogenic.
Red Mountain Heather
A loop-the-loop tree
Abandoning the search for hidden treasures, I head back, keeping a bit to the north as I go. This ploy takes me directly to the footbridge that I had spotted previously.
Back on the trail again
I hear running water nearby. Investigating, I discover a nice cascade just downstream from the bridge. Earlier, at Plasse's Resort, a man had asked the clerk about the location of a waterfall. This must be what he was talking about.
Peering down the falls
Wonderful textures at the brink ⇔
A couple hundred feet west on the trail is a route down to the base of the falls:
I'll name these Minkalo Falls, after the nearby Boy Scout camp
After munching some gorp while watching the cascade do its thing, I continue walking away from the footbridge. Suddenly believing that I am headed back toward Granite Lake, I reverse course and retrace my steps across the bridge and continue northward. I keep hoping for the trail to turn west again; eventually it does.
Within half a mile or so, I find myself at a parking lot and another
trailhead, which is unexpected. The sign says "PLASSES 3"
and that's where I'm headed, however; so off I go down a former dirt road.
Only trawling motors are allowed on Silver Lake
Within a few minutes I enter a defunct home tract area, consisting of bare concrete
foundations, broken-up cabins, and assorted junk. This is depressing.
Why has this this place never been cleaned up?
Upon seeing the big black water tank, I finally figure out what has
happened. My little cross-country foray near Granite Lake
caused me to miss an unknown trail junction, which I just barely missed
for a second time after viewing the waterfall. Had I kept going then,
I would have encountered that intersection within a couple of minutes.
The footbridge actually can be seen on the topo sheet if one knows where to look. It seems, however, that the critical portion of my map is obscured by a GPS waypoint marking. The water tank and homesite locations are not in doubt, though.
Having already taken an unnecessary detour, I am loath to retrace any steps. Scrambling south over boulders and through manzanita, I manage to pick up the trail within ten minutes of so. From here it is pretty mellow walking near the shore of Silver Lake.
A grassy trail
There are dozens of Canada Geese around
Oh, no! My hat is missing again. I find it lying about 500 feet back up the trail, where I had taken something out of a pocket and replaced the hat insecurely. Perhaps I should take a course in headware management.
The boat dock signifies the end of the line. Once across the little
footbridge, it is a ten-minute walk through a campground to the trailhead.
Plasse's Resort dead ahead
§: Well, I got an unexpected treat today. Despite all those times
that our family stayed at the nearby Kit Carson Campground five decades ago, we never
knew about either the pleasant waterfall or Granite Lake itself.
Today's trail was mostly soft and easy on the feet, which was nice.
Only the off-trail excursions were at all taxing.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality | |
| Flowers |  |
| Solitude |  |
