Trans-Desolation
March 22-24, 1997
| |
|
|
Cruisin' Lake Aloha
|
This Spring sure is a warm one, and following a very warm Winter as
well. While it's kind of nice to camp at 8000' in March without the
water bottle freezing, the snow quality left something to be desired,
past about 11AM anyway. This wasn't slush, it was Slurpee. We're
talking Big Gulp here. With unlimited refills.
| |
|
|
Larry Sokolsky descends Dicks Pass
|
But what a beautiful trip! We skied out northwest from Echo Summit
to Lake Aloha, so crowded in the summer but vast and pristine in the
cover of snow. We had a little excitement as we descended to Heather
Lake, before reaching camp just south of Dicks Pass.
Dicks Pass was an interesting one, especially the north-facing
descent. Larry tried to lessen the general panic at the top, noting
that it isn't really a cornice if it isn't overhung. Larry and Denise
tossed their packs down the hill and kick-stepped their way down the
face, while Carol shrugged her shoulders and skied right off the lip.
Cathy and I opted for the eastward traverse. What a great day, capped
off with a lunar eclipse and Comet Hale-Bopp that evening.
| |
|
|
Carol Palecki descends Dicks Pass
|
Day 3 was when we really paid for our warm nights, as we slogged on
through increasingly deep Slurpee, lower and lower in elevation,
until we reached Tahoma, along Tahoe's west shore.
-Bob Akka, 3/25/97
Route info on the Trans-Desolation main page
Another trip (with photos) to the same area in 2002