7-21-17

The air looked much clearer when we woke up so we grabbed our trail shoes, backpacks & headed to hike Mt. Tallac...

The trail up was nothing short of spectacular with the numerous & colorful wildflowers. Put Pyramid Peak & surrounding snowy mountains as a backdrop and WOW!

As we climbed higher the terrain turned rocky but there were still pretty wildflowers growing through the boulders.

The Summit! 

Mount Tallac

9,739 ft.

July 21, 2017

I wished I had a "sign" to hold at the top but then Bob & I agreed that peaks under 14,000 ft don't need a sign (poor Mt. Tallac). It certainly felt like we climbed a 14er. It was 5 miles up with 3,500 feet of elevation gain (similar to a CO peak). And this mountain ranks up there as one of the best day hikes & summits we have ever done! B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!

Look who greeted us at the top! Mr. Marmot plus about 3 of his Marmot friends. We like these cute critters but always watch your pack (they know where the food is).

Here's the view to the other side of the summit. Behind us is Desolation Wilderness. In the photo you can see Gilmore Lake (the nearest one), Susie Lake, Heather Lake & Aloha Lake (which still had ice on it).

We spent a good while on the top eating snacks, taking photos & meeting other local hikers. Said good-bye to Mr. Marmot & headed down a different trail.

After looking at the map we were confident we could take the path past Gilmore Lake & out by Glen Alpine Springs & Lily Lake. It would add a few extra hiking miles & we'd have to hitch-hike about 5 miles back to our car. We took the risk.

Our plan worked perfectly! We had the luxury of trekking new ground, hiking most of the way in solitude & snagging a car ride as soon as we ended our hike. 13 miles total & a full day (7 hours) = tired legs but happy us!

PS: I'll post a few more pics from this amazing day in another post. If you like hiking & if you are ever in Tahoe...you must hike to the top of Mt. Tallac!