I spent the long weekend in the Desolation Wilderness, camping at Dicks Lake and going up Dicks Peak. I went up Dicks Peak from the saddle below the pass, going straight up the ridge. I'd say some parts of this were class 3, while much of the route was findable via use trail there were definitely sections where I was using both hands and legs to get up. I came back down...going along the ridge until the top of the steepest rocky part, then down the scree along a use trail, and traversing to the saddle at the bottom of the steepest section, which I'd say is all class 2. Then cross-country down the drainage.
Bugs: none to speak of.
Saturday was windy and clear. Sunday...a haze came in the morning, turning to smoke in the afternoon. I understand that was blown in from the Rough Fire, which was expanding towards Cedar Grove. Monday...there was a haze but it was better than Sunday.
Pictures...Lake Tahoe from the Bayview Trail:
Eagle Lake, from the top of the Bayview Trail's climb:
Dicks Lake:
View from near Dicks Pass: Dicks Lake (foreground), Fontanellis Lake, Middle Velma Lake, Phipps Peak:
North-Northeast View from Dicks Peak. Views to the south were badly smoke-obscured, and the smoke created an obvious brown layer in the air towards the west.
Sunset, Dicks Lake: