Re: Desolation Wilderness: Dicks Lake/Peak (pics)

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:

Nice! Thanks for posting!

Love granite shorelines!!!

Yah, avoiding smoke.. Tricky. We were in N Yos. Never had it really bad, but never super clear, except over the pass where winds were insane day 1.

TR coming someday. Lots of trips, very little downtime of late...

Granite shorelines are awesome for swimming!

Forgot to mention the water temperature...the winds, particularly Saturday, were stirring up the water making for chilly swimming conditions - I couldn't go underwater for long without having my head hurt. As long as I kept my head out of the lake, though, the swimming was decent. Sunday was a little warmer, but not a lot, the morning was calm but the breezes picked up around 3 or so.

Really nice photos -- Thank you for sharing them.

I agree with the granite shorelines opinion. Very nice.

Yea - water sounds too cold for my likings. Maybe a quick plunge then out to warmth. Head no like, I no like.