Tahoe Rim Trail - Dardanelles Lake - 7/27/2025

 

We left bright and early, heading toward Lake Tahoe and taking Highway 89 to South Upper Truckee road and parking in the Big Meadow Trail Head. We arrived around 8:30am and were lucky to find a parking spot. It was cooler up there, around 64 degrees with a few clouds decorating the blue sky.

After dabbing our exposed skin with sunscreen, we started off along the trail that took us back to, and across, Hwy 89 - and we had to run. We crossed through what looked like a demolition area of rocks, fallen trees and a lone chipmunk that eventually lead to a bridge over a creek and onto a beautiful meadow with views of mountains and trees.

We founds ourselves in a forested area that was sprinkled with wild flowers, mosquitoes, and lovely views. There were a few mountain bikers and many backpackers along the way. Some people were friendly and stopped to talk with us about destinations and sights to see. Others just ignored us altogether.

Dardanelles Lake was breathtakingly beautiful. I snapped dozens of photos hoping to capture the images that were unfolding before my eyes. Larger clouds began to collect overhead, altering the views and we watched it change from one cool perspective to another that was equally cool, but different.

We ate lunch and drank water next to the lake. After looking around for while, we decided to head back with an open possibility to check out Round Lake as well, if we felt up to it. 

The path back was just as amazing as the journey in because the light had changed. We saw an amazing old juniper tree that looked incredible in the light.

One thing, though. Crossing the creek a second time, I took a tumble and fell on my side into the creek and onto some rocks. My clothes were soaked, but I didn’t lose anything and I just bashed my left arm in two places (one spot was a little bloody and another spot about an inch from the first one, swelled up a little. I recovered quickly and we were on our way again. 

 There seemed to be a constant stream of hikers and backpackers coming through the entire way back. We decided to skip Round Lake, save it for the next time.

We saw a baby squirrel, a deer, and more beautiful landscape as we retraced our steps backward.

It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was an interesting photo opportunity just waiting to be taken.

Eventually, we made it back to the meadow and crossed the bridge again.

Then we walked through the same sort of demolition area and crossed Hwy 89 again, but there were no cars at that exact moment (lucky us!).

We made it back to the parking lot, packed up and hit the road.

Another fun and exciting hike!

Plasse Trading Post Trail - 7/20/25

 

We began this week’s journey by driving up to Highway 88 and then turned onto a small road that led through some campsites before we found the small parking lot for the Highway 88 Trails. The sign told us we had arrived at the right place.

Our goal was to reach the spot of Plasse Trading Post, founded by Raymond Peter Plasse in 1853 during the California Gold Rush. 

 

The trail was easy to find and the entire area was beautiful, lush and green with streams and wild flowers. It took us through forest and field, rock and hills. The trail itself was quite dusty, but that made is softer on our feet. 

 

 

We saw many butterflies, a few chipmunks and birds. I was unable to identify most of the birds, some mourning doves. There were some smaller birds, but they flew away long before we were near them.

 

There were many interesting rock formations along the way and the trail was easy to follow. We found the junctions, directing us onward and upward - and I mean uphill! I found that the elevation was getting to me (about 1,500 foot gain in about 8 miles round trip, and at the top we were at 8,300 feet).

There were several meadows along the way. We came across some private land with a beautiful meadow and what appeared to be a fallen log cabin.

I managed to get a picture of the elusive chipmunk, always running before I can usually point the camera.

As we made our way along the trail switching back and forth, we were able to get great views of Silver Lake in the distance.

I was happy to see so many wild flowers, which brought out the butterflies and the bees. 

Reaching the plateau, we were pleasantly surprised by the cool breeze, as well as the scenery and the view. I was exhausted from the climbing and elevation, but I felt better after eating a sandwich and drinking some water.

Going down was a little treacherous, I fell twice and Sue fell once. Eventually, we found a good pace. The light was different on the return trip, so many of the views seemed brand new and different.

We only saw three other people during our hike, and only on the return trip. People were not as friendly on this trail, but they said hello in response to our hellos.

 

We made it back to the parking lot, dusting off our clothes. My new hiking shoes looked about six months old with all the fresh dirt. Great hike, great time!

Hike to Twin Lakes, Kyburz, CA - 7/13/25

We drove up to Wright’s Lake near Kyburz, CA. We were lucky to find parking in the Twin Lakes parking lot - a lot of backpackers and overnighters park there.


The first thing I noticed was the elevation, it was not the worst, but noticeable.

We began our hike by walking over this bridge - even though it was not the trail to Twin Lakes, we just wanted to cross the bridge.

The mosquitos were terrible, but I put some “bug juice” on and they seemed to leave me alone after that.



We hiked through a lot of granite and piles of rocks, as well as fields of wild flowers. The terrain changed many times throughout our journey to the lakes. The weather was hot, but there was a breeze that would sneak up on us every now and then, reviving our sweating skin for a moment.

Next, we entered Desolation Wilderness and it appeared to be just as desolate as you’d expect, but picturesque and beautiful as well. We saw quite a few butterflies, some lizards and a bird or two along the way. 

 

We had to walk through streams of water that followed the pattern of the trail and there was a couple of wet “boggy” areas that seemed prime for mosquitos, but the “bug juice” continued to thwart them.

Eventually we made it to the top of the rocky granite and then traversed along until we started seeing tents set up - some right on the trail and others in the distance. I was surprised at how uninhibited people were having their lives on display as we hiked through. I wanted to add right here that everyone we met along the way, including the campers, were very friendly and jovial. It was fun meeting people and chatting for a moment about their destinations and plans.

We make it Lower Twin Lake and found a shady spot to eat lunch (sandwiches). We brought plenty of water, so we each took a long drink after eating. When I put my water away, I saw creature watching me that looked too large to be a squirrel, but too small to be a raccoon. I took a couple of photos of it, then I asked Sue what it was. “That’s a marmot!” She declared with excitement and she immediately began to talk to it, asking how it was doing and all that. He seemed friendly enough, as though he was accustomed to humans and, we feared, he was also expecting us to give him some food. However, when he realized he wasn’t getting any free eats, he started gnawing at something in the bushes.

After dabbing on some more sunscreen, we decided to hike to the next lake. We walked around looking for the trail, but encountered a raging stream that we needed to cross. A couple setting up a tent told us the place to go and we did it, but discovered that the trail was too overgrown and after trying several times, we decided to go back the way we had come.

We had to walk back through a few campsites, and on our second trip through, they mostly ignored us and we found our way back into Desolation Wilderness. 

The journey back to the car seemed to take less time (possibly because it was mostly downhill). We encountered quite a few people heading out to the lakes, which was interesting because it was after noon. I guess a lot of them just got a late start. Or else they spent the morning at Wright’s Lake and decided to take a hike.

Well, that’s it. It was quite fun and we’ll definitely be back there soon.