We drove to Donner Summit, California and, after dabbing on the sunscreen, we made our way along the trail that was blessed with many wild flowers and fir trees. It was a beautiful morning with a light breeze as we crossed through rocks and various plant life.
Walking past a serene lake, it was very quiet and still. I felt very relaxed, although the altitude was getting to me almost immediately. The hike was estimated at 6.7 miles with an elevation gain of 1,581 feet and the maximum elevation was 8,650 feet.
There were many spectacular views in the first mile or two, rocky terrain, green meadows and mountain views.
We walked through the two tunnels that took us beneath the 80 freeway - and I couldn’t resist shouting, “Echo!”
We continued on through a variety of terrain, some challenging, some easy, but all extremely scenic. We encountered very few people at the beginning of the hike, which made the experience more magical.
The trail was very user friendly, so we never got lost or felt ill at ease as to which way to go.
I will say that the trail was a bit overgrown at times and there were some tiny bugs (gnats?) every now and then. Otherwise, it was quite pleasant.
The last mile or so was all uphill and with the elevation, I was struggling. I tried to keep an even pace and stop to catch my breath when I needed to, and that helped get me to the finish line.
And what a finish line it was. The view of Frog Lake was spectacular and, from the peak, at little intimidating. In short, I loved it.
We ate lunch and saw a number of birds and other people. There was a friendly hiker we had encountered on the way up, as well as some mountain bikers and a trail runner.
The journey back was just as wonderful, without the uphill battle.
We saw a lot of backpackers heading up as we descended, mostly friendly people who happily told us their destination. We also saw a squirrel.
Eventually, like always, we found our way back to the parking lot. It was another great hike and fantastic day!
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