A couple of weeks ago, we hiked to the Peter Grubb Hut in Soda Springs in the Tahoe National Forest. In my write up, I mentioned that we could see Castle Peak above us the entire time and I think I said that someday we would hike up to it. Well that day was today.
We parked in the exact same parking spot and the first mile or so was a repeat performance - uphill on a dodgy road with lots of rocks and puddles.
Then we turned right at the sign for Castle Peak.
The new path immediately became more rugged and steep, but it was a nice morning, with a cool breeze blowing in our faces as we climbed. And there was nary a soul around.
Along the way, we stopped to look at the scenery and take a breath. The elevation was hitting me with all the uphill hiking.
It didn’t take too long to reach the first rock formations, but we still had a long way to go.
As we climbed, more and more clouds seemed to appear in the sky that was so blue when we started out.
We had to scramble through loose rocks as we approached the peak.
The top was breathtakingly beautiful. There was one higher peak, but the path to it appeared extra dangerous, so we settled on the second highest.
We had our sandwiches and then made our way back. The air was very cool and I was glad I brought a long sleeve shirt along (just in case). We were happy to have the place to ourselves, though we met a couple of people arriving as we were leaving.
On the hike down, we had to take it slow because of the loose rock and the steep grade. We saw an unbelievable amount of people hiking up as we hiked down. Everyone was friendly and some asked questions about the peak. Also, there were quite a few people with dogs.
Even moving slowly, we made great time because it was all downhill. We made it back to the rocky road in a short time and then back to the car.
Our total hike was 6. 02 miles with an elevation gain of 1,808. Another great hike!
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