We drove over to the location of the Donner Party Camp - one of them - and found a parking spot, which was lucky because there was a big crowd gathered there for a tour. After the usual pre-hike rituals, we quickly started out through the foggy mist to beat the group to the trail head.
It was a cold, but interesting morning up there. I was surprised at the silence that prevailed, even though we were close to Highway 89 for the first three miles or so.
The terrain changed a lot along the way, but it was very picturesque the entire time.
We had to walk on Hwy. 89 for about 200 feet to cross the Prosser Creek and that was intimidating because the cars and trucks drove very fast, like 80 miles per hour.
Then we continued on the Emigrant Trail. We followed the creek for a while, and then cross a meadow. That’s when we started our uphill ascent
As the fog lifted and the sun revealed itself, the air remained cool.
We crossed the original Hwy. 89, which is no longer in service and that caused us to pause and enjoy an historical moment.
We continued on through more landscapes and rocks. After reaching the 5 miles mark, we had lunch in a forest of pine trees and then turned around to retrace our steps back.
As usual, on the return trip we encountered many people moving in the opposite direction. There were runners and cyclists, mostly. Only a few other hikers.
The return seemed quicker than journey out, but there were more distractions on the trail in form of birds, people and, at one point, motorized vehicles.
Upon our return, we took an additional 1/3 of a mile walk through the Donner Camp.
Another great day in the mountains. The hike was 10.44 miles and the elevation gain was around 768 feet.
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