Day Hike in Lake Tahoe - Mt Tallac (Part I)

I picked up hiking again since the shelter-in-place started in March. I hiked about 3-4 times a month in the San Francisco Bay Area and got myself relatively conditioned for trails. When we had a day off on Juneteenth, we decided for the first time since the pandemic to drive out of the Bay Area and spend a long weekend in Lake Tahoe.

For our first weekend-get-away since the pandemic, I thought I would go hike in the Lake Tahoe area, as I had never done so. A friend who's a property owner in South Lake Tahoe mentioned Mt Tallac trail. As soon as I saw the description on AllTrails, I had my heart set. I expected a beautiful journey through lush forest, along scenic ridge lines, past small alpine lakes and across high-altitude meadows. In the same time, I completely ignored that the trail is 10 miles over 6400 ft elevation out and back, and that I have to climb 3300 ft in five miles. 😬

We arrived on Thursday evening. For some reason, perhaps out of anxiety and excitement, I was not able to get much sleep that night. Next morning at around 9, we drove to the trail head and found that the small parking lot was almost full. Luckily, there was one last space with our name on it. We squeezed into the spot, grabbed our camera and packs, and off we went.

Within about 200 meters from the trail head, I started to breathe harder than usual, which I initially felt strange about. But, it soon dawned on me that I was no longer in the 300 ft - 3000 ft terrain of the Bay Area and that I was experiencing a little oxygen deficiency at 6400 ft elevation. I realized that I would have a long and hard day ahead.

Speaking of AMS, acute mountain sickness, I have had a few experiences with it in the past on the trails to Mt. Dana in Yosemite, Mt Whitney in the Sierras, Mt Lassen, and in China's Shangri-La/Mt Meili region, all of which are at higher altitudes. This time, I was not expecting to feel the effects of AMS so quickly, but once I realized what was happening, I knew in order not to get myself sick this time, I had to take it easy and keep my pace slow but steady.

Luckily, the first mile or so was gradual with some shade and a refreshing view of the Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe.

The wildflower season was not quite there, but I was able to spot a few sunflowers, satyrium ciliatum, etc.

After emerging from the lower forest of the first mile, we found the morning breeze had disappeared, and the sun became more intense.

In the next mile or two, we passed two more alpine lakes, the Floating Island Lake and the Cathedral Lake. There is a campground by the Cathedral Lake and we passed by some backpackers. If it weren't for the COVID-19 situation, we would have been required to have a desolation wilderness permit. The water in the lakes was so clear that we could see a beautiful reflection of the snow capped mountains.

Up next will be a more challenging, heart pumping, thigh burning ascent to the summit.