Mt. Tallac

This past weekend J and I decided that we hadn't had enough hiking yet - despite our hiking till we couldn't hike another step the previous weekend. Mt. Tallac near Lake Tahoe has been on our list to visit for quite some time now and it seemed like a perfect day trip for springtime. The peak is located right in between Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe and can be reached by Highway 89. We had read that the peak offers views of Lake Tahoe that are unparalleled because of it's towering height, coming in at 9,735'. I've never hiked anywhere at such a high altitude, but was willing to make the grueling trip in exchange for the amazing views.

We set out on our hike and were immediately swept up onto a ridge with beautiful views of the lakes. It was exciting to think that the vistas would only continue to improve as we rose up ever so high. A few minutes later we descended lower into the forest and encounter snow. It's a strange feeling to be hiking along in spring clothing, breaking a sweat even, and run into thick islands of snow. Soon our feet were soaking and we were having difficulty keeping track of the trail. We ran into many sets of footprints, but it seemed that their owners were searching for the trail just as we were. We stopped for lunch to rest and rethink our plan and realized that poor Bella's paws were freezing and covered in sap, so we decided to make our way back to the trail and call it quits. I was a bit disappointed, but without a trail there really wasn't much choice. There will definitely be a post later this summer with pictures from the summit when we attempt it again after the snow has melted.