Route Plan
Day 1 - Friday (Glen Alpine Trailhead to Clyde Lake - 7.1 miles)
- Start at Glen Alpine Trailhead
- Take road 12N16 to start of Glen Alpine Trail - 1.2 miles
- Take trail 17E06 to PCT/TRM juntion - 2.5 miles
- Take PTC/TRM toward Aloha Lake - 1.7 miles
- Take trail 16E30 through Mosquito Pass to Clyde Lake - 1.7 milesCamp at Clyde Lake
Day 2 - Saturday (Clyde Lake to Velma Lake - 6.3 miles)
- Break Camp
- Take trail 16E30 to China Flat - 2.5 miles
- Take trail 16E30 to Camper Flat - 2.1 miles
- Take trail 17E34 to PCT/TRM - 1.7 miles
- Camp at Velma Lake
Day 3 - Sunday (Velma Lake to Gilmore Lake - 5.9 miles)
- Break Camp
- Take PTC/TRM to Gilmore Lake - 5.9 miles
- Visit Dick's Peak on the way
- Camp at Gilmore Lake
Day 4 - Monday (Gilmore Lake to Glen Alpine Trailhead - 4.3 miles)
- Break Camp
- Take PTC/TRM to trail 17E06 - 0.6 miles
- Take trail 17E06 to road 12N16 - 2.5 miles
- Take road 12N16 to parking lot - 1.2 miles
- Drive home
Day 1 - Friday
On Friday morning, we obtained our wilderness permits from the Pacific Ranger District office located four miles east of Pollock Pines on Highway 50. We drove to and parked at the Glen Alpine trailhead. There is plenty of parking available, including a composting restroom, and a bear-proof dumpster. We set out at the Glen Alpine trailhead around 10:00.
The hike started out as a long uphill switchback.
We passed along Susie Lake, but didn't stop.
We also passed by Heather Lake and didn't stop here either.
Eventually we arrived at Lake Aloha.
At this point, we feared we would not make it to Clyde Lake as planned. A number of factors contributed to this decision. For one, we were not in the greatest shape. Second, the altitude gains (approx 2125') made on this day were taking their toll. Third, the very rocky trails slowed us down quite a bit. Fourth, we wanted to setup camp and eat dinner before dark. We could see why the last leg of this hike was rated difficult on the US Forest Service website.
We decided it was in our best interests to camp at Lake Aloha instead. This was no disappointment. Anyone who passes by Lake Aloha should camp there, in my opinion. The water was crystal clear and didn't taste bad at all.
Day 2 - Saturday
We broke camp and headed on to Clyde Lake. We decided that we were *only* 1.7 miles from where we wanted to be. Boy, were we in for a surprise. The trail to and from Clyde Lake was VERY difficult.
So when we reached Clyde Lake, we decided that we were going to kill ourselves trying to do what we planned. We really had no clear idea what the terrain was going to be like the next few days and since we were unpleasantly surprised, we decided to err on the side of caution. We spent the day hanging out at Clyde Lake and camped there for the evening. It was nice to kick back, relax, and do some fishing. One of the books I consulted mentioned that Clyde Lake had plenty of trout. We fished all day to no avail. Not one fish jumped ALL DAY, even during feeding times. I resolved to return this book, as the author was incorrect about the fishing and didn't even mention a word about the difficult trail to Clyde Lake.
Day 3 - Sunday
We broke camp and headed back in the direction we came from. Our original planned hike was a loop, so we could not proceed along that route. We had to backtrack. I was disappointed at first, but didn't mind. We went passed by Lake Aloha again, but kept on going after refilling our water bottles.
We kept going and passed through Heather Lake. We looked for a place to camp, but didn't see anything we liked. As we came upon Susie Lake, we noticed quite a bit of camping areas as we circled the lake. We found a nice area that was protected from wind and in walking distance (but not too close) to the lake. After setting up camp around 15:00 we started fishing. It was fun to relax for a bit, but the fish weren't biting. I moved to a small cove with some nice shade. Before you knew it, we started catching fish. We caught a total of 6 trout between the three of us, but only kept 3 and safely released the others. We cleaned and cooked the trout right away. Thanks to the spices provided by my wife, the meal was delicious.
Day 4 - Monday
We broke camp for the last time and hiked down to the trailhead. It only took us 2 hours. The first thing we did when we got down was to call our loved ones and let them know we were ok. Then we had a some delicious and well-earned burgers and fries at Bert's Cafe. Then we drove home.
There are a number of trails and places to visit in the Desolation Wilderness. I plan to return again. The rest of the photos from the trip are on located on Flickr.
1 comment:
Those are very nice photos. Looks like you had a great time.
As for that very difficult trail, come with me off trail in the Sierras and you'll see a new level of difficulty, like waist high brush that you must cross, boulder fields that can twist your ankle, and scree hills that seem to go on forever.
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