Leading up to this particular weekend, we had been watching the weather like hawks. Forecasts had shown a rather large storm moving into the general NorCal area and we were a bit worried.
DD had signed us up for a 3-day Snow Basics course with Ned Tibbits’ Mountain Education organization late last year. DD’s got goals of hiking the PCT, or at least parts of it sometime in 2017 and wanted to be prepared to encounter and deal with snow conditions – in particular learning about self arrest during an accidental slip-and-fall down icy slopes, or even if a purposeful glissade goes horribly wrong. We’d probably be able to use similar techniques if El Nino proves true to form and we get an unusually high snow year when we venture on the John Muir Trail this summer (although this seems pretty unlikely due to our late July start date).
Basically the course consists of 3 days and 2 nights of trekking to and setting up a basecamp in the snow, then generally spending the days hiking with snowshoes around Desolation WIlderness. A questionnaire that was part of our application for the course asked us to provide accounts of our fitness, teamwork and leadership abilities, in addition to listing our “greatest personal/ business accomplishments.”
We had spent the prior weekend (also with its own storm and gusty winds) running ’round to REI and Sports Basement to get some additional gear we were lacking (for me, I needed warmer thermals, additional gloves, and polarized sunglasses). We borrowed back some 15-degree car-camping sleeping bags (each weighing in at a hefty 5 lbs!) we had given away this past summer. Though we did bring heavier gear, my pack eventually weighed in at a little under 20 lbs without water. Not bad. I was glad that we didn’t have to bring bear cans to stash our food. Ned had mentioned – “they’re either all asleep or down at the resorts scavenging.” More on gear later.
The forecasts looked grim. Winds up to 80 mph and 1-3, 5-8 and 12+inches of snow were prophesized for this weekend. Emails from Ned, however, reassured us, that while we may not be able to do as much in weather, the trip was still a go, and that we’d be camping in a fairly sheltered location.
DD was already in Tahoe, having already left earlier in the week for a work offsite. He did however, hitch-hike all the way from where his offsite had been at Squaw — 50 miles down south to Heavenly — a lifetime first. All told, he managed to catch rides with 3 different sets of folks, who all seemed to think nothing amiss of his (ice) axe.
As for me, the drive up on Thursday morning was definitely not bad. Except for getting to the freeway in the city, my drive was pretty clear and traffic-less up until I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in South Lake Tahoe, some 3.5 hours later.
It was sunny and even a bit warm when I emerged from my car. We dropped off all the stuff in the hotel room (my gear and some of DD’s) before venturing out to go to Heavenly Village for lunch. The warmth from sitting in the car soon dissipated. It was cold from the stiff breeze blowing about us, and I was glad that I had brought my ski parka.
We headed for Fire and Ice – some sort of Mongolian BBQ concept. It does not get great reviews, but it seemed to be our best chance at getting some Asian flavors in the immediate area, which was what DD was also craving. Basically there are around 3 stations of a combination of varied raw and cooked ingredients: everything from already cooked fried rice, boiled pastas, blanched broccoli, raw beef, chicken, mussels, squid, shrimp, sausage, ground meat and various sauces (Jerk BBQ, to Szechuan to Ranch… etc.) I put together a bowl of what essentially amounted to a broccoli and beef stir-fry. Danny went for a Thai-sauced mixture. You put your bowls together and hand it off the the grill chef for cooking. A server brings rice or tortillas and drinks to your table.
The Holiday Inn Express is conveniently located across from Heavenly Village, with all manner of restaurants, Starbucks, souvenir traps, clothing stores, Alpaca Rug stores and other shops. After lunch we wandered in-and-out of the various establishments. We stopped at Tahoe Sports Ltd to purchase extra gloves for DD and some carabiners for me. They also had a nice selection of Mountain House foods – we probably could have obtained a bunch of last-minute items here.
After wandering for a bit, we headed back to HIE for some naptime. I did a little work. Rooms are clean and comfortable and functional.
Coincidentally, the group had, earlier in the week, decided to meet and eat dinner together Azul Latin Kitchen – which is perhaps a 5-minute trot from our hotel.
Ned did a great job at introducing everyone via email a few weeks before the trip in order to field any questions we may have and provide a a sense of who our course-mates would be. I guess trips like these really rely on the cohesion and togetherness of the group.
Five of us (out of a group of 8,) made it to dinner that night. I was not that hungry from our late lunch, and chose a chicken caesar wrap with baby kale in my attempt to take in what might be the last green veggies of the weekend. Everyone was an avid backpacker and hiker, and had done bits and pieces of the PCT and JMT over the years.
DD and I went to bed fairly excited that night.
Other items of note
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