Carson Pass

This weekend my family met up with fellow blogsmith Mike and his wife Danielle. I got to know Mike through blogging before I had a chance to meet him in person. When I finally got to meet him, I felt like I already knew him a bit. It was kind of like meeting a character from a book you've been reading. Mike likes to write a lot, so there was lots of material to base my preconceived character on!

We met at the top of Carson Pass and hiked into the Mokelumne Wilderness, south of Lake Tahoe. It's up pretty high, and you get the feeling like you're walking on top of the world. Part of the trail is shared with the Pacific Crest Trail, but then heads off towards Winnemucca Lake shortly after leaving Frog Lake. The first picture is looking across Frog Lake to the South (you need to click on that picture and view it big!).

Along the hike we spoke of bicycles, endurance racing, potted meats, back country skiing, microwavable spotted dick, and extra large nipples. Our dogs were having a good time too. Even our dogs seemed to act as if they'd met previously.

Early into the hike my dog took an enormous dump right next the trail. I was a little embarrassed at the copious amount he left right in front of our new friends. Danielle started reaching for her pack and said, "Here...I have some plastic dog bags you can use." Now there's a fine line between being environmentally conscious and simply carrying around a colossal bag of poo. Quickly I grabbed two large slabs of bark and carried the freshly laid steamers to their final resting spot behind a downed tree. We hiked on.

I know some of you are looking at that singletrack thinking it'd be sweet to ride. You'd be right. If they allowed mechanized travel in these parts. Since it's the PCT and a wilderness area to boot, you'll only see foot traffic on this trail. Which is fine by me. Some places are meant to be seen at a slower pace.

This was also a very special trip for me, because I just got my camera back from the shop. You may have noticed a lack of original pictures here lately. I borrowed Kristy's camera while mine was in the shop, but that camera and I just don't get along. I couldn't seem to get good pictures out of it, and ended up not taking too many. But I'm back in action now, tormenting everyone with my camera! Hey it's worth it though, right?

We had a great time hanging out with Mike and Danielle. We parted ways at Winnemucca Lake. They headed on to 4th of July Lake to spend the night, and Kristy and I took the boy (who never complained once over the course of 4 miles) and tired dogs back to the car. We hope to have another adventure with them soon!

More pictures of the trip can be found HERE and also HERE!