Desolation Wilderness

 

Hands down, the most breathtaking backpacking journey I’ve done so far. Out there, I had space to think deeper than ever before. Like my brain was rewired. Crossing paths with so many PCT hikers and hearing their stories lit a fire in me. No photo can capture the raw beauty of the wilderness just beyond Tahoe. The place I camped felt like a secret treasure. 

 

Trail: I started out at Wrights Lake, Rockbound Trailhead, and hiked over to Lake Aloha to set up camp for the night. The next morning, I decided to complete the full loop by heading up and over Dicks Pass, passing Fontanillis and Velma Lakes, then continuing down past Schmidell and Lois Lakes before returning to Wrights Lake to complete the loop.

Conditions: The section between Velma Lakes and Schmidell/Lois Lakes involved quite a bit of bushwhacking. In places (Rubicon, Schmidell, Blakely trails), the tread was so faint it barely felt like a trail at all. I had to reroute a few times to stay on course. Surprisingly, this area ended up being the most challenging part of the trip, especially the relentless rocky climb toward Schmidell. In comparison, ascending Dicks Pass and Mosquito Pass felt much easier. Those endless rocks approaching Schmidell were honestly pretty frustrating.