Peak 7,008ft P500 CS

The family was heading to Tahoe to spend a few days between Christmas and New Years along with the hordes of other who had the same idea. The horrific traffic was predictable but no less frustrating - Ugh, Ugh. After driving several hours longer than it might otherwise take, we didn't get to South Lake Tahoe until 3p and I was pretty tired of being stuck in the car. It didn't take me long to announce I needed to go for a hike. My daughter wanted me to sit and discuss the stats with her, but I didn't give her the satisfaction - "There's only 2hrs of daylight remaining so you're coming or you're not, but we need to get going." Of course she came.

We had only to drive a mile to reach our starting point for Peak 7,008ft off Lake Tahoe Blvd, less than half a mile from the summit. This minor summit rises about 700ft above the surrounding basin, but has a nice view overlooking the lake and the South Lake Tahoe region. I used an approach from the northwest because I figured it had the best chance of holding snow sufficient for using the snowshoes. It turned out to be nearly ideal snow, even if it was a bit thin in places. The snow wasn't fresh so it held our weight well, but also not icy, giving us good traction. The slope was steep in places, especially just before we reached the West Ridge, and Jackie struggled a bit in the thinner air. After reaching the ridge, the going gets easier. We took off the snowshoes with a bit of class 2-3 scrambling for the last few minutes, taking about 45min to reach the rocky summit. A flagpole with a tattered flag is found at one of the lower rocks just west of the highpoint. The sun was only about ten minutes from setting, so we spent only enough time to take a few photos before heading back. 30min was sufficient to get us back to the roadway where we'd parked. It was a nice little workout to shake out the bad taste of the earlier drive. Hopefully we'll get to do something a little more substantial tomorrow...

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