Since moving to California over 3 years ago, I’ve explored all over. From the Bay Area, to the Central Coast, LA, San Diego, Eastern Sierra, the desert. All over, except north, I should say.

I finally drove in that direction in mid September. I had an opportunity to stay in a cabin near Donner one weekend. I will say that even after that weekend, I STILL haven’t seen Lake Tahoe!

I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend with a few new friends. There was no TV, internet, or shower at the cabin. It was located right near the Pacific Crest Trail, so it would be a weekend full of the outdoors, and no distractions.

Home for the weekend

We arrived just before sunset, and caught amazing colors above our little lake. A couple of hours later, the moon set, and the milky way made an amazing appearance.

Serenity.

Beautiful, quiet night.

The next morning was lazy. We took our time getting ready to hike. When we headed out, it started sprinkling. We debated turning around, but after determining that we wouldn’t melt, we kept going.

It was awesome to hike part of the PCT. I’ve been on small parts of it near Tuolumne Meadows and Devils Postpile, but this would be the longest section I’ve hiked at a whopping 6 miles.

The trailhead was near Donner, and we would do a loop that included Donner Peak and Mt. Judah.

Hiking the PCT!

The initial switchbacks were the hardest part of the trail. There were several guided tour groups we passed, so we were in a very popular spot.

I got excited around 7,000 feet, as the sprinkles turned into graupel. It was still officially summer, but there I was, enjoying wintry weather!

Can you spot the lake in the distance?

The view got better and better. It was interesting to be in the wilderness, see some deer, then occasionally get a glimpse of I-80.

Fantastic views

The best view was of Donner Lake. We were surrounded by a few isolated showers and snow, so I was in my element. We also noticed bolts at the top of the rocks we climbed – anchors for rock climbing! It was a bummer we didn’t bring our climbing gear.

Donner Lake and I-80.

We finished our loop, and stopped for a bit to chat with a few older gentlemen. They’ve been hiking California their whole lives, and had so much historical knowledge about the area. They were so interesting to talk to!

We decided to explore some of the tunnels next near Donner Ski Ranch. It’s actually pretty cool! They were part of the transcontinental railroad, but are now abandoned. When I looked them up after the hike, I learned Union Pacific deems certain tunnels as off limits. We didn’t explore all of them and never saw “no trespassing” signs, so maybe we didn’t make it far enough. That’s your official heads up if you’re ever in the area.

The rest of the day was extremely relaxing. We read, napped, lounged, and chatted. The group ended the day with a board game, and I sneaked off to bed. I’m so accustomed to the morning shift that I have a hard time staying up late on weekends.

What a backyard!

The following morning was spent cleaning and closing the cabin. I was happy to have had a relaxing weekend, but I was also anxious to get back to CL. He had gone on a food strike and I wanted to hear from his babysitter how he was doing. It’s been a bumpy road since, but more on that in another blog.

Another adventurous weekend in the books!