Desolation Wilderness - Aug. 7-8, 2005
Aaron Ohta, Erwin Lau
8/7/2005
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Climbs:
Ass Crack (5.6)
Konnichiwa, Bitches (5.8)
Summary
Aaron and I decided to head out to backpack at some place remote. He had heard about a place called
Desolation Wilderness, just west of Tahoe. With a name like that, it sounded promising. Unfortunately,
we later found out that this "Population Wilderness" is one of the most-used wilderness areas in North America.
Unperturbed, we decided we'd just find an area in the wilderness with as few backpackers/day hikers as possible.
I also found out that there would be a plethora of unclimbed granite structures and walls that were itching
for first-ascents. As with anything I do, this simple backpacking trip turned into an adventure climbing trip.
Day 0
Midnight Bouldering, Leavittation
We drove out Friday evening and got to Strawberry campground pretty late. We knew it would be free and we
knew some spots out in the forest where we could stay if the sites were full. Luckily, we found one close
to the campground boulders. After bomb-proofing camp, I convinced Aaron to try the awesome V0 left-leaning
hand crack boulder. We took headlamps to illuminate our sends. I demo'ed the problem barefoot and Aaron
gave it a burn and sent it. I showed him my off-width project just to its right. I tried to show him
how Leavittation theoretically should work and actually was able to send it using the hand-stack/leg jam
method. After trying some chimney boulders, we went to sleep.
Day 1
After looking at the 15-minute Fallen Leaf Lake Topo, we saw tons of lakes dotting the entirety of the
Desolation Wilderness. These lakes would be great places to camp, but almost all had trails going to them
and we wanted something more remote. Checking the topo, we found Snow Lake, one of the few lakes without
trails leading to it. We also checked for some spots where topo lines merged together, signifying cliffs
and possible unclimbed crags. We found this north of Mt. Tallac, close to Snow Lake. As a future note,
other possible areas are near Crag Peak and Eagle Lake (near the Emerald Point adventure climbing at Rubicon Peak).
The goal was to follow the Mt. Tallac trail up to its summit (4.7 mi., 3300' el. gain), head off trail on its
northern ridge to the base of its saddle point, head east down into the valley where the four untrailed
lakes lay. Snow Lake was the lowest of the four.
Bagging some FFAs
We grabbed a permit from S. Lake Tahoe Ranger station and headed up the trail with both backpacking gear and climbing gear. I took my Aliens and Camalots up to #4,
as well as two sets of nuts and a few hexes for bail gear. Along with the slings, biners, harness and rope,
our two bags were feeling pretty darn heavy. Hiking up the Tallac trail in the summer sun was dehydrating
and strenuous. After passing Cathedral lake, we spotted a possible crag: multiple tiers of white granite
streaked with continuous cracks. Nothing was longer than 30-40' but we weren't being choosy. We dropped
packs, racked up, and found two possible right-leaning thin cracks about 30' in length, with a huge, clean
ledge for belaying. I chose the easier of the two and headed up. The base had the crux and slightly
dodgy, possibly loose rock. With first free-ascents, you never know the quality of the rock and can't
trust anything to hold you when you pull on it, making the climbing mentally more heady. I told Aaron
that if the dodgy block pulled, jump to the left. Luckily, it all held and the climbing was much easier
to the topout. I built a natural anchor and Aaron handily followed. Aaron had been dying to name our
first FFA Ass Crack (5.6), so that is what it is now called.
The left crack seemed thinner, cleaner, and harder. The first move takes you onto a higher ledge to the left,
then you plug gear and commit to the crack. Several thin rand smears and tilted edges were feet and finger locks,
liebacks, and one great jug off the crack to the left were the hands. On lead, it felt like 5.8, but after
Aaron followed, he wanted to say 5.6, the bastard. We compromised with 5.7. I didn't have a name for it
and only hours later did I name it Konnitchiwa, Bitches (5.7) in memorium of the Dave Chappelle Show.
The FFA's were immensely fun and exciting; both from accomplishing something completely new and the excitement
of embarking on an unknown climb with no previous rating. This may prove to be an addicting thing...
(Editor's note: later, after Aaron followed Grant's Crack (5.9 fingers) in the Valley, he upgraded Konnichiwa,
Bitches to a 5.8. I guess he forgot how hard 5.8 was. Damn, he's getting good.)
Mt. Tallac Peak Bag
We packed up, and headed up to finish summitting Mt. Tallac (rhymes with serac or shellack). On the way,
we saw small snow fields lining the trail, attained the southern ridge and spied gorgeous alpine meadows.
We dropped our packs where we knew we would retrace our steps, about .2 miles from the true summit.
The peak offered expansive views, as promised, and I can agree that it is one of the best vistas in the Wilderness.
We came down, grabbed the packs, and followed the trail into the heart of the Wilderness.
Descent into Madness
Another easy option for camping would be to stay at Lake Gilmore, but there were trails to it. Once near the
Northwestern ridge's saddle point, we had to make a decision. We looked over the rim of the valley, saw
Snow Lake, but were stymied by a good way down into it. Most of the rim was lined with steep 3rd/4th class
scrambling on rock or steep, loose silt fields. Aaron spotted a way down, and we scouted it sans packs.
This path would lead us to a small pond. With packs, it turned out pretty heady, with a small chute descent and
rocky talus hopping. Once at the pond, we followed the stream down, navigating around steep cliffs, trying to
follow ravines and chutes.
In our wanderings, we spied the most amazing thing: clean, white, granite walls
virtually hidden from view. Only by descending into this valley did we have the opportunity to find them.
There were three main walls, which Aaron named Lower, Middle, and Upper Ivory Walls. The two lower ones
were long strips of craggable, immaculate rock with several crack lines striping its sides. I spotted
a beautiful dihedral capped by an immense roof with a crack that followed it up. It looked hard, but the
line looked doable and classic, albeit from afar. The Upper Ivory Wall was an entirely different beast:
a huge, several-hundred-foot tall peak of white granite. The face was lined with features that made climbing
possible. Alas, we would not have time to climb these walls, but they will remain our private FFA motherlode
for a future date.
Again, we were stymied by the river, as it flowed down a slick, steep rock wall. We found a way down
through a dense line of trees that descended steeply down a bushy slope to a muddy gully. After descending
to the base of the cliff, we found ourselves walking on virgin granite, announced to us by the crackling
of thin granite exfoliation under out boots. No one had ever tread where we were. Again, we route-found
our way down some granite slabs, finally arriving at Tallac Lake. This lake, as we skirted around its
only passable side, was marshy and wet. We trod on more fields of virgin granite and looked upon Snow Lake,
our goal. It lay steeply down into a small valley, with steep granite slabs separating it from us. After
a while, we found ourselves atop a granite cliff that seemed impassable. I scouted ahead without pack and
found a weakness in the cliff that lead down an immense 3rd-class slab that ended at 4th-class down-climbing
to the valley floor. After grabbing packs and almost falling on the 4th class, we rock-hopped down a talus
spillway. We spied a campsite on the other side of the lake, and surprisingly, saw some campers! Our
job not done, we bushwacked around the lake perimeter, crossing several streams and arrived on an amazing
camp site: a large granite dome with a flat top. We arrived after the sun set, so we cooked in the dark.
Snow Lake
It turns out, after meeting the campers, that there was an easier way to Snow Lake, through the Bay View
Trial via Cascade Falls. There was a devious back-country trail that lead there, not shown on maps.
Still, we knew that the Ivory Walls were secret, as they were not viewable from Snow and the ascent from
Snow was as devious and dangerous as our descent into the valley. Aaron named our new trail Descent into
Madness.
Day 2
We woke late, and lazed around the lake with the ostensible excuse of pumping water with a broken filter.
We swam in the freezing cold water and had a huge breakfast of raisin oatmeal and fried summer sausage.
Deciding to leave near noon, we were again faced with a choice: head downstream to the easier backcountry
trail via Cascade Falls or head upstream to Azure Lake and rejoin the Bayview trail on higher ground.
After checking out the latter option, we decided to take the easier path; enough excitement for one trip.
Escape from Madness
The trail out was quite good at times; at others it vanished and time was spent wandering and doubting until
it was rediscovered. Bolstered by yesterday's experience, this was a cakewalk.
The Scary Boulder
About half-way out, we discovered an awesome boulder, about 30' high. I wanted to climb something, and it
seemed to hold many doable problems. Aaron got an FFA of a short, 3' tall hand crack/lieback. I decided on
a 15' dihedral with hand to finger to thin finger crack and mantle finish. The landing zone was R, due to
a steep, sloping dropoff to the actual ground about 15' below. The climbing was easy, about 5.8 with lots
of stemming, but once at the topout, the top was covered with thick mats of decaying pine needles and dirt.
I tried to clean it but it still looked scary for it was sloping with no positive holds. I ended up backing
off and not committing.
Cascade Falls
We continued on and arrived finally at the main trail to Cascade Falls. We knew we were safe when we
saw hikers without water bottles scrambling on rocks. Then we saw children in bathing suits and a guy
with a guitar. The rest would be an easy walk out. Cascade Falls was fun; we dunked in the cold water
pools before heading out. It seems a great place to go with a family on a hot summer day in Tahoe; only
a mile from the parking lot.
Hiking the Highway
We easily hiked out to said parking lot and tried to hitch a ride back to
our car, for we exited from a different trailhead, not wanting to retrace our steps and create an Ascent into
Madness. Being two filthy males, we were unsuccessful and eventually hiked the 4 miles on highway 89
back to the car. We stopped at Inspiration Point, being across the street from the trailhead, then hiked
downhill. Near the car, we decided it would be more efficient for Aaron to depack and walk to the car,
and I would stay with the packs. I was fine with that! After 30 min., Aaron arrived with the car and we
drove home. I got some beta on a Vietnamese Pho restaurant near my cousin's place in Sacramento, and we
gorged on Spring rolls and rice vermicelli soup; a great way to end a great trip.
