Poles were really helpful on this hike in particular; they helped me decide which piles of snow were just snow or instable rock or stable rock--all of which were helpful pieces of info when crossing small streams and rockbeds along the way.
I started out the hike in all the gear but, as I warmed up, spent most of the day in just the fleece and base layers on top; all of the gear worked splendidly, and I learned that, with the right gear, a sunny snow day-hike can be really great.
My feet were warm and dry in the Keen shoes, with no hotspots whatsoever, and the gaitors worked out very well keeping the snow away from the tops of my shoes. I only have low gaitors, and I was in 4-5 inch snow; the knee high gaitors, I think, could be overkill for most day-hikes; perhaps they're for mountaineers. Of course, I didn't explore Castle Peak with snow, so who knows?
Handwarmers and good winter gloves made my hands and fingers sing for the first half of the hike (when I no longer needed gloves); chemical hand-warmers last about seven hours and weigh next to nothing; they're well worth bringing along.
Pants were very comfortable (wind proof, water resistant, soft shell with fleece lining) although I realized that I need a belt to keep them exactly in place as the hike progresses.
Below: the view from early in the hike on the Castle Pass PCT trail: while tiny parts of the hike was on wet trail, most of the hike had snow around 4-5 inches, a mix of icey crunch and powder--delightful and a great workout.
a) not to be the first person on the trail since the snow fell and
b) you have to believe that the footprints into which you're treading (cue King Wencelas from the carol) are going to your destination. It pays to pay attention to surroundings, of course, to ensure that the footprints are heading at least in a feasible direction. You don't want to follow a crayzee off trail person, after all.
Ponderings about the hike:
It wasn't deep enough for snow-shoes although I can see how snow-shoes will be fun. That's definitely for my to-do list--try snowshoeing this year.
The trail is as close to Boreal as you can be and not be at Boreal. Very convenient if you have skiers/boarders in the family but you don't ski or board. No snowshoe or X-country at Boreal, but there is some X-C at Royal Gorge which is only a mile or so away from Boreal. Hiking always available at Castle Pass, however.
I can see how crampons (or some kind of additional grip sole for boots) could come in handy going up a steep hill--Castle Peak, say, or Ralston.
It's fun to look at animal tracks in the snow; I saw several coyote print trails and lots of smaller animal trails along the way. Cool.
Next Boreal day-hike is Peter Grubb hut.
More info about Summit Lake: http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/ca/tahoe_trails/summitla.htm
I wore them for today's hike up to Blue Ridge, with no problems at all.
No toe bashing? Check.
No heel rubbing/hot spots? Check.
No hot spots with laces? Check (once I'd reconfigured laces like the local running store showed me).
Good for plantar fasciitis? Check--no problems, very supportive.
Waterproof? Check.
Comfy? Check.
Cool (in all meanings of the word)? Check.
Happy hiker?
Check.
Below: after a mile or so, you enter the Desolation Wilderness area. We were with a group who already had permits, but there were no permits that I saw available (or even a place to sign up for them) at the trailhead. I'm not sure where you're supposed to get them from unless you want to go to Echo Lakes or another trailhead.
Below: The trail varied in terrain, but in the lower parts of the hike, the trail was hard packed dirt (easy to hike on):
Trail Notes: Once you get to the bottom of the peak, you can choose between two routes to the peak; a use trail, marked by cairns (piles of rock) that leads straight and steeply up the peak. That's about half a mile shorter than the other trail option, which leads off to the left.
The left trail, really the continuation of the main trail, is less steep but also about a half mile longer than the steep use trail. The long trail, however, also contains this stunning view of the Lake Aloha area, which was fun to see since I did that hike not too long ago.
Below: About three miles into the hike, once you're through the forest and out onto the slopes of Ralston Peak, you come across the overlook to Lake Aloha and Lake of the Woods and some amazing Desolation Wilderness scenery.
In the pics above, you can see Pyramid Peak (off on the left), followed by Dicks Peak, and then, I don't think you can see it really, off on the far right, is Mount Tallus--a goal of mine for spring 10.
Below: A piece of wood demonstrating exactly the harsh effects of a life at over 9000 feet:
Almost directly opposite the Lake Aloha overlook is the use trail (ie unofficial trail), marked by cairns (or clearly people-made balanced piles of rocks) indicating the way up to the peak. Keep an eye out for the cairns, which are placed strategically along the way; they can help you keep going toward the peak.
Below: On the way up to the peak; you can see that we have to hike/clambor over several hundred feet of loose tallus, precariously balanced pieces of granite, sheered off rock faces over the years. It was tricky but worth the hike to get to the peak.
The view from the peak was stunning; you could see 360 degrees from Echo Lake to Lake Aloha (past Mt Tallus), all the way round to Sierra at Tahoe with whole number of peaks with which I'm unfamiliar. Stunning views and a great place to have lunch.
Below: I think this is a pic of Lake Aloha from Ralston Peak :
Below: Echo Lakes (upper and lower) from Ralston Peak:
Below: After lunch, a small group, including Maria and I, hiked off to the east to find some little lakes called "Cup Lake" and "Saucer Lake." First, though, we had to survive this tallus field:
Learn more about Ralston Peak: http://www.trailspotting.com/2007/12/mt-ralston-peak.html
Gear Comments: Plus, not so fun as the crunchy trail, I discovered that my boots are not that sticky on wet slick granite. Perhaps no boots are that sticky on that type of rock, but I slipped twice, saved from a painful tailbone incident only by my hiking poles. I'll have to remember to tread carefully when it gets to slippery hiking season. Thank goodness for poles!
