Warren Lake (Nevada County, California)

Though mid-October is a little late in the season for an overnight backpacking trip, with the warm weather we’ve had, my friend Brent and I decided to take one final trip into the wilds this year. After getting a fire permit from the Truckee, CA ranger station, we headed for the trail head just a couple of miles west of Donner Lake. The trail starts off easy enough, sharing a path with the Pacific Crest Trail for the first mile or so. Though the trail is easy at this point, a 35 lbs. pack on my back adds some difficulty. Perhaps I over packed?

After passing through a pair of long, narrow tunnels to go under I-80, the two trails split and the sign indicates 7 more miles to our destination, Warren Lake. At first, we travel through a fairly heavily forested area, but soon reach some warm sunny hillsides overlooking the lush Paradise Valley. We begin to see Castle Peak in the distance. Its well defined towers and walls leave no doubt as to how it got its name.

As we continue over the small valleys and ridges, we circle about 270 degrees around Castle Peak. The trail is tough, but manageable.

Another sign: “Warren Lake 1 mile”. And so, we reach the rough part of the hike. The lake itself sits in a tiny valley about a quarter of a mile down steep cliffs from where we are. Steep descents like this kill the knees, but we eventually make it down.

All along the way, we had intended to get a campfire going once we made camp. Just at the point we reached the lake, we find a beautifully crafted stone fireplace with loungers scattered around it formed from local stones. Ah – what luck! Getting a fire going, though, proves far more challenging. Heavy rains early this week make finding decent firewood near impossible. We singe a bunch of pine needles intended as kindling, but can’t seem to get the wood to catch. After about 45 minutes of effort we submit. We abandon hope of a fire and cook dinner over our portable stoves. While relaxing after a good meal, the abandoned fire seems to come to life again without our assistance. It smolders through the night, but never reaches what one could call a true campfire.

After a good night’s sleep in the open air, we rise to find an enchanting mist over the small lake at our doorstep. It makes for a spectacular sunrise. We break camp and begin the agonizing climb out of this little valley. After about six hours and a few blisters, we return to Brent’s truck ready for a big mac and a soda.