Desolation Wilderness, in the southwestern corner of the Lake Tahoe Basin, is for many, including myself, the jewel of the Sierra’s north of Yosemite. It abounds in mountains and lakes, and is a very popular hiking destination, both for overnight and daytime adventures. I’ve visited numerous times and even backpacked through the area, but I had never hiked to Half Moon Lake. I’ve only seen it from above while hiking over Dick’s Pass.
When the hiking Meetup group that I often go out with, scheduled a Sunday hike to visit this lake, I jumped on the chance to see a new area of the wilderness. Those of us in Reno, met up at the Park & Ride at Sierra Summit and carpooled down to the trail head, where we met our Carson City friends before setting out into the forest – eighteen of us in all.
The early part of the trail has been covered with gravel and rock, which is not the best surface to hike on and is good for rolling ankles. As we got a bit higher in elevation, the trail surface turned to dirt and solid granite, both of which are much easier to walk on. As usual, the group was comprised of a combination of long-time members (of which, I suppose I now count myself) as well as some new comers. It’s always a great group of people though and it’s always fun to chat and get to know the newer members as we make our way into the wilderness.
Everyone was commenting on how wonderful it was to be able to hike into Desolation Wilderness this late in the season. Normally, this area would have already seen significant snowfall, but the winter storms haven’t shown themselves just yet and gave us a gorgeous day to explore. While it was a bit cold standing around the trail head waiting for everyone to gear-up, once we started moving, people were quickly dropping layers.
A couple of miles in, the trail begins to parallel a small creek, which is frozen. While it the air temperature doesn’t feel like it is below the freezing point, the overnight temperatures and shadow cast in the little canyon cut by the creek, will probably allow it to maintain a solid state until the spring. The trail overall is not terribly difficult. There are a few short steep sections, but mostly it’s a gradual climb to the lake, which sits at the end of the long canyon with Dicks’ Peak above.
We reached the lake without incident and decided to have lunch here. I decided to try out a new thermos I recently acquired. The boiling vegetable soup that I had pour in it over four hours earlier, was just now at the perfect temperature to be enjoyed. That and a protein bar and I felt rejuvenated enough to walk around the area a bit.
The lake itself is shaped much like a crescent moon. Our lunch spot was near one of the points of that crescent, but high on the mountainside of the far end, tall waterfall has frozen over. The ground is made up mostly of granite slabs with the occasional gnarled juniper jutting out of the rock. I find one group of stunted junipers who’s girth is nearly the same as their height. With the lake in the background, it makes for a great picture.
After our short lunch break, we start heading back to the cars. I begin chatting with another long-time member about our past adventures and some we plan on accomplishing in the future. Overall, it’s a marvelous time. With good company, the fresh autumn air, and some of the most stunning scenery on earth, who could want for more. We hiked right at 9.9 miles and make plans to grab some food together once we return to Reno. Thank you all for a wonderful day.
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