Summit Lake Snowshoe Trek (Nevada County, California)

 

Winter in the Sierra Nevada is always about snow. The highest peaks in the range surpass 14,000 feet in elevation. Those peaks are far to the south of me, but even here near Reno, several peaks exceed 10,000 feet, which means the trails are all snow-covered in mid-December. Hiking becomes Snowshoeing. When the Meetup group scheduled a trek to Summit Lake from the Donner Pass PCT trailhead, I was excited to join the adventure. While I've hiked to many of the lakes north of Summit Lake, I've never been to this particular lake. 

We met on the west side of Reno and carpooled to the trailhead. Ten of us in total, strapped on our snowshoes and made hit the trail. This area is very popular for many outdoor sports and so the trail is well worn, even covered with three or so feet of snow. 

The trail heads east out of the SNO-PARK for about three-quarters of a mile before it actually intersects the PCT. From here, we take a quick left turn and begin heading towards Interstate 80. A pair of steel reinforced tunnels allow hikers to pass through each of the highway sections (westbound and eastbound)

Emerging on the other side of the highway, we begin making our push towards the lake. The trail here is less used and some route-finding is required. We pass by large snow-covered granite boulders. Some of them have large icicles hanging from them. The largest we see has formed more of an ice column about ten inches in diameter and spanning about five feet from the top of the boulder to the ground.

Further on, we loose the trail and are forced to cut a little our route over a small ridge. It's a bit challenging, but the view from the top of the ridge is totally worth it. Looking south out over the peaks and valleys of the mighty mountains is a breathtaking sight.

Leading the group and having completely lost the trail at this point, I head due east. From my last check of the map, I knew were just a short distance to the west of the Summit Lake and so, I simply headed in the proper direction. After just a couple of hundred years, the large unmistakable treeless areas comes into view.

We follow the rim of the small frozen lake around a short distance before stopping for a snack and some pictures. While the surface of the lake is frozen, it's obvious that the ice is not very solid. A simple misstep in the snow and one of my group has broken through and submerged a foot in a few inches of frigid water. We laugh and begin to pack up for the trek back to the cars. 

The return trip is much easier since we now know the proper route. We make the return trip in just about an hour, which is probably a good thing. Overhead, the fast moving clouds and winds whipping through the trees tell of threatening weather on its way. Once we reach the cars, I check my GPS and see that we've covered about 5.1 miles. It was a great little snowshoe. I may have to return and do this trail again in the summer.