Shirley Canyon to Squaw Peak (Placer County, California)

I have never really down much hiking in the Olympic (Squaw) Valley area, but when a posting came up for one in that area on one of the local meetup groups I subscribe to, I had to jump on it. Meeting up with the large group just outside of Reno, we caravaned to the trail head at the popular Squaw Valley Ski Resort. The trail started with with fairly rugged creek crossing, but quickly leveled out to a slow incline as we followed Squaw Creek up Shirley Canyon. Along the way, we passed a couple of small, but pretty waterfalls.

Soon after passing the waterfalls, the trail began to cross some large, steep granite inclines. The path was pretty well marked with blue arrows having been spray-painted on the stone, but it did nothing to make it less steep. It was a pretty enjoyable workout. After the lead group reached the top, we were greeted by Shirley Lake. As the remaining members of our large group caught up, we found suitable spots to rest in and amongst the granite boulders to have a quick lunch before moving on. A couple of our gang even took a quick dip in the calm waters of the lake.

The climb out of this area was a bit steep, but not as much so as the climb to it. Reaching the top, we followed some service roads to a monument built to honor the Emigrant Pass, which was built here in the mid-1800's. After collecting all of our members once again, I and a couple other of the more adventurous hikers decided to scout out a way around a fairly rugged notch of the ridge, but eventually find a way down. The rest of the group follows along and we begin to make our way up to Squaw Peak. Again, I and a few others chose to take a path that was slightly steeper, but much shorter, to get to the top. The views from the top are incredible, with Lake Tahoe in the distance, as well as a myriad of peaks well known to our group of hikers. 

After making our way down the mountain, we hiked around the valley to the bar and pool area, which was home to a large number of people enjoying a leisurely day. Having to wait a short time while the restaurant staff prepared a table for a party of twenty, we sat on the deck and had a few beers. We were quickly seated and placed our orders, all the while enjoying good company and good conversation. The food and beer were terrific and we lounged for a bit, before taking the tram down the mountain back to the parking lot. The tram itself is actually pretty cool, as it is the only funitel style transport in the US, but even more so because of the steep grade traverses as it carry more than 70 people down a set of steel cables to the parking lot below.

We said our goodbyes and headed back to Reno after another great trip with Deanna, the organizer. In total, we hiked about 8.4 miles, but unfortunately, I had reset my GPS tracker early in the trip and so can't create the topographical map I generally post. A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.