This past Sunday I met up with a couple of my fellow colleagues from Twelve Horses, and rallied up to the Lake Tahoe Basin for a little mountain bike ride.
We selected the 23 mile loop that takes you from Mount Rose Meadows, out along the Tahoe Rim Trail, around Marlette Lake, back on the Flume Trail, and down Tunnel Creek Road to Ponderosa Ranch.
Any avid whitewater enthusiast can appreciate the commitment it takes to pack up the car and drive the many miles required to get to your favorite river. Generally, you also have to run shuttle, and then there is the long drive back home. You stare at the road through cracked capillaries produced by countless holes and the sun’s glare with a tired smile generated by the many miles of majestic scenery and quality whitewater. It is all very worth it, but if often comes at the expense of extensive wear and tear on the driver, his or her car, as well as a hefty gas bill at the end.
Hailing from the Southeast, driving to my favorite rivers was long, but not a journey of epic proportions. It was usually a couple of hours to the Green, Overflow, or Chattooga, and I never felt put out by it. When I moved to California 7 years ago, driving to the put-in took on a whole new meaning. Not only was the cost per gallon significantly larger, but also the distances were exponentially greater.
Megee Creek is a beautiful high Sierra hike located 10 miles south of Mammoth Lakes, CA. 
My wife and I chose this particular hike for our Labor Day Weekend retreat because of our previous year visit. We had been very impressed by the diverse geology, incredible profusion of wildflowers, and impressive high alpine views. However, we only made it 3 miles in before we had to turnaround.
This year we had 3 days, backpacks, and no one else to dissuade us from making it 
all the way to Big Megee Lake, which is situated at 10,500 feet, and 7 miles up a fairly grueling climb.
We followed the twists and turns of Megee Creek up and up, and it was not long before we became oblivious to the heavy loads we carried on our backs because of the beautful views. We eventually made it to Big Megee Lake and setup camp alongside its shores.
The next day we slept in, waiting for some high Sierra howling winds to subsi
de, and eventually got out of the tent, fixed breakfast, and prepared for a day hike over Megee Pass.
The snow just keeps coming! Last week it was a full moon so a few of us ventured out in the backcountry up around Mt Rose Wilderness.
The snow was light and deep and beautiful in the moonlight. Couple of days later it snowed again and we were right back out there touring around, dropping in, and having an absolute blast.
Here are a couple of pics from Saturday.
Last weekend turned out to be one of the most phenomenal weekends of the year at Mt Rose Ski Resort. Lake Tahoe performed a bit of magic and created a lake effect storm that deposited 10-12 inches of the lightest powder that I have skied in a loooooooooong time. Interestingly enough, places like Alpine and Squaw received only minimal amounts. The picture is taken from the East Bowl lift.
