Snow Shoes and Winter Colds – Lake Tahoe

/ Bulldog Travels

Christmas is over.  The presents are unwrapped.   The family has been visited.  Merriment has been spread.  I have a cold to show for it like I do most years.  What to do now?  Find some snow and bring the snow shoes!

I love to snow shoe for a lot of reasons.  Its easy on the body and its free. You can just find some snow, put them on, and go for it.  Unlike skiing which requires expensive lift tickets and dealing with crowds, and for me a whole lot of bruises the next day.

A lot of people enjoy skiing and snow boarding for the rush.  For me I have always preferred a slower pace so I can see and hear and smell and observe the small things like icicles, and bird foot prints, and beautiful vistas.  For these reasons snow shoeing is right up my alley.

Part of highway 89 is always closed in winter for obvious reasons.  We like to drive until we find the road closed and then snow shoe the rest.  In this case we went to Vikingsholm at the magnificent Emerald Bay lookout.  We shoed until we got tired which isn’t boding well for my cold the next day.

We were the only ones there!  We hiked down the trail in thick perfect powder making the first foot prints that didn’t belong to a bird or a deer.  It was awesome and quiet.  The only noise came from the Paddlewheeler giving visitors a nice cold boat tour.  Other than that we heard running water, drips from the icicles, birds calling, and the wind.

 

 

I took this photo because I just couldn’t believe we were there with absolutely no one else.  It’s an amazing feeling to have such a popular and spectacular location all to yourself.  You just have to work a little bit for it I suppose.

No those aren’t Yeti feet.  They are mine!

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If you look closely you can see the tiny tea house built atop the island in Emerald Bay where the original owner would frequently visit many years ago.

It was pretty darn cold

Have you ever gone snow shoeing before?  If not, how do you enjoy the snow?

Happy Holidays everyone!  Thanks, as always, for reading.

Cee’s Shoe & Feet challenge!

To see more information on the glorious Lake Tahoe click here to see my list of things not to miss.

 

43 thoughts on “Snow Shoes and Winter Colds – Lake Tahoe”

  2. I’ve never been snow shoeing and I haven’t seen many places to compare with the beauty of Lake Tahoe. I’m suffering from the winter lurgy myself and I’d happily trade the gloom and damp of England for the clear skies and breathtaking scenery of your photographs. If only!

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  7. Now there is a familiar site. I’ve backpacked into Desolation numerous times from near there. And once I made a seven day winter camping trek across Desolation on cross country skis. That was a kick! Imagine skiing on Pyramid Peak by moonlight. I paid for my college education by driving a laundry truck from Placerville to South Lake Tahoe daily during the summer. Beautiful photos. Wish I was there. 🙂 –Curt

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      • Used to hunt and fish around Ice House in my 20s. Ran into Patty Hearst and the SLA up there once. Interesting story. Another time I had a friend lost in a snow storm near there. He had to spend the night in a modified snow cave when we couldn’t find him. Hiked in and out of the Rubicon Valley many times. Grew up with people who were involved. Still remember the Life Magazine coverage from my youth. When were you involved? –Curt

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        • My Dad has probably been going since the 70’s. I haven’t been in a while. it’s gotten a little too crazy for me. I think I was last in during the Jamboree probably in the mid ’90s. Someone from my family is up at the cabin most weekends when it isn’t socked in with snow like it is now. (Snow shoes get us there this time of year.)

          Patty Hearst and the SLA huh? Sounds like that might be a fun story to tell. And I am glad your friend was ok after spending the night up there. It gets pretty cold!

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          • The Jamboree always seemed a little wild for my blood from the perspective of a backpacker, but I understood the challenge of driving into the Rubicon, and why someone who liked jeeping would love the experience. I hear the parties can get a little out of hand. A close friend from Placerville, the same one who got lost in the snow, went two year ago. The Patty Hearst story will make it into my next book.

            Happy New Year! –Curt

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          • Yah, the parties are worse than they used to be which is why I think a lot of the old timers don’t go anymore. The jeep trail is so crazy I just walked along side the jeep most of the way. It was great to do a few times though. I am sorry my Dad doesn’t do it any longer but we find plenty of other trails to have fun on. Happy new Year!

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  9. Such a lovely scenery and great photos. I love the white snow against the clear blue sky. The best thing about show showing I find is the silence and solitude which you will not find in the ski hills. Like you say – just look at the beauty you can have all to yourself! 🙂

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  13. These photos are gorgeous! Even with a cold, it seems like this trip was just the ticket for you. I agree there is something thrilling about having a popular place to yourself. Even better, when that popular place has snow with no tracks in it yet!

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