I'd forgotten to get a Sno-Park parking permit, so on this last
day of 1999, Jean and I parked in the Boreal ski resort instead.
After walking underneath I-80, we started our hike.
It hadn't snowed in weeks, and we suspected we could get away
with just using our hiking boots. So the snowshoes stayed in the
car trunk. However, one problem with this using normal hiking
boots is dealing with ice. The road leading up to the gate is
icy in places, and we had to use our trekking poles for balance
to avoid slipping and sliding.
There were a few cars parked up at the gate, but you'd probably
need a 4-wheel drive vehicle or nerves of steel to drive over
the ice to get there. Once past the gate, it's better, as there
is some snow on the ground (and no cars to turn the snow into
ice). Still, the ground was hard-packed snow and easy to walk
on with hiking boots.
We passed several sets of hikers, most of them coming in the opposite
direction. Many of them were returning from Peter Grubb Hut (close
to our destination), and some looked like they'd spent the night
there. The hut is run by the Sierra Club and appears to be an
ideal spot to launch backcountry skiing ventures.
Castle Peak rising above the meadow
The trail is really a forest service road, with conifers on either
side. We shortly passed a road for snowmobiles. Then we came to
another trail intersection. One road led to the right, into a
picturesque meadow backed by Castle Peak to the north. Our path
led us to the left, however, skirting the meadow with peek-a-boo
views of Castle Peak. We would ascend to a saddle to the left
of Castle Peak before heading up the ridge line to the top.
The trail is very gradual until it approaches Castle Pass, about
2 1/4 miles into the hike. The trail heads up steeply for the
last hundred yards to the pass. While we were there we encountered
as many dogs (at least 4) as people. A couple of cross-country
skiers shared the pass with us for a few minutes before heading
toward Castle Peak. I thought they were crazy for walking up with
their skis on. If I were them I would have taken them off and
walked. Their progress was slow-going and we would eventually
pass them.
Castle Pass
We took a break at the pass and enjoyed the views of some snow-capped
peaks around us. Then we started our ascent for even better views.
We soon had a great view of Castle Peak above us. The way looked
very steep, with snow on the left (north face) and bare dirt and
rock on the right of the ridge line. For some unknown reason, we
started off to the left, into the snow. Probably because we saw
footprints in the snow and blindly followed them.
Castle Peak from just above Castle Pass
The problem is that we weren't wearing snowshoes. It hadn't been
a problem up to this point, but now the snow was relatively deep
and we were sinking up to our knees with every step. The forest
service road stopped just before the pass, and now we were off
on our own, so to speak.
Another problem was that I'd forgotten to acclimatize. Castle
Peak rises to 9103 feet above sea level. Normally, I'd set aside
at least a day's sleep at altitude before attempting the hike.
The fact that it was that high completely slipped my mind, however,
and we'd spent the previous night in Auburn at only 2000 feet
elevation. Jean was beginning to feel the effects of the altitude,
but she took a couple ibuprofen and seemed to be okay. Still,
I don't recommend strenuous climbing to 9103 feet (or anywhere
above 8000 feet, for that matter) without some acclimatization.
Some snowboarders and cross-country skiers were ahead of us, but
they appeared to be using snowshoes. Eventually we realized our
folly and waddled over to the ridge to our right. Once on solid
ground, our pace picked up remarkably and we made good progress
up to the high plateau. We then worked our way around and up to
the summit.
View from the summit looking north
Or rather, one of the summits. There are several peaks here. The
southernmost one looks slightly higher, and there were a few hikers
standing on top if it. But the effort and time required to get
there didn't look like it was worth it. We had astounding views
from where we were, as it is. A beautiful ridge carved its way
to the north. To the southeast we could see Donner Lake far below.
To the south, the other peaks. And snow-capped peaks and forest
all around.
The south peak
Summit winds had scoured the peak of most of the snow, leaving
a thin section on the eastern edge of the peak. In retrospect,
we probably walked a little too close to the edge, as it plummets
perhaps a thousand feet seemingly straight down the eastern side.
The western side is much more forgiving, and would be snowboard-able
except for the fact that there wasn't much snow on it. That and
the wall of rock pinnacles a third of the way down.
After enjoying a short break, we started down to avoid hiking
after sunset. We made great progress, especially since we stayed
on the bare ground as long as we could until we had to walk on
the snow. We still had to deal with some sections of deep snow,
but nothing unbearable.
Descent. Notice the snow line along the ridge.
Just before we reached Castle Pass on our return, we passed the
pair of cross-country skiers we'd seen earlier. They'd tried to
make it to the top, but hadn't been able to, and had turned around.
They said they'd try to ski down from here; I kept looking back,
expecting them to overtake us, but they never did. They must have
walked instead of skied.
We made it back to the gate just in time to see the beginnings
of a gorgeous sunset. The sky was starting to turn a lovely orange
color. By the time we reached the Boreal parking lot, the sky
was afire with dark reds. Too bad we couldn't stay on top of Castle
Peak to watch the sun set -- it would have been an amazing show.
Sunset as seen from the Boreal parking lot just after the hike
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