Donner Summit day trip, December 19th.

“Jerry and I will be at Donner Summit around 9 AM on Sunday, December 19th, after we drop our son and his girlfriend off at Sugar Bowl. Anyone want to join us for a day of snowshoeing?”

“I'm there.”

“Whats for Supper?”

“Where will you be meeting at. A snow park?”

“Wanderer offered to plan a hike for us, so it will depend on our starting point -- either at the Boreal SnoPark lot on the south side of 80 or across the highway from Boreal on the north side of 80.
If someone comes who doesn't have a SnoPark pass and doesn't arrange a car pool with someone who does, we could do a pick up in the Boreal parking lot.”

“I'm kinda' waiting to see who all signs up & what they want to do before recommeding a spot... there are a ton of options in the area, from very easy to challenging, and I didn't know if anyone wanted to camp.”

““Whats for Supper?”
nimrod

LMAO, surprised no-one else chimed in on this!”

“I won't be able to make it.


8^D”

“I'm interested but can't commit today. Family Christmas plans flying everywhere. Hard to nail down anything just now but it for sure would be a day thing. Probably get my own pass and car and be out by three pm.Challenging??You see that mountain up there..race ya to the top. Oh wait,wait I just cramped my finger ow ow.”

“Our dinner is going to be whatever we or the kids cook. We're heading on to North Lake Tahoe and a lakeside motel with a kitchenette and a view of the lake.”

“Bump.”

“Hi Karen

You all have a wonderful time!
There will be lots of snow for you to play in!
Snowing here right now

Drive careful and be safe
Anita”

“notice none of the TT ladies are saying "Bite me" on this thread.
last edited: 12/08/04 10:22:51 AM”

“Ladies? Bite me? Meaningful TT dialogue? This is both over my head and under my radar, which is either a good thing or something I'm missing. Manuka, are you local or serious?”

“It was a response to Wanderer's "whats for supper" joke.
Snow in the Donner pass led to the Donner party being unable to complete the trip west and the US's worst recorded case of cannibalism where some members of the party resorted to eating those that died.
Do a google search on 'donner party'

"bite me" is a response given by some TT women when a person makes an unwelcome suggestion.

I am not local, I am in NJ on the East Coast, and hardly ever serious unless it is someone asking a specific question about gear or trails that I have experience with.

I have wandered up Shasta, and around Big Basin in Ca, but that is about the extent of my hiking in the West Coast.”

“Ah, duh, I know about the Donner party. I was just slow to get it. And it was Nimrod who said "What's for supper?" I didn't get that either. Maybe (my excuse), it's being too local. Donner Summit is snow to me. Now that I get it, I've decided you're seriously funny, Manuka. I love that kind of humor. Come visit some time, we can laugh our way through the Sierras.

A little known fact about Donner Summit-- the reason it has so much snow is the Russian River, which comes east from the Pacific Ocean for awhile before turning north, allowing moisture from the Pacific to travel further toward the mountains rather than fall on the coastal mountains. What a deal for us.”

“Yeah traffic stops here with 4 inches and out there you get 4 feet LOL.”

“Let's hope it's only a "day-trip"! LOL!

Here's an excerpt from the Donner Party saga... actually, the museum there is a very cool place to visit!



The party reached the base of the steep summit on October 31, just as snow was beginning to fall. And although some in the group were able to reach the summit, they were forced to turn back as there was no way the whole party could get through. Heavy snow continued falling overnight and by morning the pass was completely blocked by snowdrifts over twenty feet high.

And yes, there is a "Donner Party Cookbook" available for those interested! http://www.horsecreekpublications.com/donner_party.html”

“Interesting book. I certainly wouldn't want to read it before we go.........
We attended a winter safety talk at REI a few years back. The presenter said a man and his adult son did a day trip in the area of the Peter Grub Hut at Donner Summit. They hadn't told anyone where they would be and when to start worrying because this was just an excursion within a multi-day car trip. A storm came up, things went wrong, no one came looking for them, and the dad died.”

“How about this trip from the book "Snowshoe Trails of Tahoe?" See page 55.

This is a one half day trip. It is 4 1/2 miles round trip elevation from 7090 to 8243 feet in elevation.

Some excerpts: two peaks with superb views are the rewards of this trip. The distance is minimal, although the terrain is fairly steep, with the lone exception of the gentle protracted crest leading to the summit of Mount Judah.

Description: begin snowshoeing south southwest from the parking lot on a slight downhill grade until you reach a convenient spot from which to start up the moderately steep hillside of the Northwest slope of Donner Peak. Proceed up the mountain through widely scattered conifers. As you climb, you have a very nice views of the lake Van Nordin in the West and the peaks of Donner Pass to the north.

Once at the saddle turn Northeast and make a short climb up moderate slopes to the summit rocks from the top. You have marvelous views in all directions. Donner lake lies at your feet to the east, while the massive cornices loom above along the ridge of Mount Judah, an array of peaks spreads out both North and South.

The ridge and the summit of Mount Judah, offer a grand panorama of the north Tahoe countryside. A flurry of activity occurs to the north, including skiers and snowboarders on the ski slopes of Sugar Bowl and Donner Ski Ranch, trains chatting up the long grade toward Donner Pass, and hundreds of cars snaking along interstate 80 headed for unknown points.

How to get there: from I80, take the soda Springs / Norden exit and travel 3.7 mi. east on the old Donner Pass Road to the Alpine ski's Institute parking area at Donner Pass. You may park your vehicle in the lot for five dollars per day.
last edited: 12/10/04 3:30:07 PM”

“Description: begin snowshoeing south southwest from the parking lot on a slight downhill grade until you reach a convenient spot from which to start up the.
Sounds good up to there then I kinda lose interest. 8)






JK. Is this something for Feb. or are we "punking" the guy from down south. Serving up a little southern (CA) hospitality ala Donner. He's looking all over maps of Loon Lake we'll just keep it our little secret.”

“I got confused on my threads.
I can't make it after all on the 19th. Family dinner for Christmas (cartoon bubble: the Simpsons dinner table). Have fun!”

“I think you got it jvz, this is proposed route for the Dec. 19th day-trip at Donner Pass area, not the January Loon Lake trip.”

“Just re-reading the thread & found this:

"We could use our SnoPark passes and go to the Peter Grub hut or follow the PCT south behind Boreal Lodge for nothing.”

Works for me, easy for anyone to find. The Peter Grubb Hut / Round Valley hike (in the book) is rated as "Easy", 5.25 miles RT, a very popular hike so can follow others' tracks. (page 61-63 of the snowshoe trails book)”

“Each of these routes sounds good to us.”

“I got an e-mail from my friend Theresa (Songbyrd) in Sacramento and she will not be joining us, so it looks like it's just the 3 of us. Wanderer, do you prefer one of the routes?”

“Hey - just because I don't say anything for days I am chopped liver? What day are we talking about, Sat or Sun? I went on a hike from Mt Tam to Stinson's Beach and back yesterday and my thighs are still a bit tender. A sign that I have to GET OUT MORE!!!! That said, I would vote for the more level of the two, if my vote counts.”

“Hi, Pepper. We're talking about Sunday. It would be great for you to join us. We all always need to get out more. I don't think Donner Summit has level, but let's see what Wanderer recommends. Do you know HikerChic's new phone number? She's less than 10 miles from Donner Summit.”

“According to the guidebook, the Donner Peak / Mt Judah trail is 4.5 miles, "moderate" difficulty, elevation range from 7090-8243, so there's more climbing.

The Peter Grubb Hut / Round Valley Trail is 5.25 miles, "Easy" difficulty, elevations are 7200-7900, this is without doubt the easier of the two. Even though it's longer, we can always turn back, we don't have to do the entire trail length. Having said that, we'll only have day-packs, won't be like the Loon Lake trip where we were carrying 35 or more pounds so it should just be a fun little day-trip!

Let's choose the Peter Grubb Hut one & talk Pepper into joining us. We can car-pool up if you wanna join in the fun (I even have an extra pair of snowshoes!)”

“Just to prove how much of a wuss I am, I would choose the Peter Grubb hike. I have hiked Mt Judah and I recall it being a bit of a climb. Wanderer, what time would you be leaving Sacto? I have 2 pairs of snowshoes so if anyone else wanted to join that would mean they could have a choice of shoes! I don't know HikerChic's number but if we put the message into the TT void maybe she will get the hint.”

“PepperDog, you can't be a wuss, 'cause you're chopped liver! JKing. The Peter Grubb hut would be great. I found Sheila's e-mail in the Winterfest thread and sent her an e-mail. I really dangled a carrot and told her she could even borrow two pairs of snowshoes.”

“Bump.”

“I can leave anytime, y'all decide when you want to get on the trail & we'll leave 2 hrs earlier.. sound OK?”

“Our goal is to drop the kids at Sugar Bowl by 9 AM. To do that, we usually leave here a bit after 5 AM. With good traffic, it works. I still have your cell number, so I can call you as we near Sacramento. We could very well end up almost in a caravan. Are you and Pepper carpooling?”

“Good idea, my cell still works, paid my bill this month!

Makes sense to me to carpool, Pepper, why don't you send me an email if you're interested & we'll coordinate schedules.”

“Hey! I just read this one! I've been without my pc at home online for over a month now. So, I'm lost! I can do this one! I'll have to read for sure where you guys are going & what time and I'll be there. This is only about 15 minutes from me I think. I'll check my email in yahoo”

“Welcome, Hikerchic. Beats the heck out of the malls, huh? 'Course there aren't any malls where you moved, lucky girl.”

“Bump. I'm going to e-mail everyone a final plan.”

“I sent an e-mail (or two) to all of you with parking and meeting details and cell numbers. Yahoo weather says "abundant sunshine." Don't forget layers to peel off (I'm sweating just thinking about it), hats and sunglasses, and something to sit on so you don't get wet eating lunch. Speaking of which, do bring a lunch......”