Deadwood Peak

[tekewin]

Deadwood (9,846') is in Eldorado National Forest, about an hour south of Tahoe. A trail from Upper Blue Lake meandered close to the mountain, but the final ascent to the peak was pathless. As if to foreshadow the challenges that lay ahead, we found the way to Upper Blue Lake barred, and were compelled to leave our vehicle at Lower Blue Lake. This added an unexpected 3.5 miles to our trip, but we were not to be deterred. We searched for the trail's beginning, but found no signs, no traces of a path. GPS assured us that the trail began here, but it lay hidden beneath piles of snow. We strapped on microspikes and plunged into what I fondly referred to as "the moguls." We navigated through the snow mounds, some standing three feet tall, others reaching seven, weaving our way between the trees. In a twist of irony, we stumbled upon a sign that read "Hiking Trail." We were on the right path, but the trail was nowhere to be seen. After half a mile of this challenging terrain, we emerged from the dense forest, the snow receding into sheets. The snow was not our only adversary. The trail, when we could find it, was littered with fallen trees and branches, or transformed into running streams. We reached Granite Lake and the snow wrapped around it. Beyond the lake, the trail was a little easier to follow.


Lower Blue Lake


The "moguls"






Granite Lake

Conditions began to favor us, and we found ourselves donning and doffing our spikes as the terrain dictated. The landscape unfurled around us, revealing mountains partially veiled by snow. As we neared the mountain, we were faced with a choice: to ascend via the eastern ridge or to aim for a gully closer to the summit. Both paths were adorned with snow. The eastern ridge appeared more navigable. We hiked just above the snow field, crossing it only where a break allowed. The ridge grew steeper, and we carefully made our way upwards, only to discover that we had not yet reached the summit. The true peak now lay before us, a quarter mile away. The summit had a small cairn and a register jar. The last signature dated back to June of 2021. There were no marks. We added our names to the list and reveled in the panoramic views. Our descent led us down a gully on the other side. We retraced our steps, donning our spikes as needed. The hike had taken us several hours longer than anticipated, and we found ourselves stopping at one of the lakes to filter water, of which there was no shortage. Leisa led us back through the moguls, and we breathed a sigh of relief as we returned to the road. We made our way back to Lower Blue Lake, celebrating our triumph with burgers and nachos at the Kirkwood Inn.

[Sean]

Impressive. You did a hike just to get to the hike. Good place to have GPS. Thanks for the report and showing how it's done. I'm surprised that not many people want to visit a place called "Deadwood."

[tekewin]

Good place to have GPS.

I was thinking about trying to nav with just maps/compass at the start. It would be possible because you just needed to go in a particular direction. The forest blocked views of everything so no dead reckoning or using other mountains to nav by sight. Fortunately, not tall enough to block GPS.

[Girl Hiker]

Awesome! Beautiful picture of Lower Blue Lake