Beyers Lakes
Tahoe National Forest
July 7-9, 1999
Trip Leader: Dave Barry
Trip Report By: Diane Hildebrand
This was advertised as a beginners' trip, which was fine
with me for I have been away from the sport for almost
two years and needed a trip to get back into the swing of
things. I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but
that all changed as my friend Andrea Stupka and I left
the highway and started our slow 4 mile journey to Grouse
Ridge Campground. It was getting dark, the signs were
hard to read, and the road (fit for only a 4-wheel drive)
was causing our little Toyota to overheat. We were
convinced we were lost and were about to abandon all
attempts of finding the campground when we suddenly saw a
light from a headlamp. Our fellow trip-mates, Steve and
Ed guided us the last 100 yards to our destination where
we were greeted by Dave Barry and Joe Cernac. Needless to
say, we were relieved to have finally arrived.
Friday morning we set out for Beyers Lakes. Our trusted
navigator, Joe, led the way as we bushwhacked through
beautiful meadows and over ridges which were sprinkled
with wildflowers. From lupine and larkspur, to pussy paws
and penstemon, Joe patiently identified these, and many
more, for the rest of the novices in the group. We did
encounter snow fields along the way; just enough to make
a few ascents aerobically challenging for all of us. OK,
maybe not Dave and Joe who jokingly labeled this as a
"wimp" trip. We arrived at Beyers Lake by mid
afternoon and enjoyed the rest of the day swimming,
sunning ourselves on the rocks, and fishing.
Saturday, the five of us set off for a day of adventure
while Ed stayed behind to once again fish. We all were
dreaming of trout for dinner as we said our good-byes.
Andrea and I desperately wanted to learn how to use a
compass, so Dave and Joe agreed to be our teachers. Once
we mastered the fundamentals, they let us lead the
bushwhacking to our final destination-Glacier Lake.
First stop was an old mining site called Baltimore Town.
We set our compasses and away we went. We came along
another snow field and this time we navigated it by
sliding down on our butts. What a (cool) ride! Baltimore
Town was no where to be found, so we reset our compasses
for Glacier, which we reached by noon. After lunch Dave,
Joe, and Steve scaled a peak while Andrea and I relaxed
and read. We agreed to meet at 1:30pm, but by 3:00 there
was no sign of them. So with our newly honed compass
skills, Andrea and I set off by ourselves to return to
Beyers Lake. We didn't get very far when they appeared,
with the excuse of losing track of time. Back at the
campsite, Ed was waiting - with no fish. Disappointed -
yes - but we had enough food and cookies to enjoy our
last evening by this enchanting lake.
Sunday we started our slow hike back to the Grouse Ridge
Campsite--slow because of a nasty 1000 foot ascent under
a hot summer sun. We rewarded ourselves with a dip in a
nearby lake and Mexican food in Auburn. This was a
relaxing trip after a shaky start. I want to thank Dave
for teaching me how to use a compass, Joe for tirelessly
identifying wildflowers, Steve for entertaining us with
new uses of Lysol, Ed for sharing his experiences of his
trips in the Sierras and beyond, and Andrea for cooking a
great polenta meal and sharing in the adventure.
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