Pacific Crest Trail Echo Pass to Donner Summit Section Hike Attempt
- Kristin Jones
- May 28, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 13, 2020
Over the Memorial Day weekend, I attempted to hike the I-50 from Echo Lake to I-80 at Donner Summit section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).
Researching the Route
I have been inspired to hike the PCT for many years, and following my return to the states in March and being only an hour and a half drive from the trail it was time to make it happen. I knew of the section between I-50 to I-80 west of Lake Tahoe from reading many PCT hiker biographies (and not just Wild) and knew that this 65 mile section was very achievable in a single stretch without resupply, meaning I could do it self-supported and isolated in order to protect myself and local communities from Covid-19.
I optimistically scheduled to attempt for Memorial Day weekend starting the afternoon of Thursday, May 21st from Echo Lake. Permits starting on Friday, May 22nd were already sold out but fortunately my schedule was flexible. The weekend prior had a spring snowstorm coming through that had me concerned about avalanches and snow levels. I actively looked for trail reports around the area and noticed some folks reporting they could not make it out to Lake Aloha without snowshoes due to post-holding. I decided to do a last minute REI order with curbside pickup for some new Tubbs snowshoes.
The weather forecast was perfect for spring mountain conditions. A low of 30s and highs up to 60s depending on the elevation. With my gear planned and my new Garmin Inreach to check weather and stay in contact with family I felt prepared to venture out with a good level of awareness of my comfort level for the conditions.
Planning Resources
Accuweather and Garmin InReach weather forecasts
Day 1 - Thursday, May 21st
My sister in law drove me up to Echo Lake where we parked .5 miles from the start of the trail. She walked me in to the end of Lower Echo Lake about 2 miles from where we parked the car to have lunch on a huge flat rock in the sun next to some cabins. She headed back around 2 p.m. and I moved on towards Lake Aloha.
As I continued to hike further in a couple of different people coming back towards me complimented me for taking snowshoes as they had to turn around due to significant post holing. About halfway to Lake Aloha, closer to 3 p.m. I reached soft enough snow that I strapped into my snowshoes as well as added a silicone shoe cover for a vapor barrier to keep my feet warm.
Without the snowshoes, I definitely wouldn’t have made it out to Lake Aloha without them. Additionally, as there were no more footsteps to follow as everyone else turned around I had to rely heavily on my phone GPS and maps.me app to ensure I stayed relatively on the correct path through the trail.
Lake Aloha was very desolate. Just me and lots of bear and cat prints. Despite its frozen beauty it was eery feeling. The wind was blowing and I felt very alone. I decided to push on to a further camp site. As I hiked passed Heather and Susie Lake I was finally greeted with some rock trail and took the snowshoes off but met the snow again between Susie and Gilmore Lake. The time spent removing the snowshoes and putting them back on was frustrating and I decided it was better to keep them on despite the rock and leverage the noise to scare any large animals away.
As I pushed on and passed Susie Lake I realized my sunglasses which I had taken off during dusk were no longer hanging from my pack. This caused me great concern because whether I moved forward or turned back, without them would mean that I should sunburn my corneas and be in a great deal of hurt in the future. Once I realized they were missing I turned around and started retracing my steps. I figured there were a couple of options where I tripped they may have fallen off. Fortunately, I found them again with only 5 or so minutes of backtracking. Unfortunately, I stepped directly on them and they broke in the middle. But fortunately again, they had a rubber strap that held them together and I used a little medical tape just in case to ensure I could protect my eyes moving forward and took extra care that I did not lose sight of them.
I eventually decided to setup camp near Gilmore lake around 7:30 p.m. Temperatures were cold and I should have thrown my rain pants and jacket on for an extra layer to stay warm. I didn’t sleep much after seeing all of the animal prints in the snow and with a stiff wind rustling my tent but in the end was undisturbed by any real risks by the time I awoke in the morning.
Day 2, Friday, May 22nd
On Friday morning I tried out my cold soaked oatmeal with chocolate whey protein and chia seeds - filling though not amazing. And refilled my water using my Sawyer Squeeze and some fresh water collected at a stream on the way up to camp. All went pretty smoothly, except for when I opened my new bottle of Mio Black Cherry Caffeine flavoring that quickly looked like a murder scene in my tent due to the dark red droplets that splattered everywhere.
After wiping my tent, packing up and scrubbing my hands in snow, I set off again in my snowshoes a at an abysmal pace of 1.5 miles an hour having to frequently check my GPS to stay on course on my way up to Dick’s Pass in the snow. The snow was more frozen and stable and I did not cross any terrain that had me concerned about avalanches after the fresh snow the previous weekend. The top of the pass was so rewarding being able to have 360 degree views of the Upper Sierras and frozen lakes.
As I neared Phipps Creek a large seasonal creek appeared and I crossed it twice across log/snow bridges. I passed by Richardson Lake and still had daylight to burn so decided to continue on to Barker Pass for another camp site. And then I came upon my first true creek crossing at Miller Creek. I went up and down the creek looking for the best place to cross. Slow and deep or fast and shallow were my options. I finally picked a narrow, shallow, fast moving option and using my hiking pole for 3 points of contact. Safely side stepped across with water coming up to my knees. Risk list +1 again.
At this point, I knew what I had to do if I turned around and that was not desirable so I decided to push on. I reached another seasonal creek that wasn’t on the map and had to cross it by not only stepping across boulders or through the water but hauling myself up and over leveraging strong tree branches and some upper body strength. Again, I was shaking. Risk list +1 again.
I pushed on to find a flat camping spot on the way up to Barker Pass with mostly exposed trail through the snow and called it a day at 8:30 p.m. and setup camp with the last of the long day light. At this point, I decided my risk list was too long and it was time to make an exit strategy. I was pushing my luck with showshoe post-holing, heavy spring river crossings, having to navigate solely by my phone GPS and being a touch cold at night - and now I had wet layers from the rivers. I had wanted to do a section hike and not a fully snowshoe expedition. I fortunately had an easy option to exit in 1.5 miles at Barker Pass and take Fire Road 3 down to Highway 89 to Lake Tahoe.
Day 3, Saturday, May 23rd
When I woke up Saturday morning, my plans were solidified and I used my Garmin InReach to text my family for the early pickup. As I lallygagged in my tent waiting for the sun to warm things up a big more, the urge to poop was strong. I was super excited to finally use my deuce of spades and walked from my tent to find a nice spot by a tree that I could dig a hole and comfortable empty out the processed food from the last couple of days. This brought back memories of having to poop while descending from Mount Rainier while roped up to 3 other people and not feeling comfortable to blue bag it and holding it for hours until I reached the outhouses back at Camp Muir. What a relief.
The 1.5 trail miles up to Barker Pass turned into 2.3 snowshoeing in the endless beautiful snowfields. This made my decision to bail out early feel more validated. Once I reached Barker Pass and saw that Fire Road 3 it was still snowed in, I hiked another 7 miles down to Highway 89 and Lake Tahoe. At this point my body was done and my shoulder’s ached from the 35+ pound load that was limiting the abilities of my backpack. Snowshoes and extra winter layers definitely weighed me down. Fortunately, I was greeted with amazing temperature and views to warm up in once I made it to the lake.
After a short wait, due to the great communication feature I had with my Garmin InReach without cell signal and then once I could use my IPhone again, I connected with my sister-in-law who picked me up on Highway 89. She thought of everything and brought me beer and strawberries, flip flops, pants, a tank top and a long sleeve shirt just in case. After wiping down with wet wipes and a beer I felt like a new person. As we drove back to her home I got to experience Highway 89 by Emerald Bay and over this amazing ridge and knew it was meant to be. Plus we go to stop at Starbucks to an indulgent latte.
The weather during my trip couldn’t have been better. Sunshine and a little wind. For future planning - If I see reviews that an overnight hike has any section that requires snowshoes I will postpone to a later date. For me snowshoeing is day trips only. I will return in July to finish the second half of the hike from Barker Pass to I-80 when the trail is snow free and the temps are higher. Gear wise - I would only change a few things. I felt very prepared with my camp gear, layers including vapor barrier options, food and most importantly my snowshoes and Garmin InReach. I would have changed out my sleeping pad for a higher rating and brought a 3rd pair of socks and I didn’t need microspikes in addition to snowshoes.
I did a great job of self isolating as I didn’t see a single person from mile 3ish to mile 33ish but I wish I had company in case a bear or mountain lion had appeared. All in all it was a really rewarding, challenging and educational experience for my comfort zone as well as making good decisions based on the risks.
Happy hiking and stay safe out there.
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