Our last day of our backpacking trip in Desolation Wilderness took us from our camp at Lake Aloha back to Echo Lakes Chalet. We were all excited to get back to our comfy beds at home. We were hoping to save 2.5 miles by taking the water taxi but unfortunately couldn't due to circumstances beyond our control.
If you missed previous days of our backpacking trip you can check out the posts below:
Day 1 - Echo Lakes to Tamarack Lake
Day 2 - Tamarack Lake to Lake Aloha
Day 3 - Lake Aloha to Gilmore Lake
The winds were pretty rough overnight so my sleep wasn't so great. I was wondering if we had made the right decision to camp in an area with wind rather than deal with mosquitoes, however we found out from other backpackers that the wind was bad all around the lake that night. Below is one last shot by the tent.
We were all packed and ready to hike out by 9am. I was taking in our last views of the lake on the way back.
The rocky terrain makes this hike unforgettable.
When Tamarack Lake came into view, we knew it was pretty much a downhill hike from here.
Catching site of Upper Echo Lakes, we knew we were getting closer to the water taxi stop. However, our excitement turned into disappointment when we found out from hikers coming up the trail that the water taxi was not running due to high winds. It was something that we were hoping wasn't true.
We were hoping that they were wrong and that the winds would have died down when we got down to the taxi stop, but indeed they were right. That meant we had to hike 2.5 miles more than we thought. The kids did not take the news well, but we got them to keep moving (treats and rewards may have been promised) and we trudged on. Below is a pic of the kids taking the news well. Even got 5 year old to smile in the pic.
Along the way are some really cool cabins along Echo lakes. The winds definitely were strong as at one point, I swear I was knocked over and my hat flew away. I held on to the kids to make sure they were ok. At this point, we were getting close to Echo Lakes Chalet.
Just over this bridge and you are nearly there.
Ice cream is always a great treat after a long hike.
Total miles for the day, 7.22 according to my Garmin. What a trip it has been!
Backpacking in Desolation Wilderness to Tamarack Lake, Lake Aloha, & Gilmore Lakes has been a blast. My favorite by far is Lake Aloha. It's the most beautiful lake I've ever seen. It will be a lake I would not mind going back to again.
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