In the summer of 2014, when we were still newbies to Tahoe and very much newbies to hiking, my dad’s cousin Pete, who lives in San Jose, CA, offered to take us novices on a hike in the renowned Desolation Wilderness.

At the time, we had no idea what we were in for. All I knew was that ultra-runner Pete had hiked and trail run all over the Tahoe area, so I trusted his judgment and know-how. Plus, he’d brought homemade jerky on the hike.

As we were planning out that adventure, Pete explained that we were going to drive to Lower Echo Lake, get on a boat (“water taxi”) that would transport us up to Upper Echo Lake, where we would start our hike to Lake of the Woods and ultimately Lake Aloha. It was our maiden voyage into Desolation Wilderness, a 63,475-acre area in the Sierra that is one of the most popular wilderness areas in the entire country.

Ten years later, I texted cousin Pete and asked him when we were going to hike again, because none of us is getting any younger (to his credit, Pete is a youthful 70 years young and in better shape than most everyone I know), and I didn’t want to regret not making this a priority.

Pete’s time is occupied by being primary caretaker for his dad, my great uncle, Barney, so getting away takes some advanced coordination. Granted, Barney is currently 102 going on 103 and goes to the gym regularly, so longevity is definitely on Pete’s side, but you never know, and one thing life teaches you is that there’s no time like the present.

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In June 2021, my husband and I decided to make a surprise trip to San Jose for my great aunt and uncle’s 70th wedding anniversary party. That event had been the most recent time I’ve seen cousin Pete. That following February of 2022, my great aunt, Ruthie, passed away just two months shy of her 93rd birthday. I never regretted making that last-minute trip to surprise them at their anniversary party. Because there’s no time like the present.

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So, we mapped out and scheduled our second hike with cousin Pete for mid-September and the excitement was mounting. A few days beforehand, however, the weather forecast looked a little iffy and potentially unfavorable for hiking in the Sierra. Begrudgingly, we decided to reschedule it for a few weeks out and hope for the best.

The second try was perfect for a fall Sierra hike. Pete drove up to Tahoe from San Jose the day before our hike and he dove right in with a trail run up at Tahoe Meadows before arriving at our house. But it was still early afternoon, so we got to hang out and catch up, and then I made steaks and roasted veggies along with artisan bread to accompany our lively conversations over dinner.

Friday morning, we all got up, had breakfast, grabbed our gear, water, and snacks, and we piled into my Jeep and headed down to the trailhead at Lily Lake. We were treated to some fall colors early on, but the terrain of this trail is also pretty rocky, and I was having flashbacks to our undesirable descent from Mt. Tallac, which was on part of this same route today.

The early-morning temperatures on this late October day were crisp, but we’d all dressed in layers, and the entire hike (at least for Pete and me) was layers on, layers off, layers on, layers off. But being prepared beats freezing or overheating in my book.

After the grade transitioned from relatively flat to the first uphill section, both Pete and I had to remove a layer. 😂

The trail transitioned to even more rocky terrain that required stepping up, stepping over, and in some spots, carefully watching your footing.

More rocky trail.

When we descended on our previous hike to Mt. Tallac in 2022, we came through this intersection after passing Gilmore Lake.

Getting closer to Susie Lake, where we joined the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT).

First views of Susie Lake from the TRT.

As we wound around Susie Lake, we encountered a few tent campers along the way, then a small water crossing and this small “swimming hole” pond with a little bit of water still flowing into it.

We took in more views of Susie Lake as we rounded the south end of its shore.

Then it was on to Heather Lake.

After crossing more rocky terrain, the wind gusts picked up, and we arrived at Heather Lake.

It’s amazing how plant life finds a way to thrive in such rough conditions.

The eldest hiker of our group was far in the lead.

Past Heather Lake, walls of the quintessential Desolation Wilderness granite towered over us.

After traversing the granite landscape, we arrived at Lake Aloha. And it was incredibly windy.

As I mentioned, it was super gusty at Lake Aloha, so we hunkered down behind a boulder as a wind break to sit for a few minutes and have our trail snacks.

Then we wandered around the granite surfaces for a bit, taking a few more photos.

Not a single soul was there with us, so we got really professional by setting up this very technical tripod in order to take a group photo.

Thanks goodness for driftwood. 😂

Then it was time to get out of the wind and start heading back down.

When we reached Heather Lake once again, a young man was perched along the rocky shoreline, fishing pole in hand, line in the water. And just as we were approaching him, we saw a brook trout on his hook! We stopped to chat with him for a few minutes and get a closer look at his catch before he tossed it back in the drink. That was fun timing!

Our deep conversations with Pete continued as we revisited Susie Lake. We even talked about other fun places we’ve visited and hiked in, outside of the Sierra, including Zion National Park, which is one of my favorites.

Once we got past Susie Lake, the wind died down and it instantly started to feel warmer out. The sun helped with that, too.

Then, it was back to the challenging rocky terrain, only this time, we were descending, and I’m never really sure which way is more difficult. On the ascent, I think that’s pretty difficult, and then on the descent, I am sure that is more difficult. 😂 Maybe it’s because my legs are already fatigued once we begin the descent, so it feels harder?

I do think hiking up rocky terrain might actually be slightly easier than controlling your footing on the descent. But that’s just me.

The weather on our way back down was perfect for a fall day in the Sierra. And it was special to hike back to Lake Aloha again with cousin Pete, 10 years later. After nearly six hours, we returned to the Jeep parked at Lily Lake, our legs feeling worked, and looking forward to sitting for a bit. (And me, especially, looking forward to where we were going to eat when we were done!)

On our drive back to the north shore of Tahoe, we took Pete to our favorite pizza place, Base Camp, for a well-earned (and delicious) dinner.

The next morning, before Pete had to get on the road back to his dad in San Jose, I made homemade Belgian waffles and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and then we gave out hugs and bid our farewells. I hope we can get another hike (or even a trip) on the books with Pete in the near future. It was so awesome to spend a couple of days together and enjoy the beauty the Sierra affords.

Susie Lake, Heather Lake, Lake Aloha
Total Distance	12.66 mi
Total Time	5:51:56
Total Ascent	2,110 ft
Max Elevation	8,093 ft

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