Wanted to keep the focus on brevity & the pics. This will be an easy read, but hopefully, you'll enjoy it. We sure enjoyed the trip!
(descriptions are above pics)
My wife and I entered Desolation Wilderness via Bayview TH. I chose this route expecting excellent views. We weren’t disappointed! The price for the views is a steep climb as soon as you hit the trail.
Emerald Bay/Lk Tahoe overlook after ~450’ elev. gain from TH:
One, of multiple, water crossings:
A few clouds built up as evening approached, but not to worry, there were actually relatively few of them, and besides, it’s not yet really the season for afternoon showers in the Sierra…. Yeah, right. Rigorously following Murphy’s Law, it only lasted as long as it took to put up the tent!
Middle Velma Lk from the trail:
This shot was taken the next morning. On the first and last evenings, this was our reward-view while filtering water near our campsite.
Middle Velma Lk:
Thanks to a blog post from JERMM just over a year ago, I bought, and have been using, the Jetflow adaptor for a Nalgene cantene and Sawyer Squeeze. I was having flow problems with the filter (due to my error) and can report that the Cantene took great abuse (pressure) without leaking a drop (at least thru ~14 quarts we needed from it). I'm sure it would have ruptured an original Sawyer bag or an Evernew bag.
This crossing was quite awkward. In this middle section, the log rests securely on a submerged rock, so it’s a long reach to the bottom for additional support.
Unnamed, seasonal outflow from Lk Schmidell:
On the way back, we simply forded at the trail-crossing a little upstream…much easier.
No pics from here to Lk Schmidell thanks to the ever-present mosquitoes that were all too happy to set upon us & feast to the last drop!
A beautiful morning at Lk Schmidell:
Crossing the Rubicon River (not quite as dramatic as Caesar’s). On the way to Lk Schmidell we took shoes off but forded with them on for the return leg.
Last light on our last night. Sunset at Middle Velma Lk:
Very similar to the earlier pic. This is Middle Velma from the trail on our last day.
From which direction did you say the prevailing winds blow? Or just a bad hair day:
Lake Tahoe and Emerald Bay with Granite Lk at the bottom:
There were many more views like this one on this trail (above Granite Lk)
As of 6/19, mostly, the trail is completely dry and in good shape. However, the upper 2/3rds of the Blakely Trail to Lk Schmidell has many, many occurrences of runoff on the trail.
Seasonal runoff is still available in many spots if you like to dip-n-sip. I drank (unfiltered/untreated) from moving water on the Rubicon and on up to Lk Schmidell. No sign of nasties 5 days later (I'll update if I get sick, but I doubt I will).
Tons of tree pollen at Lk Schmidell…played havoc with my wife's allergies. There was a layer of it on the lake by the time we finally got up around 7:30.
