Lisa stepped away from her desk and walked over to mine on a recent Friday afternoon and suggested we do something different for the weekend. We started to brainstorm ideas and within an hour reservation were set for Saturday night at Wylder’s Resort in the Hope Valley. Saturday morning we loaded up the dogs, the tossed in some snacks, fueled the truck and hit the road. The only plan for the day was to drive to South Lake Tahoe to find someplace to hike.

I was surprised by the lack traffic until we neared Sacramento. Once we were through the delay it was open road to South Lake Tahoe. All of our primary choices were still closed for winter. We ended up at the Mount Talac trailhead and hiked over to Fallen Leaf Lake.

This is a trail that Maggie knows well and she was very excited to be back hiking in this area. For Izzy and Hanna, this was a brand new adventure and they were having a great time exploring. The only part of the hike that threw them Hanna and Izzy was walking over the small bridge across the Fallen Leaf dam on Taylor Creek. Izzy was really bothered the first time with the water rushing a few feet below but with encouragement she made it over to the other side (no pictures due to scared dogs).

Our evening was spent at Wylder’s resort and dinner at Sorensen’s Cafe. It you are ever in the Hope Valley, a meal at Sorensen’s should be on your list. The food in our opinion is worth the trip.

Since this was a trip with no plans, the next day we went looking for a place to hike. At the first wildlife area, the parking area was full so we decided to drive towards Markleeville. We ended up at the gate to Grover Hot Springs State Park which had just opened to hiking and picnics only. Last year this area was impacted by one of the major forest fires that burned over the top if the Sierra Nevada mountains.

In some areas the fire burned low to the ground and did little damage to the trees.

Not far away the fire burned into the crown of the trees and they were destroyed. In the past nothing was done with the burned forest. This time the Forest Service is allowing logging of all of the burned trees to remove the fuel from the forest. This is the most logging I have seen in this part of California since I was a kid.

After hiking through Grover Hot Springs, it was time to start the drive home.

Highway 89 led us back through the Carson Pass and down into the valley. It is one of my favorite roads to drive. The three dogs slept most of the way home sacked out in the back of the truck. With what seems like the never ending demands of our jobs, it was a nice break to have a unplanned adventure.