Hiking and bachelorette party don’t often end up in the same sentence. If I drew a Venn diagram and asked the next hundred people I saw to tell me the first word that came to mind when they thought of each activity, I doubt there’d be any overlap in responses. Maybe “wild”, but that word would probably carry different implications depending on the event it’s associated with. I’ve been to about a dozen bachelorette parties, and I think the most crucial element to a successful one is creating an experience that celebrates each unique bride in a way that’s special to her, without compromising the rest of the group’s potential to have a good time. Easy, right? Just kidding, obviously. All ladies of a certain age know how much work (and time, money, coordination, etc.) goes into this, and as the time for my own bachelorette party approached, my friends prepared a more incredible weekend than I could have ever imagined. Because they know and love me so well, those plans included a hike. I’m not surprised that this amazing group of women created the perfect celebration for me, because they inspire me constantly just by being themselves, but that bachelorette party just gives me one more reason to love every one of them.
Lake Tahoe is loaded with gorgeous trails and breathtaking scenery, but realistically, we knew we’d only have time for one hike. To maximize our hiking experience and still allow time for the other activities we had planned, we narrowed down our pool of options to those relatively close to South Lake Tahoe, where we were staying, and short-ish trails that we could complete in half a day or less. Naturally, we also wanted to find a trail with a reputation for expansive views of the lake and the mountains. Considering all of these criteria, we decided to hike Eagle Lake Trail, a popular two-mile out-and-back trail located in Desolation Wilderness, about a twenty-minute drive from South Lake Tahoe.
We left our cabin around 9:30, ascending along a winding road that provided stunning views of the scenery around us. Acutely aware of the road’s sharp curves and its very close proximity to the high, jagged edge of a mountain, we drove with caution, slowing down enough to ensure our safety while taking in the magnificent views. As we approached the trailhead, we quickly realized that parking was going to be a challenge. None of us had been to this trail before, and although we expected a crowd, we didn’t expect to spend nearly half an hour searching for a place to park. Then again, it was mid-morning on a gorgeous Saturday. Relieved to have found a spot on the side of the road, we piled out of the car and headed toward the trailhead.
Across the road from the Eagle Lake trailhead, a short path leads to a scenic overlook at the top of a beautiful waterfall, Eagle Falls. Before we embarked on the trail, we decided to take a detour to explore this area, and we definitely didn’t regret it. The overlook is spacious and easily accessible for visitors of all ages and ability levels, with many ideal spots for taking photos. Looking east, we could see for miles and miles across Emerald Bay, on the southwest corner of Lake Tahoe. Beyond that, the mountains of the Sierra Nevada surrounding the lake towered above the horizon, their peaks still covered in snow in early May. While there’s no trail from this point that leads down to the bottom of Eagle Falls, the water was shallow and flowing lightly enough in places to allow us to walk across boulders for a close-up view of the cascades from above.
After we’d captured all the photos at the overlook that our hearts desired, we made our way across the road and uphill through the still-packed parking lot to the Eagle Lake trailhead. At an elevation of over 6,500 feet, the area surrounding us still displayed many patches of snow and ice. We expected to have to navigate through this while on the trail and were uncertain about whether or not we’d be able to hike all the way to Eagle Lake. Recent reviews on AllTrails indicated that the final section of the trail would be impassable without proper gear for hiking through ice and snow, but we proceeded with optimism since the pretty white patches on the ground were shrinking more and more with each passing day. Candidly, the views from the overlook were some of the best that we saw all weekend, and even if Eagle Lake trail had been entirely closed, those views would have been well worth the drive up the mountain.
The first section of the trail includes a half-mile loop with several short spurs. As the trail moves over the mountainous landscape, scattered clusters of large evergreen trees dominate the area. Unlike the dense forests that I hike through at home in Tennessee, however, the trees are sparse enough to leave large sections of the trail exposed, which gave us plentiful views of the snow-capped peaks above us and Lake Tahoe below. Although we did cross a few unavoidable snowy patches on the trail, most of snow around the loop section had melted. Overall, the terrain was moderate and under good conditions, the trail would be suitable for hikers at any skill level, even kids. Although I believe that challenging hikes are generally more rewarding, there are certainly exceptions. Eagle Lake Trail offers beautiful views for minimal effort, and I love the opportunity that trails like this present to those who don’t have the time, desire, or ability to endure a more challenging hike. It’s nature’s manifestation of having your cake and eating it too.
We hiked all of the spur trails that we encountered (I think there were three of them), each leading to a magnificent vista overlooking our surroundings. None of the spurs presented a detour of more than a quarter of a mile round trip, so again, minimal effort to achieve high reward. Unfortunately, we were unable to hike out to Eagle Lake, due to impassable snow and ice on the ground beyond the bridge over Eagle Creek, just as the AllTrails reviews had suggested. On the bright side, this allowed plenty of time to stop often and enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace. In total, I think we covered about a mile of distance, making this one of the shortest new hiking experiences I’ve had on this journey yet. What this one lacked in distance, however, was repaid a hundred times over in magnificent views and most importantly, the magnificent friends I shared them with.
In the wake of a perfect weekend with my favorite ladies, I’ve spent a significant amount of time reflecting on my relationships with others, past and present. I’ve come to realize that there’s a long list of people who’ve significantly impacted my life, for better or for worse. Conversely, my actions have impacted the lives of others too. I’d like to think I’ve made some better, and I’m certain I’ve made some worse. Relationships are complicated like that. I can only hope that the positive influences in my life, like these women, continue to inspire me to be better, stronger, braver, and more loyal in all of my relationships, with people and with the wild places I’ve grown to love so much. An unquenchable thirst for adventure motivates me to explore as often as I can, but I wouldn’t really be able to appreciate these experiences if I didn’t have the love and support of family and friends who teach me how to live with maximum intent and minimal limits.
I usually try to avoid using the words of others to tell my stories, but in this case, it feels appropriate to close this post with a quote from my favorite nature-loving transcendentalist, Walt Whitman: “I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don’t believe I deserved my friends”.
Amen, Walt. Amen.
