A January Trip to Lake Tahoe

My grandparents built a cabin at Lake Tahoe. Just about every year my family would visit the house in the Sierra Nevada range to ski the mountains in the winter and ride a boat in the summer. Last week my brother invited me to come with him and his friends to the cabin for a weekend getaway. In a few hours I assembled my winter gear and joined a group to carpool to the cabin I have not visited in almost a year.

Even though it’s January, there is not a lot of snow at Lake Tahoe. When I was last at the lake, I remember going down to the docks to gaze at the stars and admire the view of the vast blue pool in the middle of the mountain range. This time getting to the pier was much easier with the snow dissipating shortly after reaching the pier’s wooden steps. For some reason I could not see many stars in the night sky either. I was thinking maybe there were too many clouds obstructing my view, which could be good if the lake got more snow. Apparently it did snow a bit the next day, but at the cabin’s elevation the snow did not stick around. I spent a day relaxing in the cabin, reading a comic, and eating a grilled veggie burger or two.

The ski resort conditions were not as great as last year, but they were still okay. I expected based on my brother’s smartphone app checking the trail conditions that most of the mountain would be off limits. Thankfully the Heavenly resort had enough runs open for a clear full day of skiing. I rented my gear at the Stagecoach lodge because it offers a quick trip to the upper mountain. Once I reached the top with my brother and another friend, we had no choice but to exit to the right because the run to the left was blocked off. The main run I skied during the day, the Olympic Downhill, was icy for multiple parts, and I had trouble maintaining my balance on more than one occasion. The skiing was a bit better higher on the mountain with the Comet, Big Dipper, and Orion runs staying nice and open. We did not try skiing over to the California side of the resort, and with the lack of snow I was worried that trail might prevent a return trip to a Nevada lodge. In the end I was still satisfied with a clear day of skiing on runs that were not too crowded. While I was boarding the Comet Express chair lift for the final time down the mountain, I smiled at the notice posted of Super Saiyan Goku informing the skiers when the lifts close for the day.

When I traveled to Lake Tahoe for the weekend, I was a bit worried that there would not be enough snow to enjoy the trip. Thankfully the mountain was cold and clear enough to make a full day skiing worth the time and effort. I can only hope that conditions will be better the next time I go for the winter season. The drought in California should end sometime, or so I would like to think.