Just a half hour south of Lake Tahoe are Upper and Lower Echo Lakes. I hiked the short leg of the famous Pacific Crest Trail on an overcast and wet fall day. The trailhead began at the Lower Echo Lake dam. I walked along the north edge of the lake across huge granite slabs, with crags above. Ancient douglas fir and cedar trees stood as sentinels on the rocky road. Then, the trail changed to the forested path of Upper Echo.
On the way back, it began to rain and even snow. My spirits were bolstered by a young couple who had backpacked the entire Pacific Crest Trail several years before. They regaled me with stories of their four month adventure.
