I have been craving a walk through a snow-covered forest for some time now (well, it's something I actually crave every winter), and I figured that today was as good as any day to just do it. I mean, I no longer have work, I'm pretty far along in my packing, and god knows I needed to get out of my apartment for longer than a quick trip to the grocery store. So I threw on some clothes, grabbed some snacks and water, put on my hiking boots, and jumped into the car. The first place that came to mind was, of course, Tahoe. I got a little taste of it a few weeks ago when I went with a couple friends to a cabin on the north side of the lake, but since then I had wanted so badly to see the southern side-- especially Emerald Bay, the most picturesque spot. So that is where I drove to first. It took me a little over 3 hours, but I found I was able to pass the time fairly pleasantly by singing along with my music (notably the Disney playlist) and then gazing at the scenery as I got closer. I was extremely excited at the first sighting of snow, and actually gasped aloud when I got my first view of the lake itself from over cliff. It stood there so majestic and huge, glittering between evergreen trees and mountains covered in fluffy white snow. It was at the moment that I knew my trip out there had not
been in vain.
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| Emerald Bay |
Once I reached the vista point at Emerald Bay (on the west side of the lake), I parked off the road as several other people had done and joined them atop a fenced ledge overlooking the lake. I wanted to stand there all day just gazing at it, but I was in the way of other tourists taking photos and figured that probably wasn't the best place to do that. Plus I knew I had limited time if I want to start my return drive before dark.
So I took another drive around the eastern side of the lake, exploring a bit of South Lake Tahoe (the city) and seeing whether there were any designated trails I could try. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. So after turning off several roads and failing to find anything remotely like what I had imagined, I drove back toward Emerald Bay to try one of the pull-outs there that I had noticed earlier. This time, I was in luck. I pulled by an area that appeared to be a national forest information center during the summer months, but as of now is blanketed in snow and closed off to cars. I noticed some footprints leading into the trees, however, so I surmised that there was no rule against pedestrians. Plus, there was no one around to tell me off if I was doing anything wrong, so why not go for the adventure?
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| Open meadow! |
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| My sad attempt at a snowman |
I'm almost embarrassed to say that I got so excited about being in forest with newly fallen, untouched snow that I literally started running and dancing, and picking up snowballs that I threw at nothing in particular. It made me realize how long it has actually been since I really played in snow like a kid. I mean, why is it that when I go skiing, I forget to actually throw snowballs and build snowmen and roll around in it like a 5 year old? Well don't worry, I didn't roll around in it today, as my pants were too thin to withstand the moisture and cold. But I did build a small snowmen with my bare hands, which I would not recommend. They hurt like hell for several minutes after that while they attempted to warm up to their normal temperature. But otherwise, I have to say that those moments I spent in that forest alone were some of the happiest I have had in a very long time. I think I really needed it, especially the part where I was alone. Because sometimes you just can't share moments like that
with anyone, you know?
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