Conferences Suck.

I was invited to a conference at the Stanford Sierra Camp on Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe this weekend. After a day of workshops and serious schmoozing, I decided I'd had enough. So, I woke up early on Saturday and escaped the whole scene. While the conferees spent their Saturday morning sitting in a stuffy room and staring at powerpoints and pretty pictures of nature, I went for a walk.



A view of Mt. Tallac from Fallen Leaf Lake Rd. The mountain overlooks all of the Lake Tahoe Basin. It can be one of the most crowded peaks in the Sierra, but because of the fact that October is the off-season and that I got started at 5:00 a.m., I had the mountain entirely to my self. There wasn't another car in the parkinglot and I didn't see another person until near the bottom.

A map of my route. 11 mile loop. 5 hours.



Calling my name. Pyramid Peak before sunrise.



Gilmore Lake.






From the summit.



Emerald Bay, Cascade Lake, Lake Tahoe.




The site of the conference. Fallen Leaf Lake. Lake Tahoe behind.



Fall Color. Fall Color. Fall Color.











Bye-bye.