Forbidden Universe
Paranormal => The Paranormal & Ghost Society => Topic started by: AngelOfThyCosmos on July 17, 2018, 12:39:37 PM
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Our Glen Alpine Springs Exploration & Adventure Report - 7-1-18
The Lake Tahoe area never seems to disappoint especially when it comes to a location nestled in the forest south of it. I was exciting to take on this expedition because it involved lakes, ponds, historic sites, homesteads, geological sites such as split rock and two massive powerful waterfalls all worth checking on out. This area is amazing the views, forest, nature, soda springs, abandoned stone buildings and of course the hot girls who hike its trail jogging or whatever wearing them short shorts haha. Sorry but that was for my guy friends who love seeing a pretty outdoor woman including ME!
Lake Tahoe is a true scenic wonder of the world I mean the things I have seen near this lake would blow your minds that includes a mothership yes a mothership. But I also have had some Bigfoot encounters and even ghost depending on where I investigate around Tahoe. In this case Glen Alpine was at one time a gorgeous resort or getaway today its just the gateway into the Desolation Wilderness which is home to over 50 lakes and probably a hundred miles worth of trails.
You have many roads that are offbeat, trails and wilderness areas surrounded Tahoe this area has nice views of Mt. Tallac, Cathedral and Maggie's Peaks. When we started off we had to drive around Fallen Leaf Lake which is fairly very large and it sits so close to Tahoe that at one time the two lakes were adjoined but not today. As I drove down the one lane road all the way around the lake I kept looking up at Maggie's Peak thinking about my trek up the cliffs many years ago and yes they were cliffs took me most of the day to carefully work my way up there and the one time I stood on its summit overlooking multiple lakes this included Tahoe and Fallen Leaf which look much smaller from the top.
You have to be careful though the road around Fallen Leaf is narrow big enough for one car so you kind of have to pull in peoples driveways here to let other vehicles pass its a pain in the ass. But after a few miles it does veer off into the ElDorado National Forest which has more Bigfoot sightings and experiences then anywhere else in the country. I know because years ago not far from here something so massive chased me down the trail the ground was shaking and as it breathed you could hear how large its chest was with each breath it was pretty eerie experience for me.
It was exciting to be on the edge of the Desolation Wilderness its full of caves, lakes, granite rock formations, glacier basins etc like an alien world. I would not be hiking as far as the Desolation but id be about a mile from it and so if there is Bigfoot there chances are there is also Bigfoot here. Glen Alpine really is your gateway into this lost world and along the way are some gorgeous places to check on out. Your also surrounded by massive peaks and you kind of follow this really cozy creek for most of the journey which right now is flowing pretty hardcore.
I was excited to backpack here but this is a well visited area that is the only thing id say I did not like about it. I been on some hikes where I never see one human all day and other ones where you will see groups of hikers every few minutes. I also see people carrying no bag or water which is dangerous here especially with it as hot as its been the only relief I had was when I was in the forest but if you left the shade you could feel that hot blistering sun. You can only park so far then you have to hike it because the forestry had the gate locked and it seems like quite a few people have the key to it but us.
The road you follow on in is an old wagon road meaning horses and buggies in the 1800's were taking it to reach Gilmore's Resort. It was one of the first resorts of its kind back in the 1800's and people came from all over to enjoy its springs which bubbled up from the ground. The springs are like drinking carbonated soda water and years ago they would bottle it up selling in locally. You might find it at a hotel in the region or even a store near or around Lake Tahoe was the region was in its early development.
Even though today Tahoe is developed as there are bustling towns, campgrounds, tourist attractions etc this location today is still very offbeat. It requires a bit of a secluded drive and then a decent hike to explore what remains of the resort. Also their are many geological sites worth visiting also like waterfalls, split rock and Lily Pad Lake which at one time was stocked back in the day because the resort had their own hatchery the first of its kind in the Tahoe Basin. So that when tourist visited they could fish at the lake and enjoy that down time.
Our journey would take us around Fallen Leaf Lake today there is a very cozy woodland community with many nice houses and private docks. But the road is very narrow trying to get past people here is difficult you have to pull in peoples driveways nearly to let them pass. I stopped every mile or so just to stand on the shores of Fallen Leaf which by the way use to be a cove at one time of Lake Tahoe but somehow the two now are separated by a narrow landmass.
I was looking across the lake at this cliff I once climbed a few years ago its straight down but you can maneuver between the rocks for a thousand feet up and well lets just say I made it to the summit so I know what this lake and area looks like from the top. So yeah I was excited to be able to explore the blanket of forest below the sister peaks. Their are also grand views of Mt Tallac and Cathedral Peaks back in the day Gilmore who came here summated Tallac which probably led to him deciding to build his resort here because he kind of fell in love with this southern region of the Tahoe Basin.
It was still early in the morning actually quite cool still but not for long even though Tahoe stays cool during the summer or cooler lately that is not the case. I love being out in Tahoe early in the morning because their is so much wildlife to see birds, deer, black bear, chipmunks etc. While I am very much in love with Bigfoot research I had no expectations to find this creature here because if your local or native to the area then you also will come to realize that despite the resort being long gone this is your gateway into the Desolation Wilderness so definitely quite a few cars here and there.
We finally would make our way a few miles around the southern end of Fallen Leaf where you began to take this ascension parting ways entering a much more dense forest. Its amazing how you can go from one national forest or wilderness area to the next in the high sierras. Their is no in between and you could see how the terrain changed. We had a busy day ahead of us as a matter in fact I had a long list of sites we were going to hike out to or see. Some of them are hidden so we not only had to hike to them but also it was like a treasure hunt and our journey would begin here.
Glen Alpine Springs & Historic Resort
Our first stop was at a place known as Modjeska Falls or Lower Glen Alpine Falls. There is this beautiful stone stairwell and wall also made of stone. Back when Gilmore owned this land he would build roads, stairwells, walls etc to make it more appeasing to his guest. These falls were roaring but that is not always the case usually by this time of year they are generally trickling or barely flowing. But we had an okay winter so you still have some snow melting keeping them alive. Modjeska was an actress also heard an opera singer who came to the resort and made quite the impact locally so the falls were named after her.
The falls had multiple areas they were flowing from it was gorgeous as I stood on these rocks across from them. Eventually though id climb down to the bottom off them and we took some really nice photos. The butterflies were out and the morning was getting warm fast those falls looked worth taking a dip in one of the pools below them. You could see flowers growing from within the crevices of rocks in between the waterfalls also. Eventually below the falls it flows into Fallen Leaf Lake which in itself is one of the larger bodies of water close to Tahoe.
I would take my truck and go above the falls where I sat on a tree limb just above the waterfall. These falls are not hundreds of feet high like the ones I found two weeks ago at Crater Lake but they still are a force of nature and one of my main focuses of any exploration I do is truly the nature. Getting people to see the world around us and show that world the love that it deserves through our videos and photography. Also if you pay attention above the waterfall is a place called split rock with a wood platform in the middle of it. The rock looks like it was sliced in half like a piece of ham or something. You can see carved into the wood N. Gilmore 1874 which was the founder of Glen Alpine Springs and its retreat. How he became the founder remains a mystery some believe he was backpacking to the top of Mt. Tallac and came across the springs other say it was in the 1860's when he was herding his Angora Sheep he would stop at them for a drink.
If you continue past the lower falls and Split Rock you will come up on a place known as Lily Pad Lake. Their is also an area you can park but its very limited and the place was mobbed. I get it though its 4th of July week so you have many campers and backpacker sin the area. But I honestly prefer when there is no people where I hike since I am on the hunt for bigfoot. The road does continue to head west however there is a locked gate. Strangely quite a few cars had the key to that gate and I was getting a bit tired of it because its not right that some folks had access while others did not.
The trail is actually not a trail but an old wagon road which back in the day carriages would take to reach this hotel and resort. I do not mind the hike but this road is very rugged while some areas are fairly smooth or a dirt path other parts of it are boulders and rocks for hundreds of feet. This would be difficult for me since I had torn last year three tendons in my ankle and was told that they would never heal. But they actually have healed up but no less I twisted my ankle two to three times and I really think its impossible not to sprain or twist it when your walking for a mile on rocks everywhere that roll out from under you each time you step down.
You start off the hike to the right of Lily Pad Lake since I missed the little trail out to the lake shore I figured id come back at sunset unfortunately what I forgot is the sun would be setting in the west thus I could not get as good of scenic photos of the mountains surrounding it as I wanted. But no less its a very pretty lake and it is in a sense historic because those that often visited this resort even well into the mid 1900's fished here as they would stock it with trout. This was not a place you visited if you were going to watch television or sit around this was a place where people swam, fished, backpacked, played in the waterfall pools and adventured at.
Despite the heavy amount of foot traffic their were quite a few cute blondes jogging on this trail not sure how they can jog on rocks but some of the women that I seen hiking and jogging out here were beautiful. Legs with no sight in end LMAO! I always enjoy backpacking in the high sierras because really I run into many pretty women all the time and they actually say hi to me so it sweetens my day too lol. I decided though I would not stay entirely on the old wagon road to hike as a matter in fact we did more primitive hiking on this trip and occasionally used the wagon road to move ahead to our next areas that we wanted to explore.
We came across a newer A frame cabin I guess you can still rent a couple cabins here so that may explain why people had a key for the gate. But we also came across our first set of abandoned cabins which were boarded up but the one cabin had a deck around it or at least the backside. The front appeared to have a loft to second story but the entire cabin despite its good shape the stairs were done in for and the balcony was not looking to good. However, it had a nice view of the upper falls nearby and since I could hear them as well as see them flowing I knew where our next stop would be.
We took this woodsy trail it was overgrown climbed a few rocks next thing we were at is sitting right there below this massive waterfall. It was getting hot out parts of the wagon trail have no shade and I was really desiring a nice dip in the pools below the falls. I did walk around in one of the pools even sat on a rock right near the powerful falls and the mist cooled me off. I am not sure it could get anymore therapeutic then that really. Even walking around the pools felt so good on my sore feet and the rocks below were soothing. You have to be careful because in the pool there is an area that drops off so if you have kids watch them because its probably six or seven feet deep. Also if you go past the pool there is another drop off with white water currents which continue to flow into the creek but its dangerous also. But the views of this massive open area of the peaks and the creek below just wow how awesome.
We had a nice picnic by the falls I went into the pools twice before I left it was really nice just to take my time enjoy nature. This is a decent sized waterfall but unlike the lower falls this is just a single stream coming down. But very powerful you could hear the roar from far away and we would hear it surely as we left to move on with our adventure. I seen some guy jump over this crevice where the water was funneling through to get a photo of them up close. Hell as a matter in fact I seen a family hike up from below that was leaving from the opposite side of the pools so this spot seems to be a major attraction in the area and they were flowing still very strongly for being July. I can imagine how much they would flow if we came in the Spring probably to dangerous to be close to no doubt.
Tammy and I took this little road to our right once we got back on the wagon trail. But we found a homestead up on a hill and then a couple smaller cabins nestled in the woods. I wanted to at least get some photos but I think this is used by groups like the Boy Scouts while the cabins were newer the house high up on the hill overlooking it with a porch appeared to be much older. But adjacent to one another I read the little cabin and another sign had read the big cabin. There was also a tool shed and what appeared to be some sort of outhouse. I guess along this wagon road are a few camps and cabin sites. This area has always been a place for campers and cabin enthusiast for at least 120 years and not much has changed.
Further up the road was a few more cabins it appeared folks had rented them but we decided to get away from people and joggers. So I cut in the forest to the left and we ended up finding a place known as Beaver Pond. The pond is just a little off chute from Glen Alpine Creek and you wont see it on the trail. You have to physically go into the foliage and woods in order to find this pond. But sure enough we came out into this open area and wow not only was it a great view but we got a nice view of the creek here. Also around a bend I could make out a beaver dam to did not see any beavers but ill assume that this is how the pond had gotten its name. We spent a few minutes here sitting on the bank just a nice private little place but we had more work to do so we did not stay to long we had to continue moving upstream so we could find the historical remnants of Glen Alpine.
Not far from the pond I found what appeared to be a large track but it was far to weathered to tell what made it also lots of butterflies and flowers in this area. The nature out here is quite amazing especially if you like wildflowers they grow all along this wagon trail and surround the creek further upstream. We would definitely make our way to Gilmore's resort area with the old wooden barn greeting us just a little further up the trail from Beaver Pond. Gilmore's Barn is an amazing structure to see this deep in the wilderness here but this man was a farmer and even with his resort he still raised livestock. Prior to this he really raised many heads of Angora Sheep and Cattle surrounding his springs.
The barn had double sliding doors in the front and a triangular roof. It had a six foot high maybe five stone foundation around it probably the basement underneath. It had at the entrance a pulley system maybe for bails of hay to be stored up in the loft. I also found a rusty water tank maybe a steam boiler and a bunch of other remnants just laying on the scattered forest floor. Its kind of strange when you see farms in the sierras because you tend to think as farms with rolling green hills and pastures. But Gilmore's Farm was in the middle of the forest there is no pastures and you could only raise your livestock here seasonally. Gilmore would have probably spent most of his time working in this barn.
Near the barn there is an overgrown path which we took that led us to a small two story old cabin which was boarded up. Just past that we found remnants of what may have been a fireplace or homestead then beyond that there was this small clearing along the creek surrounding by trees that we took a break at. It was a nice little sandy area where the creek was about 30' across and a foot or two deep clear as ever. This was a nice little area to spend sometime having a snack and a drink at. I am not sure everything that was back here there was a private road that ascended up that broke away from the creek here. It seems that some of the cabins today are privately owned and used. Also may I add near the sandy banks of the creek I did find another track only this time it collapsed in on itself so it could have been bigfoot or maybe just a human who took the same path I did to enjoy the solitude of the creek and having a private little area to rest at. There are very few areas with sand or dirt along the creek most of it is rock so finding any strange track up here is a bit difficult.
When we had gotten back on the trail we found a bulletin board which actually had some historic photos of the resort and various guest all dressed in the 1800's attire. We made another turn off to our right down this road that went uphill. In turn it took us to three more cabins these were rebuilt in the 1920's and 30's because a forest fire had burned down the original cabins. As a matter in fact you had a big cabin with a deck, next to it a little cabin and behind it to the left a cabin known as the Bubblestone Cabin. The cabins were boarded up, dusty, abandoned and even when I looked inside you could tell nobody had been in them for awhile. But the large cabin had an extension added towards the back while the smaller cabin seemed to just be a small wood cabin with a loft. The Bubblestone Cabin seemed to be the size of maybe a mini van but all made out of stone and from what I read their is no cabin in the sierras like this one. But it was made out of large stone blocks and looks more like a storage unity then it does a cabin. Of course a cabin like this would stand strong against the elements. The cabin has only one level with a door in the front big enough for maybe one person to put a cot inside and a chair pretty much.
The three cabins all sitting near one another are rather close behind them is this steep rocky mountain side. But with all the trees, boulders etc the natural landscaping has seemed to consume this area. When I was alone walking around the cabins trying to peer into the windows I heard a loud bang inside the big cabin. More like a thud or what sounded like something walking around. I told Tammy that I think its ghostly there is no way into any of the cabins they are boarded and locked up good. You can peer into some of the windows but not all the windows and if you go onto the deck of the big cabin you can look right into the den and kitchen area. These cabins are still old despite them being rebuilt 80 years ago this site is much older then even that and at one time there were many structures at this location that are no longer here today.
We continued to go up the hill and stay to our left which took us to two large stone buildings and not stone blocked buildings but buildings literally made out of local native rock. The building to the right was the resorts kitchen and to the left was the dining hall. Some of the windows were boarded up others were broken by vandals. But back in the 1960's burgers and hotdog's were being cooked here for those who spent time at this resort and perhaps rented a cabin nearby. All the grilles, kitchen equipment, pots, kitchen utensils were covered up or just collecting dust. While looking inside the dining hall you could see tables and chairs. But also their was some piles of junk including ladders, tools etc. At one time between the kitchen and dining hall was a pantry it no longer stands. You can see this small wooden floor nearby maybe that was it who knows but they had to keep the food locked up because of the bears and other animals.
If you walk between the kitchen and dining hall down some steps you will come out into a clearing that has a few benches and a table. My guess is this was the outdoor dining area if you did not eat inside then again maybe they held some events here as well such as speakers, singers, magic shows for the kids etc. What is spooky about this part of the resort is that its up in a canyon that veers off from the wagon trail and this canyon is full of steep jagged cliffs and quite a few caves. I mean even if they are not caves they are dens and I seen at least ten of them I could count just looking behind the kitchen or even further into the canyon itself. Anything could be back here this is a Bigfoot playground with rock formations, dense forest, high cliffs, peaks surrounding this place and those caves high up on cliffs may just be worth looking into if you had a way to get into them.
I found this area really spooky in the front of the dining hall there is also a couple chairs and a picnic bench to you can sit at. But not once did I ever feel alone here I felt watched thought I heard something in the woods behind the stone structures and it just had a weird vibe here. You wont see people up here exploring everyone stays on the Glen Alpine wagon trail because most folks hike out into the Desolation Wilderness which was probably less then a mile away from where we were at. The kitchen is kind of pentagon shaped while the dining hall is your typical long lodge like structure made for seating as many people as they could pack on in. I did do some on foot exploring climbing around the two structures and they are just so out of place. You have to think about how much stone they used to build these structures all native and they probably took it from the canyon itself or the cliffs that backdrop this gem.
Tammy and I sat in the chairs and bench to have another break. Our breaks always include good food, toking, something to drink and generally ill do some paranormal work too. Ill tell you what with the piles of granite rocks everywhere this place felt so secluded. But when you sit here its easy to envision little kids running around playing or people sitting inside the dining hall laughing while eating. You could almost smell the burgers and smoke from them pouring out of the kitchen windows. I mean this place was operable up into the 60's and I seen a sign they want donations so they can restore both of the buildings. It was to quiet up here but we spent almost an hour just chilling out a few times Tammy and I just went our own ways looking around.
When we left we crossed the glen alpine wagon road where I found an overgrown path which led me to the front of the caretakers cabin, hotel and old dining hall site. Today nothing marks the old dining hall or hotel site but there is a clearing where it stood not far from the cabin. This was a nice hotel back in the day people came from all over the world just to stay at this hotel so they could enjoy the great outdoors. But their is not one stone marking the hotel but you can tell where it is as a matter in fact there is a small parking area by it for vehicles. Like I said not sure why they do not open the road itself so people can spread out and park up here. The parking area prior to the gate is so packed you cant even get a spot so the smart thing would have been to open the gate because this area had plenty of room for parking.
After I did some EVP at the old hotel site we went just a little ways up the road where we came across the old assembly hall and soda springs. The assembly hall has similar architecture as to the dining hall and kitchen up in the canyon nearby. But they had sheet metal covering almost all the windows here. The springs just reside about 15' in front of the assembly hall so both of them are near one another. But see many years ago the springs were very much contained to the area they were at. Today though not so much the water is constantly gurgling on up which has caused it to flood so the area around the assembly hall is more like wetlands and swamp. The plaque next to the springs is missing someone stole it but there is a small structure surrounding them and a wood sign that says soda springs. The water that comes up from here is carbonated like having a soda is rather unique. But also there is high iron content because the water is reddish brown it will not hurt you but when you walk up to it you can see patches of high iron content and minerals.
Some woman walks up to the springs tells her dog not to drink it then fills her water bottle drinking the water! Some people absolutely make no sense as to how they behave. Personally I would not drink this water there are mosquitoes flying all over where it gurgles up, a film floating on top of the water, mosquito eggs in the water, people stepping in it and dipping there dirty bottles. In my opinion even if the water coming up is safe to drink the water surrounding it is not as its still water which means there is bacteria around it and it could make you very sick. I mean its hard to even think about that folks let there kids drink from here and when you walk up to the springs you can see dead bugs like mosquitoes just floating on the water. Yet people fill there bottles and act like its no big deal. Tammy and I just sat back and watched. I also met a cute girl who was hiking and she got some water there to for a short time I enjoyed her bending over like I said in the beginning some of the women who hike up here are hotties. What I noticed most on this hike is most hikers had no backpacks, food or even water. Some carried ONE yes ONE water bottle so that they could fill it up at the springs so you can tell most of these people lack experience. I always carry a big backpack loaded with enough food and water for a couple of days because you just never know and I wont rely on the spring to replenish me.
No less I had fun hanging out at the old assembly hall and spring with the water constantly flowing upwards the pond forming around the springs just drains on into the creek where it hits both waterfalls then exits right on into Lily Pad and Fallen Leaf Lakes. If you go past the Springs you can hike to another lake but its just past the Desolation Wilderness borderline. I had some pretty intense experiences in the Desolation I once heard something mutilate a deer so I called out to it after it made some vocalizations then a half hour later after dark something massive ran towards me. I started to run in the woods turned around and it was hiding up on some rocks just breathing really heavy. You could hear its chest bellowing and its breathed the entire ground shook when it ran so something upwards of 1200 or more pounds. I have also heard vocalizations, found tracks and had some other smaller experiences as this is the heart of bigfoot country and bigfoot is more prevalent in this area then anywhere else on the west coast so just being here kind of puts me in the middle of it.
Upon leaving the springs the wagon trail turns more rugged and began's to ascend up to the next lake Tammy and I were only going to explore a couple more historic sites. The first site we found was the stone walls of an old post office that was up here in the 1800's. Like I said its just a wall but we still found it We also found near by a few pieces of wood and concrete blocks. I think those were remnants of the old store and storage area for the resort also. But very little remains of the storage, post office or general store its scattered in the woods. But I still looked around and found a few things. Who knows what else the foliage might be hiding. But really this resort was a small community it had your basic amenities such as your post office, store, saloon, hotel etc. It was a nice place from the later 1800's going all the way up until the 1960's. If you stayed here you had all that you needed you could even mail a friend a post card. But if you leave the wagon road you can find some remnants of the original resort and community back here.
The last stop we went to was a place known as the Cliff House originally though it was the Gilmore Homestead. He probably lived here when he was a farmer and he probably continued to live here not to far from his hotel and community. Its not an easy homestead to find it sits on this hill in the forest so you have to know where to go because its not on the wagon road but rather in a hill above it. There really is not even a trail a small one but its so hard to see. Tammy and I did find it so we sat on some rocks had pizza and some other treats before we had to begin our trek back. There was a wall with some wood beams and piles of boards that was about all that was left of the homestead. Adjacent from it was a pile of rusty remnants to look a steam boiler, stove, pieces of sheet metal roofing and a few other things. Their is a third area that may have been a shed so I am thinking that Gilmore had a house, workshop or garage and a shed based on the layout of the debris, remnants and foundations on the hill.
I would say my trip was complete I had found just about everything that is and was here. The main goal of this expedition was really to follow the founder of Glen Alpines footsteps around like his farm, homestead, resort and local geological attractions that which we did. Tammy and I had a kick ass picnic under a tree near the wall of the founders homestead dating back to the 1860's it was really nice. But we could not stay the sun was beginning to set. I still had to get out to look for tracks at Lily Pad Lake so it was time to pack up our things and get back on the old stage coach road eastbound so we could finish off the day at the lake. But not far from the springs or assembly hall along the old stage stop road their is also some history about the area worth reading and how it came to be. Being a history buff I like to surround myself with scenic yet historic sites. Any chance I can learn something new about a location also helps for later when we put these locations on our website.
I would stop once again at Soda Springs to look around as a matter in fact if you push through the woods on the back side of the assembly hall you can find a small unmarked path which takes you out on the caretakers cabin and pond. The brush was very high and with ticks everywhere I did not hang around. But I did get pretty close to the old caretakers cabin and below the deck is the small lake/pond behind it. The caretaker for many years lived on site to watch over this property today the cabin appears to be forgotten perhaps boarded up. But back in the day the caretaker could fish off his deck and make rounds on foot to make sure campers were not littering or breaking into some of the historic sites that are found in the forest here.The caretaker may have even operated the resort while living in the cabin too that is pretty common with many of the campgrounds, resorts, lodges etc within the sierras. Today the pond and the springs now have merged together so the entire area is very swampy perfect for a bigfoot like creature I am sure.
By this time I cut through the woods through the clearly where the old hotel stood and met up with Tammy on the wagon road. They actually have this bulletin board to with a map of some of the historic sites in the area and trails. I ran into a young couple that I hiked ahead of to catch up to Tammy and well to be honest it took us allot less to get back to Lily Pad Lake then it did hiking on in. There was a party happening at the A frame cabin people were grilling burgers,drinking brews and a few cuties were hanging out. Boy I bet renting a cabin here at night is fun this is bigfoot country here the Eldorado Forest is truly a beautiful woodsy part of the sierras and anything could hide or live back here its vast.
We did have one incident where things had gotten a bit strange. We found these large tracks almost bear sized paws of mud for a few hundred feet. The tracks came out of the forest along the trail then eventually turned eastbound. Every few feet we would see a giant muddy paw print or smear on some granite rock. Whatever made this had quite a bit of mud on its paws because we found dozens of these muddy tracks and eventually they faded as the mud became less prevalent till we could no longer see the paw prints anymore. It looked like something veered off again only towards the right probably to the creek so I am thinking we just missed a bear by minutes because they were fresh. But then again who knows maybe a big swampy hairy Sasquatch creature just came out of the woods walked down the road a few hundred feet then veered off to the creek to get a drink afterall these creatures often come out right before sundown. It looked like a big dog, bear or mountain lion but whatever made the tracks was dragging its feet because the mud was just smeared freshly over the rocks which blanket this trail.
In a matter of minutes we made the two mile trek nearly back to Lily Pad Lake only this time we found a trail that cuts on over to the eastern shoreline where we seen a few canoes. Tammy and I followed the muddy shoreline then I made my way out into the middle of the lake on this low laying muddy area. It was so so I at least had gotten to stand out in the middle of the lake on the eastern end of it. There was thousands of tracks in the mud mostly animals and humans. I found some tracks that could be bigfoot but no way to know when other people and animals step in such tracks. It was very muddy where I was at my right sneaker sank four inches in the mud and my entire sow was covered in sticky brown mud lol and they are brand spanking new ugh. Tammy stayed on the shoreline while I walked out to this muddy area because I had to make an attempt to find at least one good track for our website.
I found nothing so I crossed back through the mud and swampy area then rock climbed through the woods on this peninsula where I came upon a much larger shoreline and open area. It was kind of a small beach with a soft muddy and gravel shoreline. The peninsula kind of jets out in the middle of the lake so I was kind of in between the east and west end of the lake. The scenery is stellar here massive cliffs, forested granite peaks and this part of the shoreline was covered in Lily Pads that were blooming. I did not find many tracks on this peninsula and well the sun setting in the west over the lake kind of made it hard to see to well. I mean even the mountains from afar were hard to see because the sun was setting over them. But no less you feel very small standing on this peninsula in this massive open basin surrounded by mountains. The shoreline is rather primitive probably back in the day not so much when you had fisherman and boaters recreationally enjoying the azure waters here when the resort was opened for business.
Tammy and I took a break watched some ducks and birds playing around the lake. We also when hiking back to the vehicle seen this large bird I am not sure what it was but the span on it was a few feet in length. I tried to get a photo as it circled over us but the trees kept concealing it every time it kept circling around us. But in no time we were finally back at the truck and no vehicles were around the place was dead and quiet. Minus the cutie we left behind earlier at the springs it seemed everyone either left for the evening while the cars remaining had permits for those camping in the Desolation Wilderness. Most people park here then do the five to ten miles of hiking on in then camp packing it in and packing it out. But other then that by evening this place is dead and their is this eeriness about the place whether its ghosts or some bigfoot like creature watching from the thick.
It was a long slow drive around Fallen Leaf Lake then you can take a couple dirt roads both lead out to the highway and the Tahoe Shoreline. I went a different way out at the north end of Fallen Leaf which took me through a nice woodsy narrow dirt road. I stopped at Fallen Leaf to get some photos at sunset but the lake was a bit dark because the sun was behind the mountains. You could smell campfires in the air and it was just so serene what a gorgeous drive back. I was eating gourmet chocolate, playing my gothic music, toking a bowl and enjoying some iced tea definitely worth even just offroading in the area. But after about five to six miles of hiking, playing in the water, exploring historic sites, pushing through brush and driving these narrow roads my evening was nearly finished as just a few miles down the road I would stop at a place called My Thai Cuisine. Which turned out to be a not so great experience!
Well I thought I was going to have dinner here but you see when I walked in they ignored me stood there for 20 minutes at the register. Then the pretty Asian gal sat three people ahead of us and nobody would help us. I realize I came in there looking rugged I mean I just got done backpacking minutes before but my friends this is Tahoe people spend all day zip lining, rock climbing, para-liding, hiking, camping, swimming, wake boarding etc so its not uncommon to see folks eating at nice restaurants in there hiking gear or whatever. Tahoe is not only the winter sports Mecca of the country but its also a outdoor Mecca for those who have a deep love for great scenery and adventure. So they were very rude to us and I was not going to order take out especially when they were purposely ignoring Tammy and I. So yeah I made a huge seen walked out told all the people working there to suck my dick and I left. I spent four years wanting to dine here after a hard days of hiking FOUR YEARS hell maybe SIX something like that and the moment I decide to go have dinner here they are rude to me. The women were very pretty working here you guys know my love for women of Asian cultures yum but wow what do you have to do to get a meal around here? South Lake Tahoe is a city so their are plenty of other places to eat with that being said I drove past Denny's deciding that at least if I go there ill get hot coffee and a good ole fashioned home cooked type of meal which you cant beat after a day of exploring.
So in the end it worked out I had pot roast with gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli with hot coffee so for me that was a great meal. I was also only less then 25 minutes from home as you guys know I live near Lake Tahoe. But it was nice to go out to dinner and not have to go home cooking a huge meal especially after the exciting long day we had. This journey lasted from sunrise till sunset so it was a long day. We may not have gotten much bigfoot or ghostly evidence but we did experience some things and we seen quite a few sites that were really intriguing. Their is quite a bit of wild western history located around Lake Tahoe who would even have known about this place really? I mean by the end of the day you can look back and think wow this was a really amazing place filled with history, culture, scenery, nature and mystery. But then when you think about it their are so many beautiful historic sites tucked away near Lake Tahoe or up in those mountains surrounding the lake itself like Glen Alpine that it never gets old even a couple castles which we explored. But slowly over time I am finally seeing every one of them over time and I cant wait to see what is next. Everyone thinks Tahoe is just a lake but there are miles of hiking trails, 12k peaks, multiple national forest, wilderness areas etc all surrounding this eighth wonder of the world.
I mean back in the day people got married here some even fell in love while enjoying the outdoors. It would cost you may 13 dollars to spend an entire week here fishing, hiking, swimming etc and that included your meals to. You could sit at the bar have a drink after a day spent climbing Mt. Tallac or taking a dip in the pools below the falls. I went into the pools myself the water was perfect so one could see why so many folks were drawn to the area. This was a magical place and not much has changed sure the resort is long gone but people come from all over the world just to hike here and visit the falls which are some of the most beautiful falls in Tahoe. One day the resort may once again be restored as laughter will fill the air, dim lights will fill the dark forest and lovers will kiss as the sun is going on. Its easy to imagine what is and what was when your exploring a place like this because at one time many wealthy people came from all over just to enjoy a summer vacation here and although the hotel as well as resort is closed people have never stopped visiting here for over a century as each day brings in outdoor lovers who wish to experience the slice of heaven Glen Alpine offers its visitors and adventurers!
Ill never forget Glen Alpine we might have to go back someday to try to access some of the lakes beyond it in the Desolation Wilderness since there are only a few entrances into that wilderness area since vehicles are forbidden once you reach the boundary lines. This will make a FINE addition on our site many flowers, nature, scenery, falls, ponds, historic sites made out of stone, cabins and other hidden remnants. So you get a bit of the outdoors mixed in with some early wild western heritage sites along the way. Definitely was a great way to bring in the 4th of July weekend and will also be attaching with it on our site the photos of the fireworks display from my deck. love Glen Alpine though one of the best kept secrets near Tahoe and although their is quite a few hikers if your like me and love to go primitive your going to find your own slice of heaven here because its such a dense forested area full of rock formations and wilderness that you can disappear before anyone even has a chance to know you were there!
Peace,
Lord Rick
PGS Founder