Donner Peak hike

Our second hike near Truckee was an attempt at the Mt. Judah loop trail above Donner Lake. The most impressive views were from the top of Donner Peak just below Mt. Judah. Continuing on, we somehow missed a fork in the trail and ended up on a slightly lower trail, where slippery snow pack on the ridge forced us to turn around. Oh well. Lots of beautiful wildflowers on this hike too, though nothing like the fields of flowers on Castle Peak.

Obligatory floating rock photo:

Top of Donner Peak:

E found a geocaching box.

It was filled with assorted notes from folks who had found it, including a Polaroid snapshot from the day before:

E was fascinated by the chipmunks in California. This one was fascinated by him too.

Donner Lake from Donner Peak:

Why, what's that wee spike atop Donner Peak? O noble chipmunk!

 
Harsh environment, but this tree set down roots:

Bright green lichens on tall tall trees:

A view of Donner Peak and Donner Lake from a ridge below Mt. Judah:

After we got home, we steamed diminutive artichokes from the Truckee Farmers' Market. I accidentally learned that if you microwave 6 tablespoons of butter for 2 minutes instead of 20 seconds, the milk solids become toasty without turning brown, which in turn makes for the best lemon butter ever. Nom nom.