Elephants Back

DATE: Sunday, May 9, 2021
DISTANCE: 4.83km / 3 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 331m / 1087'
TIME TAKEN: 3:00
SUMMIT: Elephant's Back 2921m / 9585'

ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
MOKELUMNE WILDERNESS
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
ALPINE COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Bison: Stressed Elephant

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP









It was Mother's Day, and neither me nor my little brothers had a functional vehicle, but we though it would be prudent to go visit our mother for her titular holiday, so I rented a tank-like, new style Toyota 4-Runner, and off we went to Jackson, CA. We had a fine Mother's Day dinner that night, but we also used the afternoon to try out the snow shoes we had all gotten for Christmas. For some reason, we had never gotten the chance to use them until now, and the winter's snow was going fast. We went to old familiar territory, Carson Pass, with the moderate goal in mind of Elephant's Back. Short, easy. To use the most direct path, we had to take the snowshoes on and off a few times, but they were mostly useful, and we got a good feel for them. 

The shoes stayed off for the rocky slope of Elephants Back, where a faint use trail presented it's self and took us to the top, where we enjoyed panoramic views of Round Top, Red Lake Peak in the distance. An Anchor Porter bottle was passed around, a funeral rite for the classic old label design which was to soon become extinct (What's this about? Click HERE.). We then descended the way we had come up, mostly, Zuma the dog enjoying the snow as usual. Then, after returning to the 4-Runner, it was the familiar cruise down Highway 88, back to Jackson for a nice dinner with Mom.

FURTHER READING
• Elephants Back at SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• "Visit Lake Tahoe" profiles Elephants Back