Outdoors with Don Q: Enjoy a summer day at cooler high altitudes

Now that we are at that time of the year that I hate (daytime temperatures near, at or over 100 degrees), my thoughts drift off to hiking and fishing for trout at higher altitudes where it is cooler than here in Carson City.
When our local summer temperatures are over 80 degrees, it is miserably hot – hot – hot for this poor, sweltering soul.

I am a winter person, not a summer person. I do not like hot weather! I come alive with frost, ice, cold and snow! That's my kind of weather! I could never live places like Las Vegas, Phoenix, Indio, Calif.,, El Paso Texas, etc., etc. No way!

Thank Goodness for me and others like me, we can temporarily escape that gosh-awful summer heat by finding coolness, scenery, hiking and trout fishing at the higher elevations of our Sierra Nevada Mountains.
One of those high altitude locations is nearby and it is a special place that I have visited many, many times through the years.
That special place is Winnemucca Lake in the Mokelumne Wilderness Area in the State of California.
If you would like to travel there, I've got all kinds of information to share with you. So here goes:

Carson City to Kit Carson Pass:
Drive south from Carson City for 43 miles on a combination of U.S. 395, Nevada S.R. 88 and California S.R. 88 to the top of Kit Carson Pass.
At the Pass, you will have to pay a modest parking fee to park in the U.S. Forest Service parking area.
From there, you will be hiking on a well-defined trail that will lead you to Winnemucca Lake, which is about a two-mile hike from that parking area.

What to take with you:
Take a daypack filled with a picnic lunch, water bottles or your favorite drinks, sunglasses, sun screen, hat, lots of mosquito repellent, camera, fishing gear, and a light windbreaker (in case of any afternoon showers).

A special “Don Q” hint:
You’ll be walking at high altitude (8,500-9,000 feet), so if you are not accustomed to that type of elevation, remember to take it slow and easy with lots of rest stops, so you can catch your breath.
Taking numerous photos of the surrounding, spectacular mountain scenery is a great excuse for stopping. Heck, I do it and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
After hiking for about a mile, you will see aptly-named Elephant Back Mountain directly in front of you and little Frog Lake on your left.

Frog Lake:
If you’re a fisherman, this small lake is very deceptive looking; in the past, Elaine and I have caught rainbow trout up to 18 inches in length.
Our favorite fishing location is on the opposite side from the trail, where the trees come down to the edge of the water.
When fishing here, try casting small, red-white lures with a slow retrieve.
This little lake, unlike nearby Winnemucca Lake, does not get hammered when the afternoon winds come up.
As a bonus, if you're a photographer, walk to the top of the low ridge on the back side of the lake to get photos of Red Lake, down below.

Trail Junction:
When you continue hiking toward Winnemucca Lake, you will come to a signed trail junction.
The left hand trail goes to Ebbetts Pass. Don’t take that trail or it’s going to be a long walk (22 miles one-way!)
The right hand trail takes you to the lake (1 mile). That's the way to go!
As you continue to hike on the Winnemucca Lake trail, you will be able to see and photograph Caples Lake, far below on the right.

Wildflowers:
Continue hiking on the trail until you reach an area of wildflowers.
They are located in a large meadow area (about 400-600 yards before reaching Winnemucca Lake) that slopes down from Elephant Back.
That meadow normally contains one of the Sierra Nevada Mountains most spectacular displays of wildflowers and is widely noted for that display, when the flowers are in full bloom. However, due to our ongoing drought, this year those flowers are not up to their normal spectacular displays.
Be advised that there will be many wildflower lovers in this area.
On a weekend day, I guarantee that you will not be alone. Not at all!
When done photographing the flowers, continue on to Winnemucca Lake.

Winnemucca Lake:
It is a large, high-altitude, super-deep, ice-cold, trout-filled lake that lies at the base of Round Top Mountain (elevation 10,364 feet), the highest point in the Mokelumne Wilderness Area.

Trout fishing:
The lake contains good populations of Eastern Brook Trout (up to 13-14 inches) and Kamloop Trout (up to 17-18 inches).

When you catch a fish, you will know what kind of fish it is by the way it acts: A Brook Trout will fight you deep, while a Kamloop Trout will repeatedly leap out of the water.
If you plan to fish, you would be wise to carry in a float tube or an inflatable raft, as shore fishing is normally poor to bad.

If you fish from shore and get "Skunked," don't say that you weren't warned!
I've found that the best fishing is from a float tube or inflatable raft on the back side of the lake, between the small islands and the shore.
In that area I fish from my inflatable raft and like to troll with small, silver-colored flasher blades with either a small red/white lure or a nightcrawler.

You should plan to fish early in the morning, because when the wind comes up (almost every day at mid-day), it can become very fierce and you will be blown off the lake for the rest of the day.

Finally:
What better way to spend a day away from the heat of our valley floors: Enjoying great scenery, wildflowers, trout fishing, picnic lunch, etc. Why not give it a try this weekend?

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you what lake lies just beyond Winnemucca Lake.
If he grins and says, " If you continue on the hiking trail, past the stream that comes out of the lake, and hike up that steep ridge, you will come to Round Top Lake," he knows this area very well.
Note:
As a special bonus, when you are near the top of the ridge, you can see Lake Tahoe in the far distance.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.

Photos: For Thursday, July 10

Photo No. 01:
A sign at the boundary of the wilderness area.
Photo by Don Quilici

Photo No. 02:
Frog Lake with Elephant Back in the background.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 03:
Looking down on Red Lake from Frog Lake.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 04:
Trail junction to Ebbetts Pass or Winnemucca Lake.
Photo by Don Quilici

Photo No. 05:
Caples Lake from the Winnemucca Lake Trail.
Photo by Don Quilici

Photo No. 06:
Spreading Phlox.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 07:
Wild Iris.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 08:
The flower of a Mule Ear Plant.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 09:
A cluster of Mule Ear Plants.
Photo by Elaine Quilici

Photo No. 10:
Winnemucca Lake, several years ago on July 4.
Photo by Don Quilici