The Nipple - September 2018

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Celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary

Some things in life just seem to fit. We have no interest in what many people may think of as appropriate or special ways to celebrate a milestone wedding anniversary - a cruise, fly to Hawaii, visit Paris. We are happy in our little piece of the West and most content in the way we live our lives. So when the idea popped into our heads to climb The Nipple for our anniversary and take our friend Cathy the Trailer Woman with us, it fit like a glove.

The women organized the trip. The Lady wanted Cathy to get experience with dispersed camping - camping outside of established campgrounds - so she suggested finding a spot along the West Fork Carson River accessed via Blue Lakes Road south from Hope Valley.  We left Saturday morning and were looking for a spot by noon. The area is heavily used and is known for large RV camps. We found a nice spot along the river and settled in. Julie would not let Cathy remain hitched to the trailer. "We both need to practice all these chores!" she announced and the two women practiced the skills for camping with a trailer.

Snacks, chatting, telling stories, afternoon coffee, and several long walks made for a pleasant Saturday afternoon and evening.

We used Cathy's truck Sunday morning and drove a few miles south to intersect the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). We hiked the PCT north right along the interface between the classic Sierra Nevada granite below and the volcanics above.

The Lady loves to have her maps along and included Cathy in on the art of staying found.

We moved through an area of intriguing granite.

As we climbed, we left the granite behind and were entirely in the land of old volcanoes.

The Lady always puts her see mores to work.

Volcanics overriding granite stretched out to the southeast.

The peak that many people mistake for The Nipple is Jeff Davis Peak, named by southern sympathizers during the Civil War. The real Nipple is not quite so prominent and more realistic.  

The PCT climbs around The Nipple as it heads north toward Carson Pass. The Lady started looking for a way to the top and then led the way up.

The buddies enjoyed spending the day together.

The wind was strong over the ridge, gusting as high as 50 mph. The girls had to work to stand at one of the notches.

We traversed the windward side of the ridge until it was necessary to climb up a steep ramp through a gap. There was exposure with the cliffs on the east side.

Especially with fighting the wind to stay upright and not getting blown off the ridge, Cathy's tinges with fear of heights and exposure took over. She would stay put. This was far enough for her. I also suspect she also wanted to be polite and allow the Lady and me a little alone time on The Nipple.

It was a short steep climb up to the base of The Nipple.

A short scramble took us to the very top. The wind was wicked. There was no way to stand or do a summit photo of the two of us. The Lady hunkered down and signed the summit register.

I took a few quick photos from the top of The Nipple.

I stitched several together as a panorama.

The lakes are the Lost Lakes, the headwaters of the West Fork Carson River. If you are familiar with Carson Pass and the South Lake Tahoe area, many of the prominent peaks are visible - Round Top, Elephants Back, Red Lake Peak, Stevens Peak, Waterhouse Peak, Freel Peak.

We climbed down off The Nipple and I tried a windblown photo of the Lady.

We found Cathy the Trailer Woman safe in her little niche out of the relentless wind. We all enjoyed a long break for lunch and water. It was time to make our way back down, returning south.

The aspens near the trailhead were already at their peak of Fall color.

Most all the other camps had cleared out, as this was Sunday. The area had quieted making for a very nice evening. The wind was not bad at camp at all.

We woke Monday morning, the actual date of our anniversary. I went to work and made blueberry pancakes for all of us. Julie made the Peets Coffee, and Cathy fried the eggs. We took our time returning home, stopping a few times to take in the Fall colors.

It was an excellent way to celebrate our anniversary. Getting to the top of The Nipple is highly recommended.