
I briefly followed the Lily Lake Trail until a junction with the Tamarack Trail.

Along the overgrown Tamarack Trail.

The Tamarack Trail ascends through the forest before heading up the steep slope seen ahead.

View back, Fallen Leaf Lake seen below, Lake Tahoe behind it on the horizon.

Ascending the Tamarack Trail as it weaves up the slope.

Mount Tallac seen poking out left of center on the opposite side of the basin.

Close-up of Mount Tallac and Fallen Leaf Lake. My descent from Mount Tallac uses Trail 17E06.1 beneath the cliffs seen center.

Ascending the Tamarack Trail.

A nice meadow higher up.

I left the Tamarack Trail in order to reach the Echo Peak Trail. The two trails meet farther on, but I was able to cut off significant mileage by heading through the forest. It was easy hiking, but had some high grasses.

Along the Echo Peak Trail.

Echo Peak seen ahead. The trail becomes less worn once I reached the rim.

Echo Peak summit, view toward Mount Tallac and Lake Tahoe.

Echo Peak summit, view toward Ralston Peak (left) and Pyramid Peak (right).

I descended along the Echo Peak Trail to the junction with the Tamarack Trail.

View back toward Echo Peak (left) and Echo Lake (right) after joining the PCT.

I left the PCT to reach Keiths Dome. It was easy walking to this minor summit, with only some rocky sections.

Keiths Dome summit, Pyramid Peak seen left, Cracked Crag center, Jacks and Dicks Peak top right.

Easy forest walk down from Keiths Dome back to the PCT.

Along the PCT, Lake Margery seen right.

Cracked Crag comes into view ahead.

Class 2 up to a weakness on the east ridge of cracked Crag.

Class 2 up the ridge.

Cracked Crag summit, view southeast. Lake Aloha seen right, Echo Peak far left.

Cracked Crag summit with a view of the basin I am going to traverse. Jack Peak and Dicks Peak left, Mount Tallac (my last summit) far right.

Cracked Crag summit, Jacks Peak and Dicks Peak right of center.

I backtracked and descended from Cracked Crag toward Lake Aloha.

Along the PCT on Lake Aloha's north side.


The PCT weaves around the lakeside.

View back along the PCT, Lake Aloha on the right.

Pyramid Peak and Mount Price seen ahead.

Jacks Peak seen ahead, my next summit.

Lake Aloha.

Approaching a junction with the Rubicon Trail. Keep right to stay on the PCT.

Short descent along the PCT.

I left the PCT to head up the slope above in order to reach Jacks Peak.

View back toward Lake Aloha as I head up the slope, Cracked Crag on the left.

Class 2 talus as I continue up to a weakness above.

Another shot back, Heather Lake seen center below.

Wider shot as I reach the weakness at the top of the slope.

Past the weakness, I continued on Class 2 terrain toward Jacks Peak.

Jacks Peak on the left. I kept right of center to gain its east ridge.

Along Jacks Peak's east ridge to gain the summit.

Almost on Jacks Peak, view back. Echo Peak seen left, Lake Aloha right.

Jacks Peak summit, view northwest.

Jacks Peak, view toward Dicks Peak (left), Mount Tallac (right), and Half Moon Lake below.

Traverse to Dicks Peak.

Some Class 3 along the traverse.

View back toward Jacks Peak as I ascend Dicks Peak.

Class 2/3 up to Dicks Peak.

Dicks Peak summit, view back toward Jacks Peak.

Dicks Peak summit, view northwest.

Jacks Peak summit, view toward Mount Tallac, Lake Tahoe on the left.

Class 2/2+ on loose terrain descending from Dicks Peak.

View back up at the loose, steep nonsense.

View back toward Dicks Peak (right) and Jacks Peak (left) after I joined the PCT.

I only followed the PCT a short time until leaving it to ascend the easy, grassy slope seen ahead to gain Peak 9579.

Summit of Peak 9579, view north toward Lake Tahoe.

Peak 9579 view toward Mount Tallac and the last of my traverse to come.

Descending from Peak 9579.

View back toward Peak 9579 (right) and Dicks Peak (left).

Class 2 traverse to Peak 9376, seen center.

Peak 9376 summit.

Peak 9376 was just a minor nubbin, onward to the saddle with Mount Tallac, seen left of center.

Mount Tallac ahead.

I joined the Mount Tallac Trail.

View down toward Gilmore Lake on my way up the Mount Tallac Trail.

Junction with the Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail, which I'll return to for my descent.

Almost to the summit of Mount Tallac.

View back along the Mount Tallac Trail.

Mount Tallac summit, view toward the basin I traversed around.

Close-up toward Jacks Peak and Dicks Peak.

Maggies Peak in the center, Lake Tahoe on the right.

Descending the Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail.

The Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail is less traveled than other routes up to Mount Tallac, but it has this gorgeous meadow.

Descending along the Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail.

Steep descending along the base of a cliff.

View back along the Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail.

Floating Island/Mount Tallac Trail descends back to Lily Lake, seen center.
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