So, this week my son and I climbed up to Horsetail Falls in the Desolation wilderness. Though the altitude is a bit high, at around 7000 feet on the rim of lake Tahoe, it was much easier than last week. In the spring the falls are gorged with snow-melt and the result is 300 feet of fierce whitewater. Though it was 98 degrees in the valley it seemed like a pleasant 78 near the falls. This hike is a must for anyone within striking distance. It is ridiculously beautiful. Along the way you have views of other seasonal falls while you watch Lover's Leap fall behind you.
The only complications are that much of the trail involved hopping boulder to boulder, so a strained or broken ankle is a real possibility, and the fact that a substantial amount of the 'trail' has to be intuited/ made up. At one point my son asked if we were lost and I answer that it was impossible since we had a mountain on our left, the river on our right, and were still going up hill. That's all the 'trail info' there is for a good portion.
Bring a change of socks and maybe shoes as there are many small creeks (actually seasonal runnels) that have to be crossed and it is nearly impossible to stay dry. It is well worth the climb and make sure to bring a lot of water. We went through 3 liters very quickly and drank a total of 5.
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