#3 Desolation was good for us

A few miles before you hit Lake Tahoe in California, there's a really great trailhead in the El Dorado National Forest. We pulled in there after a dinner we ate on the side of mountain road where the noise of engine breaking dulled a tense and unhappy conversation us two lovebirds were having. This particular spot was right on the border of the Desolation Wilderness Area, and we had a feeling it would be special when we were treated to silence and a beautiful moonrise on top of white rocks that had been carved smooth by glaciers.

We woke up early the next morning to get in a hike before it got too hot. We were in good moods but still maybe a bit uptight after our fighting the day before. In between two round white cliffs there was a silver waterfall called Horsetail Falls. We headed for the falls.

A little ways past the line into the Desolation Wilderness, we discovered a deep swimming hole in the cool, cool river. It was only about 9 in the morning, but it was already hot and we were ready to be cleansed physically and mentally. We stripped down and jumped into the water. It was crystal clear - over our heads deep and you could see the rocks in the bottom in detail. The clarity and the cold reminded me of Lake Superior. It was a transcendent experience.

The comedy of this hike: as soon as we were naked a helicopter flew over us 3 times. Just as we got out, we passed a dad and his two daughters. Then we found a pinecone as big as my head.