On August 3, 2023, I wrote that we had been camping at Donner Lake for a few days. That morning I woke up a couple times in my bag sleeping on a tarp beneath the stars but I ended up sleeping until eight in the morning.
After they got out of their tent, I made some mush for the boys and one of the neighbors came by. One of the kids we had been seeing around the site stopped by. It was her last morning at the campgrounds and it was kind of sad because she really liked hanging out with us.
A bit later we packed a small bag and made our way through the campground to service roads granting access to Cold Stream Canyon. Cold Stream is the canyon where the main rail line makes a giant dogleg in its ascent to Donner Pass. My plan was to hike the canyon paths to the rails on the ridge to view the tracks and maybe see some trains as well.
I made sure the boys were hydrated. We saw Split Rock, which turned out to be a glacial erratic. I gave them a short geology lesson about it. At Coldstream Road we saw a Ranger’s truck, but the gates were all locked so I knew the road was probably safe for us to walk on. After a short walk we found a horse trail which headed to the top of the ridge.
To facilitate the 300 foot climb, I told the boys that the person at the front of the line chooses a rest point and everyone passes them. We made it up 10 switchbacks this way. I knew how many there were based on the maps so we counted. While hiking we heard and later saw a cargo train pass out of the Schallenberger Tunnels and go into Truckee. We also saw some rail crews.
While climbing I noted that the forest was generally pretty quiet. I was able to identify Tinker Knob in the distance – a mountain I had climbed the year before. While there were some birds I noticed that there weren’t many more than the occasional vulture or hawk. It was not all that common to see smaller birds and I guessed this was due to the elevation and afternoon temperatures.
When we finally made it to the service road at the top, we rested and had water. The trail we were on climbs over the tracks on the crest above the rail line at the tip of the ridge there because the tracks pass through the Schallenberger Tunnels. When we were done with our rest we headed over to the western portal, which is somewhat visible from the campgrounds hundreds of feet below.
When we got there, the westbound Amtrak Zephyr passed through, which I found very exciting. I took a bunch of photos. We also climbed up to the top of the tunnel to get a better view. After a short rest we returned along the trails from which we came and continued until we were right above the eastern portal. The boys used the binoculars I had gotten them earlier in the year and we witnessed several rail crews rolling along the tracks backhoes and trucks fitted for riding the rails. Finally, after a bit of a wait, we had the great fortune to see the east bound Amtrak Zephyr too!
We descended the ten switchbacks through the forest to Cold Stream Canyon Road and descended to the gravel ponds near i80 then. I took them to Chevron, which was the only store in the area. I got a soda for the boys and then walked over to the museum.
Much later we went swimming in Donner Lake along the lake outlet. I thought it was a bit late to go swimming but I found a nice sunny rock and a bit of enjoyment. In fact I was surprised it was actually warm enough and that the lake temperature was also comfortable.
A short while later we returned to our campsite and had a dinner of ramen and some other items. Eventually the boys crawled into their tent to sleep and once they were squared away, I opened a beer and started writing.
After they got out of their tent, I made some mush for the boys and one of the neighbors came by. One of the kids we had been seeing around the site stopped by. It was her last morning at the campgrounds and it was kind of sad because she really liked hanging out with us.
A bit later we packed a small bag and made our way through the campground to service roads granting access to Cold Stream Canyon. Cold Stream is the canyon where the main rail line makes a giant dogleg in its ascent to Donner Pass. My plan was to hike the canyon paths to the rails on the ridge to view the tracks and maybe see some trains as well.
I made sure the boys were hydrated. We saw Split Rock, which turned out to be a glacial erratic. I gave them a short geology lesson about it. At Coldstream Road we saw a Ranger’s truck, but the gates were all locked so I knew the road was probably safe for us to walk on. After a short walk we found a horse trail which headed to the top of the ridge.
To facilitate the 300 foot climb, I told the boys that the person at the front of the line chooses a rest point and everyone passes them. We made it up 10 switchbacks this way. I knew how many there were based on the maps so we counted. While hiking we heard and later saw a cargo train pass out of the Schallenberger Tunnels and go into Truckee. We also saw some rail crews.
While climbing I noted that the forest was generally pretty quiet. I was able to identify Tinker Knob in the distance – a mountain I had climbed the year before. While there were some birds I noticed that there weren’t many more than the occasional vulture or hawk. It was not all that common to see smaller birds and I guessed this was due to the elevation and afternoon temperatures.
When we finally made it to the service road at the top, we rested and had water. The trail we were on climbs over the tracks on the crest above the rail line at the tip of the ridge there because the tracks pass through the Schallenberger Tunnels. When we were done with our rest we headed over to the western portal, which is somewhat visible from the campgrounds hundreds of feet below.
When we got there, the westbound Amtrak Zephyr passed through, which I found very exciting. I took a bunch of photos. We also climbed up to the top of the tunnel to get a better view. After a short rest we returned along the trails from which we came and continued until we were right above the eastern portal. The boys used the binoculars I had gotten them earlier in the year and we witnessed several rail crews rolling along the tracks backhoes and trucks fitted for riding the rails. Finally, after a bit of a wait, we had the great fortune to see the east bound Amtrak Zephyr too!
We descended the ten switchbacks through the forest to Cold Stream Canyon Road and descended to the gravel ponds near i80 then. I took them to Chevron, which was the only store in the area. I got a soda for the boys and then walked over to the museum.
Much later we went swimming in Donner Lake along the lake outlet. I thought it was a bit late to go swimming but I found a nice sunny rock and a bit of enjoyment. In fact I was surprised it was actually warm enough and that the lake temperature was also comfortable.
A short while later we returned to our campsite and had a dinner of ramen and some other items. Eventually the boys crawled into their tent to sleep and once they were squared away, I opened a beer and started writing.
This is an occasional series chronicling my life. This Notebook Analysis series is meant to be contemporaneous piece developed as an agglomeration of my notebook pages. In each of these posts I used my notes to develop my recent thoughts.
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