Backpacking
Meiss Meadow

Maps INDEX

On the page below we're continuing South along the unified Tahoe to Yosemite and Pacific Crest Trails route from the Meiss Meadow trail junction.

The main trails trisecting the Meiss Country Roadless Area all met at the Meiss Meadow trail junction.

The trail beginning 5.51 miles to our North out of the South Upper Truckee Trailhead ends at the Meiss Cabin junction. The combined routes of the TYT and PCT track 9.09 miles South from the Echo Summit Trailhead to Meiss Cabin and continue for 2.91 miles further South from Meiss Cabin to Carson Pass.

These are the three main trails covering the triangular reach of the Meiss Country Roadless Area from the three main trailheads feeding Meiss Country. They all converge at the Meiss Cabin trail junction. Meiss Cabin marks the center and heart of the Meiss Country Roadless Area, and the key trail junction leading to all its parts.

MAP
Meiss Roadless Area Map
click red dots

South and Out of the Tahoe Basin
South of the Meiss Meadow junction we'll ford the main branch of the mostly tiny, but sometimes surging in Spring, upper run of the South Upper Truckee River as our trail bends South across Meiss Meadow. We're hiking across the meadow to the interface between meadow and the base of the line of mountains running along the Southeast perimeter of Meiss Meadow.

We hike South across Meiss Meadow past the cabin, barn, then bend South to ford and cross Meiss Meadow to the shade under the forest fringe along the base of the South-westernmost line of mountains, approaching the point where they're pinching-in to form the very Southern end of the Tahoe Basin.

There's some nice campsites along this stretch of trail under the forest, once we cross Meiss Meadow, and it's here where we find our exit from the Tahoe Basin.

The end of this forest fringe marks the point where we make our final little ford of the South Upper Truckee and turn almost directly South following alongside and above the South Upper Truckee's uppermost reach, climbing steadily alongside the massive channel it has cut into the South end of the Tahoe Basin.

The upper reaches of the South Upper Truckee cutting through the terrain is the basis of our route up to the Carson Gap. The Carson Gap in the Tahoe Rim is the final gift the erosion at the very top of the South Upper Truckee's reach carved into the South end of the Tahoe Basin.

The line of the upper reaches the South Upper Truckee River carved both the Carson Gap we pass out of the Tahoe Basin through, and the line of the route we followed up to the gap from Meiss Meadow.
It's the South Upper Truckee that's provided the gentle route getting us out the South end of the Tahoe Basin.

Meiss Meadow Trail Junction
1.52 miles South to the Carson Gap,
2.91 total miles South to Carson Pass.

Looking North across the South end of Meiss Meadow.
On the far Left, the West side of the image, we can see the tops of the volcanic formations that make up the Southernmost formation of the ancient volcanic cliffs above Round Lake. On the Right side of that same massif, its Eastern side, we can see the red rocky almost rounded crest of Stevens Peak, which is partially obscured behind an intervening ridge arm.

Compass and Trail
By the "South" end of Meiss Meadow I mean by the direction of the Pacific Crest and Tahoe to Yosemite Trails. Meiss Meadow is in fact laid out from West to East as we cross it on the PCT and TYT trails from Northwest to Southeast,.

The furthest Northern end of Meiss Meadow by location of the PCT-TYT is actually the Northwestern end of Meiss Meadow, while the Southern end of Meiss Meadow by trail direction is its furthest Southeastern extent. I hate to be confusing like this, but many times we find that our trail South runs as much to the East and West as it does to the North and South.
The trail is laid out to follow the best route through the terrain towards its ultimate direction. That means that we often get temporarily offset from our general direction of travel. No problem. I always keep my attention on these anomalies between trail direction and compass points.

I'll always refer to trail direction first, then correct, modify, and distill that frame of reference with the compass. The best thing we can do is to keep an eye on the relevant associated large and small scale maps as we follow the trail guide South down the Sierra Crest. Our goal is to get, and stay as oriented to the route of the trail through the terrain as possible.

I refer to direction first in relationship to the direction of the trails, then refine this orientation with compass points. For instance,
"Here in Meiss Meadow the Southbound trail runs Southeast until it almost turns true South to climb out of the Tahoe Basin through the Carson Gap."

Maps

Behind us in the image above is the ravine South up to the Carson Gap.

MAP
Meiss Roadless Area
click red dots

Miles and Elevations
Echo Summit
to
Carson Pass

Springtimes in the High Sierra:
Faces of Meiss Meadow

Video
Out of the Tahoe Basin

Views
North

Winter

Fall

South
out of the
Lake Tahoe Basin

All Weather
and
Fire Information

All High Sierra Weather Resources

Comprehensive High Sierra Fire and Smoke Information

Weather and Road Information

Below find the closest Ground Stations, Point and Regional Forecasts near Meiss Meadow.

We're between Echo Summit and Carson Pass, though closer to Carson Pass while still within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Satellite and Radar Imagery provides Long Range and Regional overviews.

Meiss Meadow

Add to the Guide
All backpackers can post text comments about the following section of trail through the comments links on all the trail guide pages. The area each page covers has its own Forum/comments areas.
Registered Members can post up stand alone articles, notes, thoughts about the trail with text, images, maps and videos in the Trails Forum that supplements this section of the trail Guide, or any segment along the trail.

Check out all the Tahoe to Whitney .org
Backpacking Trails and Topics Forums.

Tell us what you see.

comments

The unseen mountain with its Southwestern flank descending into the frame of the image from it far Left side is the Southwest flank of Red Lake Peak.
The Southwestern flank of Red Lake Peak is sloping down to the low point along the ridge on the center-Right of the image, which is the Carson Gap. The Carson Gap itself is obscured behind the forest on the ridge descending Left into the image from the Tahoe Rim Mountains on the Northwest side of the Carson Gap.

We'll hike through the lowest point on that ridgeline, the Carson Gap, which is our Southbound exit from the Tahoe Basin.

We are located in Meiss Meadow, just South of the Meiss Cabin looking South down the trail and Southeast by the compass.

June 2009.

The trail across Meiss Meadow crossing the South Upper Truckee River in the middle of the meadow, after Spring Thaw, but before the Spring Bloom has begun in earnest.

Note that the new green grasses are just beginning to break through the dead mat of last year's crop.

We'll cross the South Upper Truckee one more time after this where we cross the bottom of the ravine flowing down from the Carson Gap. That last crossing point is located ahead of us near where the wedge of forest on the ridge descending from the Right side of the image tapers off into the edge of the meadow.
We're going to get up on the East side of the South Upper Truckee River, its far side, to follow its Eastern bank up to the Carson Gap.

There are some nice campsites ahead, located where we can see the trail ahead leading us into the edge of the forest. These sites are fairly busy. There is another campsite beyond, located near the final ford over the South Upper Truckee at the bottom of the gully up to the Carson Gap.

To find that campsite we'll look our Southwest, to our Right, when we come to the next ford. The campsite is nestled in the edge of the forest above the ford at the bottom of the gully up to the Carson Gap.

comments

Though this is mild runoff because we are high up and late in Spring, Spring runoff can present many difficulties and serious dangers.

Trails are running with water like creeks while the creeks that are normally very easy to cross during Summer are raging like rivers during the height of the Spring thaw.

Well, they are if we ever get any snow in the mountains during Winter.

In any case, be very careful!

top of page

Quick frozen South Upper Truckee River

It had ripples on its frozen surface.

I am standing on the same part of the South Upper Truckee River during late-Fall as pictured by the two images above.

Though the river will be hard frozen through Winter, we only get to see its frozen state for a short period of time between being frozen solid and being buried by Winter snow.

Check out Wolf Creek flowing as slush during Fall.

This happens whenever the temps drop into the low-twenties and high teens where there is enough moisture in the soil for capillary action to begin forming, growing really, ice crystals. At least I think it a capillary-type movement of freezing water that grows the ice crystals.

Nonetheless, this type of crystal formation clears trails of all tracks. Thus knowing the history of recent temps along the trail is important for determining the age of tracks on that trail. After the ice crystals melt a "ruffled" trail surface remains, devoid of tracks.

The ruffled soil is crunchy under the boot.

Other factors that identify the age of tracks are their location in the terrain and exposure to winds, which means observing the recent history of winds is important. The type of terrain, its ability to hold tracks, and its moisture level are important, as is the recent history of dew falls.

All of these factors influence the aging of tracks, and the tracks in each location age differently depending on these environmental and terrain factors.

Pick a set of tracks and observe how they change as they pass through different environments and terrains.

Everything provides Information.

cold effects

top of page

Trails are routed around the edge of fragile meadows when possible. Avoiding crossing Meiss Meadow is not possible.

comments

2010 started dry but Spring Snows saved the season.

Note the great difference between conditions during June of 2009 and 2010 in the two pictures above.

2011 had deep snow through Summer across the Sierra Crest, while the Winter of 2012-2013 had almost no snow, while the Winter of 2013-14 brought virtually no snow at all to the High Sierra.

Times are a changing, and changing fast.

It seems like just yesterday when the prevailing winds on the West Coast of the US started changing out of their ancient patterns of the times of year and the directions they blew.

Now, less than 20 years later, completely new prevailing seasonal winds patters blow, and the seasonal cycle of the progression of the seasons is fundamentally disturbed, and changing faster each year.

I am glad I'm old!

For those of you who are young, I suggest seeing the tattered remnants of our ancient ecosystem while you still can, before everything has changed.

You don't have much time, so do it now.

top of page

View North-Northeast towards Round Lake and Big Meadow across shattered snowbanks collapsing onto Meiss Meadow.

The Round Lake Pinnacle and its surrounding red rock formations are hidden behind the stand of trees in the middle of the image.

comments

top of page

Previously collapsed snowbanks melting back off of Meiss Meadow, retreating towards the shade under the forest along the edge of the Tahoe Rim.

The shrinking tops of these snowbanks provided a fine passage around the mushy quagmire of the recently exposed Meiss Meadow.

This Guide

is set up so that you can add your perspective & experiences here to broaden and add perspective to the trail guide view of Meiss Meadow.

This guide incorporates backpacker input. Yours.

Check and you will see that a Forum page is linked to every trail guide page. Here you will find supplemental information about the covered location, and the forums were specifically designed so backpackers can add trail information.

Or trail culture information, or images of the living things, as well as notes on the trails, campsites, and best practices and gear.

The fact is that my perspective alone is insufficient to describe this grand terrain or the range of experiences it can create.
It's way too big. Thus your perspective adds another valuable dimension to this multi-faceted experience.

Questions, comments, and additions
always welcome.

General
Backpacker's Forum Home Page

Topics
Backpacker's Forum

This Location's Forum
Meiss Cabin to Carson Gap

top of page

Summer Green

The view North while approaching the South end of Meiss Meadow during mid-July.

Verdant Greens dominate the landscape.

This is the view North, looking in the direction of Round Lake and Lake Tahoe beyond from ground level in Meiss Meadow.

This is looking towards the Center Winter Route North down to Round Lake, and then on down to Meyers, and out of the mountains ringing the South end of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Check out the trail guide hiking South from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow for a description of the three Winter routes one can craft between Round Lake and Meiss Meadow.

comments

top of page

The View North, again, but from a a little higher up above the forest than the preceding picture.

Round Lake sits below, and a bit North, of the volcanic cliff dropping off the mountain behind the trees.

Round Lake is situated on the far East side of Christmas Valley about four miles above the trailhead at the end of South Upper Truckee Road.

top of page

Looking Northeast across Meiss Meadow towards Round Lake and Big Meadow.

top of page

The above perspective is looking back to the North as we turn South to hike out of the Lake Tahoe Basin via the Carson Gap on our way to Highway 88 and the Carson Pass.

Stevens Peak is the high peak on the far Right of the image, partially obscured by a ridge arm dropping off the West flank of the ridge between Red Lake and Stevens Peaks.

comments

top of page

This same mountain, but looking more towards the Northeast at where its Southern flank defines the North end of Meiss Meadow.

This is the view North as we climbed South up to the Carson Gap from Round Lake out of the South Upper Truckee Trailhead during 2001.

Below is March 2010 over the same route.

comments

top of page

Round Lake Rock from Meadow below Meiss Meadow

Round Lake to Meiss Meadow during Winter
The key to this Eastern route up to Meiss Meadow, and all the Winter routes up from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow is getting to the most Southeastern point of the two linked meadow running South from the Southeastern corner Round Lake.
The detailed 15 minute hiking map clearly shows these meadows running South from the Southeast shore of Round Lake.

Once we get to the Southernmost end of those two meadow above Round Lake we've got clear shots at finding routes to the Southeast corner of Meiss Meadow, directly South to Meiss Cabin, or Southwest to the North shore of Meiss Lake.

Above it looks like we're in the third meadow above Round Lake, which is also the third meadow below Meiss Meadow, if you count Meiss Meadow. This is what I refer to as the "Eastern" route up to Meiss Meadow.

This meadow above terminates in a forested climb over to the second meadow below Meiss Meadow. We'll find the Eastern end of the second meadow, then find an easy passage into the East side of Meiss Meadow.

If my route-finding skills are "on" we'll find a fairly easy path from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow during deep snow conditions. This will become more difficult if my route finding skills are not so good.

comments

top of page

Once we get over most of the climb up from Round Lake and are just reaching the Northeast edge of the second meadow below Meiss Meadow we get some great views of Red Lake Peak.

The volcanic formations topping Red Lake Peak are moderated, made more gentle, yet even more inaccessible and impressive looking by snow.

Red Lake Peak's subordinate Southern Peak is over on the far distant Right of the image.

Our path out of the Lake Tahoe Basin is through the low gap in the Tahoe Rim Mountains just out of sight behind the forest to the Right of the Western flank of Red Lake Peak's low subordinate peak.

That's our exit from the Tahoe Basin, and that's where we're going.

The forest has already dropped into twilight shadow, making the last light on the mountains appear brighter. Snow on the trees remains from last night's mild snow storm, but tonight the clear skies will bring even colder temperatures.

We're on our way up the Eastern route from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow, and reaching Meiss Meadow still requires we execute a bit of navigation through the complexities of the snow covered meadow above, and further South over a densely forested low rise beyond.

Tomorrow. The arrival of local sunset demands we start looking about for a delightful place to camp where we can both be sheltered, watch the sunset on Stevens Peak, and have a clear view of the brilliant stars that are going to appear in the frozen Winter skies.

comments

Winter View to the Southwest from my campsite just below the North side of Meiss Meadow. I'm in the first meadow below Meiss Meadow.

We are looking at the top of the part of the Sierra Nevada Range running Northwest to Southeast that makes up the Western edge of the Tahoe Rim, above the North end of Meiss Meadow.

Little Round Top, rising above Showers Lake, sits on the far right of the image.

We've just got to get through those trees to arrive in Meiss Meadow proper.

Snow in the trees remains from last night's snowfall. 2007.

This was a sweet campsite.

top of page

Rent is Free, but yet Costly.

First, we've got the get here. Snow travel is very hard work.

Second, we've got to maintains basic physical comfort. Winter gear is heavy.

Third, if we've got the first two factors under control,

We've a Great Seat to view the Winter Wonderland!

Backpack backrest with pad for seat, within reach of all necessaries. Stove, food, hot drink all arrayed around my seat. Note food hung off of tree branch to deter varmints, though bears are not a problem...

I can always imagine a coyote sneaking up, grabbing one of my food bags, and running off. Hanging my food up a bit will give me the time to disrupt any such nefarious plans.

Pity the coyote I find hanging off my food bags!

comments

Missile Noses

It must have been two or three in the morning when I woke in my tent. Though it was very cold, the cold did not wake me. Then I heard it again.

It was a sound of snow being run across, "fvvt, fvvt, fvvt." I could hear the footsteps increasing in tempo and speed, reaching a crescendo of speed and volume, "FVVT, FVVT, FVVT," then, a loud "Sssschict,!" as something plunged into the snow with force.

Sigh. I was cozy, warm and snug at twoish in the AM during a freeking mid-Winter night, but this activity required some investigation and observation. But, I had to be very quiet. Whatever was screwing around outside in the greater meadow would be alarmed by the zipper-sounds of me undoing the sleeping bag and opening up the tent, let alone the sight of me sticking my fat head out of the tent.

I got the sleeping bag and tent quietly unzipped, the sleeping bag just enough to get up on one shoulder, and the tent just enough so I could push my head through the unzipped section. Hey, it was cold!

I was amazed by what I saw. A coyote was trotting from place to place with its nose down and sniffing along the sparkling snowy surface of the meadow in the bright moonlight. It would briefly stop, sniff intensely, then move quickly along some unseen line to the next stopping point, when it broke out in a run.

It's legs made the "Fvvt, fvvt, fvvt" sound as it ran across the snow-covered meadow, suddenly quickening its pace, the sound of its paws breaking through the snow increased, "FVVT, FVVT, FVVT," then a second of silence as it leapt in the air and guided its nose like a cruise missile down, down at an unseen target beneath the deep snow.

The coyote head hit the snow hard and fast: "Sssschict!"

Now I knew what the sounds were that woke me.

I watched the coyote unsuccessfully hunt the hidden hares living in their snow lairs beneath the frozen meadow for as long as I could stand the cold, then zipped the tent and bag back up, curled up snugly within my bag, and had pleasant dreams about wily coyotes and very smart rabbits.

I found no rabit debris anywhere in the meadow when I woke again in the moring, so I figure the coyote's hunting had been unsuccessful.

Winter temperatures in the Sierras have risen, and snowfall has declined during the last 20 years. 2007. The rock past the brush landmarks the entry into my Eastern route down from Meiss Meadow to Round Lake.

top of page

Hey Kids!
Coming Southbound out of the maze between Round Lake and Meiss Meadow in 2007.

I followed my "East" route up, being a route that turns to the East side of the buried trail to find a channel through the series of hills dividing the two meadow formations that sit between us and the top of our climb up from Round Lake to Meiss Meadow.

Though only a couple of miles in length, the terrain between Round Lake and Meiss Meadow is a joy to navigate in Winter conditions.

This is some of the most exciting, satisfying, and profound fun you can have with lots and lots of clothes on... haha...

During early 2011 I took a real beating here when stomach problems made eating and drinking difficult. I forced myself to minimal levels of consumption, but I was weak, tired, and cold. Proper nutrition during Winter trips is vital, and I suffered from its absence.

comments

top of page

The brush that should be covered with the ten feet of snow that is missing from most recent Winters. 2007.

2014 update: Now we're missing twenty feet of snow!

The little climb South up the gully to the Carson Gap from the end of Meiss Meadow.

comments

Another layer went on after this picture was taken.

2002.

The Bottom Line

I pack a 65 lb+ backpack during Winter Travels.

Snowshoes, possibly crampons and ice axe, and certainly the ski poles add weight, but the weight of extra layers of insulation, and the heavy weight shell all put extra pounds into the pack.

The food supply evens gets heavier, as the cold and heavy work increases calorie consumption.

The heavy weight of the gear and difficult conditions create a heavy workload on the body, which creates great amounts of heat. Thus it is important to be wearing just the right amount of insulation to balance the cold external temperatures against the internal heat generated by travel. This makes for a brutal transition every morning.

We're going to start the day's hiking wearing what we think will be the proper level of insulation to prevent us from either overheating or freezing. This means we start cold.

The hard part of this transition from camp to trail starts with us removing our overnight-camp layers of insulation to begin the day's hiking cold in our travel layers. As soon as we remove the camp layers we've got to get up to operating temperature as quickly as possible.

This transition from camp to trail can be brutal. I look forward to it every morning.

Dropping three thick lower layers and down booties before beginning the hiking day.

The picture on the upper Right is what I look like after about 45 minutes of heavy hiking in 28 degree temps, in light layering. My daily calculation of insulation had anticipated early clearing of overcast and an 8 to 10 degree rise in temperatures with the appearance of the Sun, which was not happening on my schedule.
Well, no problem, and I kept up in my stubbornly thin layer until just after I took the picture above, which marked the point I added the long poly to the mix, bringing my total layering during cold operations to two thin poly layers, which is my Winter base layer for normal trips.

I could feel my skin trying to make itself thicker as the penetrating cold chilled out my arms to the point I could feel the temperature differences between my arm bones and the muscles attached to them. That's when I snapped the picture and slipped into the second layer.

When we have wind, snow, or other chilling factors, we enhance the layering. When the sun comes out and the snow starts acting as a reflector oven, we withdraw layers.

We're always chasing the perfect layering.

comments

Four-Season Gear List

Heading to Round Top Lake on the South side of Highway 88 under the shadow of Round Top and the Sisters.

Note the snow shoes lashed on the pack below the pad. It's time to pull them off for the hike up to the Carson Gap.

top of page

Backpacking Trail Guide

North

Meiss Cabin 

Backpacking Trail Guide

South

Carson Gap