Donner Pass

Day 48:  On Paul’s birthday, we started at Donner Pass and hiked a short section of the Pacific Crest Trail and a side loop over Donner Peak (a granite crag) and Mount Judah (volcanic pyroclastic rock).  The trail climbs quickly by gentle grades to excellent views, passing through groves of big Douglas fir trees and patches of alpine wildflowers.

Paul hiking the PCT on his birthday
Paul hiking the PCT on his birthday
Donner Lake viewed from Donner Peak
Donner Lake viewed from Donner Peak
golden-mantled ground squirrel on Donner Peak
golden-mantled ground squirrel on Donner Peak

Driving back to the campground, we paused at overlooks on Donner Pass Road, where it descends to Donner Lake, to read the historical signs and admire the accomplishments of constructing transportation routes through this rugged pass through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  An emigrant wagon trail in the early 1840s, the first transcontinental railway route in the late 1860s, and the first transcontinental auto road in the early 1910s all threaded through Donner Pass.  Sections of the original train and auto routes through the pass have since been replaced by gentler grades, but the original railroad grades and tunnels and the original auto roadway are still there and can be explored on foot.  There are also some Native American petroglyphs visible in one area of the pass.

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