Tahoe panorama - large

From left, Mt. Tallac, Cathedral Peak, Lake Tahoe, and the slopes of Angora Peak, as seen from eastern Keiths Dome. Would you believe this is still scaled down over 50% from the camera's original resolution?

Tahoe panorama - medium

From left, Mt. Tallac, Cathedral Peak, Lake Tahoe, and the slopes of Angora Peak, as seen from eastern Keiths Dome.

Tahoe panorama - small

From left, Mt. Tallac, Cathedral Peak, Lake Tahoe, and the slopes of Angora Peak, as seen from eastern Keiths Dome.

Day 1 - Parking Lot

That's <lj user=kadyg>'s jeep on the right, which I drove in for the trip.

Day 1 - Snowshoeing in

Mountain Ned, right (with dog Snowball), explains the finer points of snowshoeing to Jo, L-Rod, John, and Krista.

Day 1 - Dog collision

L-Rod demonstrates just how much damage a speeding dog can do to a well-planted ski pole. (Ned quickly bent it back straight.)

Day 1 - Snowshoeing

Kerry, John, and Krista on the approach to Echo Lake.

Day 1 - Snowshoeing across Echo Lake

Destination: The hills in the center far distance.

Day 1 - Water resupply

Krista fills water bottles from a hole cut through the deep snow and ice into Echo Lake by one of the area's rare winter residents.

Day 1 - Snowshoeing

Up the hill near Tamarack Lake. It looked a lot smaller from the top.

Day 1 - Near base camp

L-Rod takes a picture of the scenery we've just finished climbing as John looks on.

Day 1 - Looking back

What L-Rod was looking at. See those dots of white in the distance? Those are Echo Lake and Upper Echo Lake, the two flat white stretches we showshoed across just after lunch break.

Day 1 - Looking back (detail)

Zoomed-in view of those two lakes. Contrast with previous picture.

Day 1 - A dark and stormy night

A real howler of a snowstorm drove us into our tents after ominous clouds prodded us to set up camp in early afternoon. It lasted all night, with vicious winds that set fabric a-flapping and kept us all from getting any sleep.

Base camp - Before the storm

This was my loaner four-season tent. Contrast this with the next picture, after eight inches of fresh powder bleww in overnight.

Base camp - After the storm

Note the ridge of snow surrounding the tent and the several drifts against the fabric. I had to dig a little to get the door fully clear so that snow wouldn't collapse inside when I emerged.

Base camp - More shelters

Kerry and Jo's one-pole shelter, in front, didn't even have a floor. They were a little colder and wetter than the rest of us, but survived even that first night's fierce storm without serious issue. Behind them are John's tent (right) and Jeff and L-Rod's tent (background).

Base camp - more shelters

Krista emerges from her tent as Mountain Ned and son Matt, background, set up their palatial four-person tent so they can sleep in relatively extreme comfort.

Day 2 - Wake-up call

Buffalo Bill Cody trots over from Kerry and Jo's tent for some morning socialization. Cody got really friendly with me over the course of the trip; Snowball never did.

Day 2 - The avalanche lecture

Mountain Ned, standing in snow pit, explains the dangers of buried hoar, aka corn snow -- the slushy, slick layers that give way underneath the weight of new powder to create avalanches.