The Saddle

We checked out a new bouldering area (new for us, that is) with an interesting access method. For a long time, the trains that brought produce east out of the sacramento valley ran through snow sheds perched on the sides of the mountains overlooking Donner lake. I didn't realize this until very recently, but those snow shed don't accomodate trains anymore; the tracks have been pulled up and trains go instead through a tunnel through Mt. Judah. Anyway, it's spooky but fun driving through the sheds and small tunnels with high beams on, fording the water filled pools. Chloe was reading about how the roads beyond the tunnels have very deep gravel, and that it was excellent rally driving training. I feigned disinterest, but the truth is that I had seen that description, and I have to admit that it was part of the reason why I wanted to check out The Saddle. You see, my eyes brighten at even the mention of rallies, and I jump at any chance to get our 250 hp subaru slightly sideways on a gravel road. The big ditches on one side and rolling hills which don't stop until Donner on the other side curbed my enthusiasm a bit though.

The Saddle itself had some cool boulders, but most of it was way out of our league. Theres a beautiful V9 called Nazgul there which, with a little human growth hormone, I could totally do. We headed back after a few hours.

Heres a view of the tunnel entrance going back west:


We stopped at the snowshed boulders so that I could spend a little more time getting rejected by my favorite project
, then went back to Alta for baths and dinner.