Rock Climbing at Donner Summit

My climbing partner and good friend Paul just happened to be back in Sacramento for a few days (he moved to Hong Kong for his MBA) and hit me up to go climbing near Tahoe! Now that it's summer, I've been dying to get outside every chance I get, even if it's just a short day trip. We picked Donner Summit because it's an easy drive and quick approach (hike from the car to the rock climbing spot) with beautiful views of Donner Lake.

Climber directions are always a little unclear and confusing, with subtle paths and directions like “turn right at the tree (in a forest)”, “follow the cairns (assuming you're on the right path already), or “look for a rock like this picture”. Needless to say we took a few wrong turns. Paul and I have been climbing together enough that we both know when we get lost, it's the other person's fault!!

I tell ya, nothing, nothing feels like climbing on real rock: the texture of the wall, finding a nub as a foothold, figuring out your route, and the exhilaration when you complete a climb (or send it, in climber speak). We ended up finding a great spot with some easy top rope (easiest, safest form of climbing) routes, 100-120’ tall. It was a pretty short trip as Paul had to get back into town early, but it was fun climbing with him again!