Photosphere At Donner Lake Overlook

I made a trip to the Tahoe area in 2015 with hopes of snowboarding at one of the many resorts in the area. I knew snow levels were bad, but it was worse than expected. Most of the mountain was bare and only patches of snow could be found (at 7000 feet elevation too!) .

To make the best out of a sad situation, i checked out several of the scenic views in the area. Here is a result of me messing around with the camera and took this photosphere at Donner Lake overlook.

This area was historically used by pioneers to travel from Nevada into California. One well-known group is the Donner party. They arrived at the pas late and during a severe winter. Unable to pass, they were forced to seek shelter until the pass cleared of snow. Unfortunately, many died and some survivors had to resort to cannibalism to survive.

This picture was taken in Janaury 2015. Note the lack of snow as the state of California was going through a severe drought that left the snowpack feet below normal levels.