Tahoe Sunset: Chimney Beach

The most unexpected Sunset.

The day started by scoping out a sunrise spot around Donner Lake. The forecast didn’t indicate that there were going to be any clouds or a sunset, so I didn’t expect to be chasing any colorful skies this day. I found the sunrise spot I was looking for, and as I got back to my car, I had to decide if I wanted to just go home, or possibly go look around Tahoe’s eastern shore for a sunset spot that I would hope to get a photo of later. I took one final look at the sky, and there were quite a bit of clouds. I thought to myself, “sunset is in an hour or two, and these clouds look like they just might light up, maybe I should try.” So began the mission.

I settled on Chimney Beach, found somewhat of a good place to park, grabbed all my gear and made the short hike down. As I was approaching the beach, I was ecstatic to see a rocky cove, which was exactly the kind of shot I was looking for. I setup my tripod and waited to see if the sun would set. The clouds were looking pretty dark and underwhelming, so I assumed the forecast was right and there wasn’t going to be much going on tonight. I waited 10 minutes passed the time the sunset was supposed to be and never got any color, so I packed up all my gear and started walking back to my car.

As I was walking away, the clouds started to get a little pink, but not enough to make me turn around. But then it got more pink, and then the whole sky burst with color. Now I had to go back. I ran back as fast as I could, in disbelief how colorful the sky had become. I tried to get my tripod and camera setup as fast as I could, afraid I might miss it. I finally got it set up, snapped a few photos just in time, and watched the color fade.

I left there unsure if I got a good photo. “Did I get my camera out in time? In my haste, did I get my camera settings adjusted correctly?” All questions that swirled around in my head as I drove home. Once I was home and looking at the photos, it became clear that I didn’t miss anything. The sky was as full of color as any other beautiful sunset I have seen, with Tahoe as serene and peaceful as ever.