2010 marks the second year of the now annual Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. Wanderlust offers a combination of some of the world’s best yoga practitioners and a variety of musical performers, all set in nature and the beautiful mountains that surround Squaw.

My friend, Sonja, and I arrived late Friday night to avoid the usual Bay Area weekend traffic. We rolled into the Silver Creek Campground (just 1 mile from Squaw Valley) after 11pm and experienced déjà vu all over again as we struggled in the dark with weak headlamps to find our campsite. We were sound asleep within minutes of locating our temporary new home.

The alarm sounded at 6:45am and we both wondered what we were thinking signing up for 8:00am yoga classes! We arrived at Squaw to find that there were 2, maybe 3 times, more booths set up than last year. The box office was much better organized and rather than badges that listed our class schedule (which ended up being problematic when people switched classes), we were given wristbands that indicated what we were entitled to. Sonja and I had opted for the “Pilgrim” package – $280 that gave us full access to the festival – access to all music, speakers, cable car rides, and 3 yoga classes each day.

This year the yoga line-up included Shiva Rea (one of my favorites), Les Leventhal, Elena Brower, Jenny and Jack, and many more. I experimented with Diane Hudock’s Ahmanda Yoga Flow class up at High Camp which was invigorating both due to the poses and the scenery. The spectacular cable car ride brought me to the highest I have ever practiced yoga, 8200ft, and an amazing view of early sunlight on Lake Tahoe in the distance.

I jumped on the cable car after the class and rushed down to “The Pulse” to experience and old favorite of mine, Shiva Rea, and her session called Fluid Power. Sonja and I both baked in the sun during this enervating class full of motion and energy. A Shiva Rea experience is more like being part of an impromtu community pulsing with positive energy than a technical yoga class, which is part of her attraction.

The festival offers the opportunity to experience much more than just the organized yoga line-up. Last year we mountain-biked the Western States Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail which are both accessible with a very short drive. In the past, I have also hiked up to Lake Elizabeth and the summit of Granite Chief to drink in the views. For hard core rock climbers, Donner Summit is just 10 miles away, as well as Big Chief which requires finding and driving on 5 miles of dirt road.

This year Sonja and I split up in the afternoon after getting our butts kicked with back to back vinyasa flow classes. I did a 50 mile training ride (for the upcoming Ebbetts Pass Century) straight out of Squaw Valley. I headed north on Hwy 89 and up to the top of Donner Summit. I then retraced my tracks and road due south to Tahoe City, including 6 fun but dangerous (due to drunken rafters may be worse than cars!) miles on the Tahoe River Trail. By the time I returned to Squaw, bum and lower back were a bit sore but I was relaxed and satisfied.

Sonja decided to check out the new Squaw Valley Mountain Bike Park (we heard that Squaw opened the trails for the first time in 10 years for official mountain biking use). Warnings abound that the park is not for beginner or novice riders due to the difficulty level of the trails. Sonja is a strong intermediate rider, outfitted with body armor, and she confirmed this was accurate. After taking the cable car up, she explored for a while before finding a series of trails that provided the adventure she was looking for, and sometimes more adventure than she bargained for.

Thankfully, we both returned unscathed for our respective rides and were eager to check out the new concert area. The music line-up for the weekend included an eclectic version of artists including some of my old and new favorites: Moby, Bassnectar, Hamsa Lila, and Beats Antique. We were getting our groove on to the rave-like beats of Bassnector when a gal collided with me as if I was invisible and her boots caught and ripped off my big toenail. I’m happy to report that the Medical Tent was staffed with friendly and competent ski patrollers that administered first aid.

Sunday was more relaxing as we started the day with Elena Brower’s meditation session with soothing live background music of Todd Boston playing the flute and acoustic guitar. Figuring we were indeed gluttons for punishment, we headed back to the Pulse for more Shiva Rea flow. However, we were in for a surprise as there was more live music, but this time a blues band! We performed asanas to blues in the background with intermittent sessions of spontaneous dancing and free-from movement within yoga poses. It felt more like a celebration of life, music, and yoga than any other session I have experienced.

Many of the great aspects about Wanderlust 2009 were preserved and numerous improvements were made. The increase in food options, booths, and participants gave the festival a more vibrant feel. The location of the concert on the Squaw Valley floor allowed for much easier entry and exit than having the music up high which caused bottlenecks on the cable cars. The festival focused on zero waste and offered additional recycling and compost bins around the complex. They have also added a Speaker Series where I was delighted to hear Chris Sharma speak on climbing as moving meditation and Lama Christie McNally on how to take the positive energy of the festival back to our every day lives.

On the downside, the customizing of the ticket packages that allowed for concert only access seemed to attract some concert goers that clearly were not seeking Zen and there were several Wanderlusters that experienced bike theft and car robberies. Unfortunately, like any urban environment, we must all be aware of our personal possessions as well as look out for each other.

I hope the Wanderlust Festival is here to stay as I’ll be waiting to mark my calendar with 2011 dates!