I returned to the Tahoe Rim Trail after spending five days at home resting my shin. Fortunately, there was nothing seriously injured — just tightness from walking more miles than my body was ready for without being properly trained up. The final three days took me through Desolation Wilderness and up the west side of Lake Tahoe. It was gorgeous, diverse, and a lot of fun!
Day 5 – Mile 134.1
After 5 days off to let my shin heal, Renee and I drove back up to where I left off to resume my TRT hike. I lucked out — I get Renee for an extra 1/2 day! What was going to be a solo hike now includes 1.5 days with my favorite hiking buddy. Nice!
We woke up in the car to rain on the roof. That wasn’t good motivation to start, so we slept in. We finally got to walking at around 9:30. The trail followed the bank of Echo Lake until it reached Desolation wilderness. This is where we went ski camping last winter! We couldn’t find the spot where we camped — it looked completely different without the snow! Renee and I hiked together to Aloha lake and took a break. Aloha was beautiful but very crowded. We ate lunch together, and then Renee headed backwards to the car and I headed forward.
Desolation was beautiful, and my injured shin is holding up alright. I was taking a Ramen break at the top of the days biggest climb, when an Australian hiker, Ollie, walked up. He and I got to chatting, and we ended up walking together for the rest of the day and into the night. Finally at about 10:30 I chose a campsite. This was my biggest day on the TRT so far (31.26 miles). For dinner I had “cheesy” potatoes. Yum!
TRT Day 6: Mile 162.8
I didn’t sleep very well last night. Reason 1 was my tired muscles. Reason 2 was that I was cold but too lazy to strap my quilt around my sleeping pad to be warmer. Foolish. Still, I got on the trail just before 7 — my earliest day so far. A few miles in I met a volunteer at a trailhead and he gave me a homemade granola bar. It was HUGE and super yummy! His plan was to do some brush clearing down the trail. The Tahoe Rim Trail is extremely well-maintained. Thank you volunteers!
Today was pretty much just walking. The elevation change wasn’t crazy, but it was a little bit hot so the walking was still tiring. Highlights included a break where I dipped my feet in the water, and that the trail went right through the town of Tahoe City so I filled up water from a gas station instead of filtering. Nice!
I met a few hikers on the trail, including Leprechaun and Fungi, who have cooked our recipes! (If you’re reading this, Leprechaun and Fungi, it was great to meet you!) I called it a night at 7:30, mostly because I was exhausted, but also because I found an amazing campsite overlooking a valley and sunset. Across the valley one of the ski resorts is having a concert. The music travels shockingly far, but the tunes are kind of nice. For dinner I had dal with rice. I think that’s the second time I ate it on this trip, so I souped it up with some ramen noodles. Yum!
Day 7 – Miles 174.2
That’s a wrap! I started the day with coffee before packing up my beautiful campsite, and then started out on the final 11-ish miles to my car. I didn’t meet anybody on the trail today, but I did walk past a small lake where, on the other side, I heard a camper trying to scare a hungry bear away from his food. I also walked through an active logging region. Logging is interesting out here — on the one hand, I wish all of the trees were preserved for their beauty! On the other hand, I use paper and wood products all of the time, and compared to alternatives like plastic they’re pretty good for the environment. Based on what I witnessed along the TRT, the Tahoe region is juggling both forces well. Logging does happen, but I saw no hideous clearcuts, and the logging that is taking place looks like it is being done sustainably.
All around, this has been an amazing 175 miles, full of great scenery through a diverse landscape. I had comfy slipper-shoes waiting for me at the car when I finished, and thank you Renee for putting a sign on our front door to surprise me when I returned home! My favorite part of the TRT was the southeast portion, where it was dry and rugged and reminded me of the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington.
Lessons I learned on the TRT:
- I learned that I like hiking with Renee more than I like hiking alone, even though there was something nice about spending lots of time in my head. Still, my original plan was to close this trip with a kayak down from the mountains, but Renee and I decided it will be more fun to postpone that until we can do it together!
- The TRT taught me that I’m not invincible — I had to take 5 days off due to injury, and that injury was preventable. I should have listened to my body and reduced mileage when I felt pain.
- Finally, I learned that it’s not necessary to travel across the country for an adventure. We don’t live very far from Tahoe, so going into this it didn’t feel as epic as usual. But that was wrong — the TRT was remarkable, and in hindsight I know that everywhere we’ve lived has had great opportunities right nearby.
