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| Only 165 miles to go! |
After training and planning for several months, we were finally on our way. Ron, John and I started heading south, at 7:00 am, from Tahoe Meadows, at the Mt Rose highway summit.
Flash forward 30 minutes - other side of the large meadow - one mile down, only 164 more to go! The Tahoe Rim Trail is our challenge, and it sits right out there in front of us.
We finished the day early, by about 2:30 pm. Not too bad for 16 miles, with a relaxed lunch at Christopher's Loop, and not pushing it too hard. This first section of the hike really doesn't have any killer uphill sections, but like almost all of the TRT, it has a lot of rolling up and down.
So even in the first section of this description, you can tell that we're not the "hike from light until dark" type of hikers; we want to put in some serious mile days, but also take the time to enjoy lunches with vistas, and stop in time to enjoy a nice beverage with friends, then eat a hot dinner. Freeze-dried counts as a "hot dinner", in my book.
So even in the first section of this description, you can tell that we're not the "hike from light until dark" type of hikers; we want to put in some serious mile days, but also take the time to enjoy lunches with vistas, and stop in time to enjoy a nice beverage with friends, then eat a hot dinner. Freeze-dried counts as a "hot dinner", in my book.
Back to the hike, there is a side trail, about 1 1/2 miles long, that is called Christopher's loop, which isn't officially part of the TRT. You absolutely need to take this side-trip! On that trail, we had lunch, high above Sand Harbor, which is a beautiful beach but with Yosemite-valley-like crowds on weekends. Ron learned a valuable lesson today; keep your eyes on the trail. He came within a couple feet of stepping on a sleeping deer. I didn't witness it, but I imagine that there was some girly-screaming from both human and deer.
The "cocktail hour" at 3 pm didn't suck! Special beverages are worth the weight, in my opinion. Aren't vodka and whiskey actually lighter than water, anyway? If you do drink any alcohol in camp, it can really dehydrate you, so drink LOTS of extra water! Marlette Peak campground, although it doesn't have a natural water source (the TRTA periodically drops off water for hikers in an open shed, thank you!), is one of the most developed campsite on the trail. Picnic table, yes, picnic tables, plus a pit toilet with a door and real toilet seat. [update - June 2010 - I have read that there is now a "hand-pump" water source at the campground, look into that option!]. On this section of the trail, there are rules on where you can camp, and this is one spot that is allowed.
As I thought about, and planned for, this trip, I read as many on-line descriptions about the Tahoe Rim Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail as I could find. I thought that if I could get just one piece of information from each description, it would really help me have a more enjoyable trip. What I found was that almost all of the writers were from the "ultralight and ultra fast" hiking area. There weren't a lot of people from the "I love the outdoors just as much, but I want just a little bit more comfort" area. Apparently, there are either a lot more ultralight hikers out there than "comfort" hikers, or they are just a lot better about logging their adventures. Either way, it's all about getting out there, and and having a great time. I think that it is time to have non-ultralight hiker write about the adventures of hiking! Please let me know what you think!
Please enjoy some pictures from the first day.
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North Shore, from Christopher's Loop |
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North Lake Tahoe |
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| Looking East, to Washoe Lake, Nevada |
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Sand Harbor, from Christopher's Loop |
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| This trail is amazingly maintained. Thanks TRTA! |
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| Me with Marlette Lake, and Lake Tahoe in the distance. |
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| Ron and John in the way of a great picture! |
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Sunset from Marlette Peak Campground. Time for some sleep... |
