Tahoe Rim Trail - Sept. 6, 2009

Day 12 - The Last Day!  Lake Le Conte to Echo Lakes

And this is where my Tahoe RIm Trail trip comes to an end. After my mid-hike change in strategy (thanks, stupid feet), from a "through-hike" to a "segment-hike", it's come down to one final day of hiking to complete my adventure, and it's only 7 downhill miles to get there!

Early morning at Aloha Lake, my last day!

Since we started our day early, as usual, we were most of the way down before we hit too many crowds. It wasn't Yosemite-Valley-busy, but it was a lot of people. I think we smelled a lot worse than they did, though!

After seeing overall very few other people while hiking the whole TRT, it is a strange feeling to suddenly see so many other hikers. A thing to think about when planning a trip; if you hike to or from a trailhead, on a weekend, especially on the last day that say, for example, Echo Lakes store is open, you should expect pretty large crowds. On one hand, it was sort of annoying to have to keep pulling over on narrow parts to let people pass by going the other direction, but on the other hand, it is just incredible seeing so many people out there enjoying the Desolation Wilderness area. Almost all of them were day-hikers, so the heavy traffic isn't as impactful as it could be.

Me in front of my goal, Echo Lakes

By mid morning, we were within sight of the goal, and since we now had cell phone reception, called so we'd have a ride home in a couple of hours.

And now, a well deserved beverage, maybe two, since we had a built in designated driver! The Echo Lakes store, although it's only open during the peak Summer months, is suprisingly well stocked, with a very friendly staff. One thing you can't get there, though, is a faucet to fill your water bottles. We didn't need to, since we ended here, but other hikers need to either buy bottle of water, or just hike a bit farther around the lake to then filter like usual.

And here my Tahoe Rim Trail adventure ends, after hiking over 165 miles, spread out over 12 hiking days, and completed in just over a month's time. If you ever get the chance to hike the trail, either just a segment of it, or the entire Tahoe Rim Trail, please jump at the chance. There are so many varied sections, each with it's own challenges and rewards. Although there are a lot of miles to hike to finish the trail, you don't need to be an ultra-light hiker to hike the trail. And remember, only about 1,000 people have become members of the "165 Mile Club", through the Tahoe Rim Association, which is actually less people than have climbed Mt Everest.
Would I make another attempt at completing a "through-hike", after completing the trail as a "segment-hike"? Absolutely, in a heatbeat, I just need to get that much time off of work!

See you on the trail!

Dave,  a.k.a.  "Tenderfoot"  my trail-name.

Trails usually get wider as you near the trailheads.

Lower Echo Lake

Echo Lakes Store, at the far end of the lake.

Lower Echo Lake, looking back up towards Aloha Lake.

South Lake Tahoe, plus Mt Rose at far left, from just above Echo Lake store.

Me, at Echo Lake trailhead. Very tired, but VERY happy!

Time for a well-earned beverage!