Thursday, August 16, 2018

Tahoe Rim Trail 2018

Tahoe CA/NV is more than a blue patch at the bend of California/ Nevada border. It's beyond a rich person's playground and the middle class get-away.  The area boasts of workd class mountain biking and hiking.  It's the hiking for which I returned.  The Tahoe Rim Trail encircles the lake, not but once coming within a quarter of a mile to the blue gem from rugged mountains of the Sierra's from the Desolation Wilderness 15 miles out.

I've kept quiet about this hike as I needed to focus more on personal writing and reflections.  A quick synapse of this hike follows.

I arrived early a weekago Tuesday, got my thru-hiker permit from the local forest service office.  I made the Spooner Summit trailhead and was hiking by 3pm.  Within 1/4 mile I'd superman'd over a pinecone the size of a softball while trying to kick it.  I lay as a beetle for a moment before assessing the damage.  Right knee and left elbow bleeding but tape able.  Bleeding stoped after taping.  Left shoulder aching.  I'd evaluate all by Kingsbury Grade to see if I stay or go.  The lake was encased in smoke haze at South Camp Mountain so I pushed on.  I ended with a 7 mile day.
Day 2, I hit the Fox & Hound in Kingsbury for breakfast.  The previous injuries healing, shoulder be sore and I didn't sleep much on that side.  I made a 20 plus mile day so I could camp near Armstrong Pass.

Day 3, the smoke begins to clear, I drop Echo Chalet and into Desolation Wilderness.  I spend a while hanging with a variety of hikers at Echo before heading out.  I loved seeing this area without sun in my eyes as it was in 2016.  I pushed over to Dick's Lake ending the day with a mentally brutal climb/descend.  Went for a swim and got some miscellaneous food from another couple who were getting off a trail the next day.  In this region several trails cross.

Day 4 began in the middle of the night with another group of campers getting the full furry of the other hikers I camped next to.  The other group lit a  campfire.  Fires in California and especially the Desolation Wilderness are banded.  I didn't check the coals the next morning, instead I made miles.  I also got a couple of headlamps in my face from even later arrivals to this area.
Day 4 itself flew by.  Err correction, I followed the sunrise for photos then came back a mile to the TRT.  I had a 10 mile water carry as two sources were either dry or unusable for other reasons.  At Richardson Lake met a couple of other hikers I'd tag with for the rest of the day.  Stayed at an overlook of Blackwood Creek with one of them.  Another 20 plus day.

Day 5, Made the 13 odd miles into Tahoe City in under 4 hours.  Hung out, tried to get a walk in spot at the State Park Campground without luck.  Ate an over priced pizza, resupplied, and forgot to recharge my phone.  Hiked out of TC at 4pm.  Made it a mile past Painted Rocks.  I left town with 1 gallon of water.  I was entering the dry Northwest side.

Day 6, One of the hikers I met the 2 days before Nero'd in TC and cached water for us at Brockway trailhead.  This ment I could push miles without taking the chance of the science experiment known as Watson Lake.  I crushed the miles like cans.  This is the day I'd dreaded on this trek and in 2016.  I made Mud Lake and a spring that came after it with a little energyto spare.  I wanted to camp beyond and tried but could not see anything camp able for several miles after going 1 mile or more from the spring past Mud Lake.  I ended the dy with over 25 trail miles, 27 with the added.  I did not jump into Mud Lake for how shallow it is.

Day 7 I forced myself to nero into Mt Rose Campground.  Going over Brockway, Relay Peak, and into Mt Rose area looked vastly different without snow and ice.  Sparse on the tree cover, grand on the views, also easy on the feet.  At the campground, I walked arund looking for a bucket.  I found a group with a large stainless steel basin.  I did hiker laundry for the first time in seemly ages.  The socks and briefs felt amazing the next day.  That evening it rained.  After retreating to the tent, I got so hungry when the rain lightened I bugged out to the bear box.  Hunched over I sat inside with the canister stove outside to boil water.  15 to 30 minutes later the rain stopped.  I enjoyed the view of Reno from my campsite that night.

Day 8 another mile crusher.  This next stretch was again sketchy with water info.  Some mis-info had made its way around about one of the sources.  I carried out a gallon so I wouldn't need to filter from good sources within my first 5 miles.  I made good time for the first half of the day then I hit Twin Lakes, still with water in them.  My day slowed.  I made Marlette Campground in NV State Park around 1:30.  This is where the mis-info was centered.  The pump is out of action some had said it wokred with poor results.  I also checked a near by spring which also was dry.  I took photos and posted it where the bad info orginated.  I made the drop into North Canyon CG an odd hour or two larer while enjoying views of Lake Tahoe in the distance and Marlette Lake in the foreground.  I had to set camp else I'd hike on.  NCCG had water.  I rounded this day out with just over 20 miles.  I had a down hill run to my car but, I was over a day a head of schedule so slowing down was a requirement.  Slowing down when I'm in thru-hiker mode is painful.  There is something enticing about making miles in the mornings and evenings when the land comes alive.

Day 9, I make my way up to the ridge, trying to beat the sunrise.  I wanted to see the colors of morning over Tahoe.  The descent into Spooner does not provide many opportunities for big vistas.  My chug is now a blend of Carnation instant vanilla breakfast and Starbucks instant.  I sit at last big vista of the TRT for over an hour just thinking of many different things.  These are the things I wanted my attention to be on, personal stuff so I am not sharing. 
What I can say is I want to try to integrate a former way of life into what my life is about now.  How or what that is going to look like I don't know.  Throughout this particular hike one of my old roommates made contact with me.  He is dropping by in late September.  I want to see how he will or has done the same.  It'll also be good to see him and his family since it's been 15 odd years. 
The rest of the 9th day, I got to the car, stashed a jug of water for the hiker a day behind me so she didn't need to go a mile of trail for awful water of Spooner Lake.  She drew water from resources I'd posted which lessened ber water carry.  Without those updates from the last known viable source to where I'd stayedis about 22 miles.
I drove into Tahoe City, enjoyed a pizza at a different spot, hung out for a while at the only coffee shop.  Drove up to Kingsbeach to the Hostel.  This is a nice place, quiet in nature with a blend of travelers, very home like.

Tomorrow the big drive home.

Some fast stats
 3 1/2 days of hiking
 4 20 mile days
 2 25 mile days
 1 day with any kind of sky moisture 
 2 days with unbearable smoke haze (and folks wonder why I hate campfires <rant withheld>)
 3 days with 12 plus miles of waterless stretches
 2 days where my attitude sunk.  Thankfully I had some tunes on my phone as I'd left the mp3 player at home.
 1 day with injuries that heald during the hike.  Actually 2 but, the other superman though a knee skinner amounted to nothing.

I know this is a long post.  Thanks for reading through it


Hike on.  Hike wise.


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