What is the Tahoe Rim Trail?
The Tahoe Rim trail is a 170 mile looped Thru-Hike that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe primarily along the tops of the mountains surrounding the lake. Lake Tahoe is nestled in a bowl surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. The lake is split in two by the boarders of California and Nevada, which you can tell by the competing road construction and the casinos straddling the state lines. The trail it’s self winds atop the rim and is, from what I saw, one of the most manicured trails out there. The best part is, no matter where you leave your car on the trail head, give it enough days and you will be right back where you started to make the trip home that much easier.
So, how was the trip?
After doing copious amounts of research and Youtube Rabbit-holes, I finally decided on the Tahoe Rim Trail. I discussed some of the considerations here: Which Trail Should I Hike? I worked out a plan of acquiring gear, laying out the logistics, and assembling a party (like and good D&D player should).
As the step-off date approached, so did the unfortunate events. About two months out I caught COVID, and it hit me pretty hard. Weeks leading up to the hike one of our party members had an increasingly stressful work schedule which did lead to not as much prep time as she would have liked, and she had to barrow gear that was a little too heavy for her. Days leading up to the hike our third member caught COVID and finally tested negative the day before we stepped off. So with that, we stepped off knowing full well the odds were against us. But also going into this, we made a promise to each other that no matter what we would take it slow and consider safety over all else. This was a promise that we truly tested since we are all the types to push through no matter what.
Step off day arrived, and the fires from Yosemite stoked up and started blowing smoke into the Tahoe Basin. The smoke coupled with recovering COVID lungs made it almost impossible to continue. So on Day one, we turned around and made camp at the Mt. Rose Campground where we would have been on day three. Ultimately we made camp and stayed there as a base of operations as we explored near by trails and rafted down the Truckee River. This whole adventure is documented on my Youtube Channel. Please take a look and see some of our adventure.
Hopefully I can make it back there to attempt the trail again one day. Until then… enjoy.
3 Responses
Great post!
Thank you!