Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT)

July 2022

Total Miles: 173.8

Hiking clockwise (CW) from Tahoe City to Tahoe City

Why am I hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail?

Tahoe is about three-and-a-half hours from my home. We come here most every year with friends and sled, snowboard and have a great time on the South Side of the Lake. Hiking around it is something I’ve wanted to do since I got into hiking and this was the year to do it. I was going to hike the TRT in 2021 but the wildfires broke out about two weeks before my start date and I had to postpone the hike to 2022.

Foot Care:

I didn’t have any blisters on this trip. I really try to take care of my feet on the trail as they are everything on a long hike like this. Here is what I do.

I use Injinji trail toe socks and Altra Lone Peak 5 trail running shoes - I don’t trail run, but these shoes are great. I also use Altra trail running gaiters to keep rocks out. I didn’t have a single rock in my shoes the entire hike. The Altra shoes have a wide toe box so your toes have room to move and breathe. I also have two toes that tend to rub together so I put a bandaid on one of them so the cushion of the bandaid is the part that rubs on the other toe and I don’t have any problems when I do that. I change out the bandaid about every two days.

Looking out onto Lake Fontanillis

At the end of each day I wash my feet with water and a brillo scrub pad. I bring and dedicate ½ a pad just for my feet. Then I rub Vaseline on my heels before putting my dedicated bed socks on. Those socks are regular style socks and are only used for sleeping.

Take good care of your feet and they’ll be good to you.

Food:

My TRT Food

I’m always finding ways to tweak my food on the trail. I like my breakfast option a lot. It’s Peak Refuel’s Mountain Berry Granola. I break one pack into two days and add ¼ cup of oats to each and a tablespoon of raisins. In the morning, when I’m packing up camp, I add a cup of water and let it cold soak for a few minutes then eat, rinse my Talenti jar and go. This meal gets me going at 6 AM and keeps me going strong until around 11 AM. At which point I usually have a bar. I brought three bar options per day to have between 11 AM - 4 PM. I only wound up eating one to two bars per day as I just wasn’t super hungry. I was not happy with my dinner choices on this trip. I had dehydrated meals from Peak Refuel that just were not good. The ones from Good to Go are better, but I found that I wanted something more hydrating on the trail like noodles and broth. I didn’t have that so I made the best with what I had, but made note that I’ll have more moist meals in the evening. More on that below. In the middle and end of the day I would have a Nuun tablet in my fold out cup. I didn’t want to put the tablets in my water bottles as I didn’t want them to become flavored with that taste. This was a tasty treat and a good pick me up in the middle and end of the day.

Elevation on the TRT:

My interpretation of the TRT

Although this may not be completely accurate, this is what the hike felt like to me. The first half from Tahoe City to Freel Peak felt like A LOT of uphill. The uphill section also was some of the hottest and the toughest as there are not a lot of water sources on that side of the trail. But, once past Freel Peak I felt like there was a lot of downhill. Remember, downhill can also be difficult as it can be stressful on your knees. The trail has a lot of loose rocks on the downhill side too so watch your footing. This is where blisters can easily be made if you’re not watchful of how you’re stepping.

If I was to do the hike again, I don’t think I’d change anything, Starting and ending in Tahoe City is great as you have restaurants and access to everything. Also, the uphill, although tough going CW, feels like it’d be tougher going the opposite direction due to the bouldering and rock laden paths on that side. The water carry was the toughest going CW from Tahoe City, but it’s not that bad so long as you have enough water on you to make it to the next water source.

Key Pieces of Gear:

• Sunbrella - without this piece of gear I don’t think I would have been able to hike in the afternoon sun. From about 11 AM to 4 PM the sun is just blistering. The sunbrella was a key piece of gear to me. I met a PCT hiker who had a clip from Zpacks that allows the umbrella to snap to your shoulder strap. I just held mine as I hiked, but I’m definitely going to look into that clip. I almost didn’t bring my sunbrella and I’m SO glad I did.

• Gaiters - I mentioned these above in my foot care section, but this made it so I didn’t have a single rock in my shoes the entire hike. I love my gaiters!

• Chapstick - It is SO dry in Tahoe and my lips are still a mess many days after the hike. I didn’t bring chapstick and used my Vaseline in a pinch, but I would HIGHLY recommend bringing chapstick on this hike and keep it very handy throughout the day.

Bears:

I didn’t see any bears on this trail. However, there are times where I saw bear scat directly on the trail. I also didn’t go looking for bears and many times I felt like if I looked around for them I would have seen them. In those areas I just moved quickly through the trail and didn’t look around to see if they were looking at me. I didn’t want to take a chance and I didn’t want to freak myself out. I felt it was best to leave them be and just keep moving on.

Day 0: Tahoe City

Miles hiked today: 0

Standing in Lake Tahoe taking in the amazing views

The morning I was going to drive into Tahoe City the smoke from the Washburn and Electra fire started blowing into the Tahoe area. I kept an eye on the Facebook group and purple air to see what other people were doing. I refreshed Purple Air every 30 minutes and started to see the numbers going down so I decided to drive up there. I didn’t want to have to postpone another year, but I also felt like luck was going to be on my side. I’m happy I was right.

Once I arrived in Tahoe City I drove down the main street. It’s a cute little town right on the lake.

I checked into my hotel, America’s Best Value Inn, Tahoe City then explored the town.

There was a band playing down at the beach so I went to check them out. There was a massive crowd of people relaxing on blankets, kids playing on the play structure and adults dancing to the music. I walked out to the lake and waded into my knees. As I stood there I took a look around the lake. It’s overwhelming to think I’m going to hike around this entire thing through these massive mountains I see all around me. It’s exciting as I know the next time I stand in this spot I will have a deeper understanding, respect and connection to this place.

I parked my car at the transit center. It’s a nice big parking lot with bathrooms in the middle. It’s fine to park your car here for weeks at a time without it being bothered. There were plenty of spaces, too.

I ate dinner at Brau Haus then went to my room to double check all my gear.

My base weight (my pack minus food and water) is 13.5 lbs. Nice and light. I decided to hike the TRT CW (clockwise). I didn’t do a lot of research for this hike like I’ve done on other hikes. The biggest thing I researched was understanding the long water carries on the east side of the lake. I prepared by making sure I had enough water capacity to get through the longer sections. That meant carrying five, one liter smart water bottles, mostly empty right now as I didn’t need all that water yet, plus my one liter water filter for a max capacity of six liters when necessary. That’s A LOT of extra weight to carry, and I was happy that I would only have to carry that full capacity a couple times on the hike.

The morning of Day 1. Ready to hit the trail!

Lights out at 9:30 PM. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and I wanted to be sure to get as much sleep as I could. It’d be the last time I slept on a big comfy bed for a while.

Day 1: Tahoe City to CA/NV border

Miles hiked today: 27.4

I woke up at 5:15 and was raring to go. I heaved my pack onto my back and headed down the road to the Chevron station, my official starting point of the TRT. The trail goes through part of the town of Tahoe City so starting here seemed to make sense. I was on the trail at 6 AM.

Lake Tahoe from space!

Right away the trail takes you up and out of civilization and into the mountains. I came to my first view of the lake and met my first TRT hiker, Lea, who camped right at this amazing view point. We talked for a few minutes then I headed out. I would see her again later.

I made a pact with myself that I would not be in a hurry on this hike. That I would take my time to stop and talk to other hikers, when they wanted to talk, and would swim in any lake that looked amazing. I had planned on hiking the TRT in nine days and gave myself one buffer day in case I was sore and needed a zero day.

Stopping to enjoy the view

I started the day with four liters of water. Watson Lake was the first water source, but everyone on the forums and Far Out app said not to get water here as it was “nasty.” There was a better water source just down the trail a half mile. After a few minutes taking in Watson Lake I headed down the trail to get more water as this began the first section of big water carries.

Watson Lake

When I came to the first water source I met two other TRT hikers, Condiment and Jumper, two college kids hiking the TRT and on day five. Condiment got his hiker name when he hiked the John Muir Trail (JMT) and ran out of food. When he got to the Tuolumne Meadows restaurant he asked if he could get some sriracha packets and they gave him handfuls of them and thus his hiker name was born. Jumper got her name because she wore a big green jumper as her hiking outfit. We talked for a bit and laughed at how small this little water source was. It was a tiny trickle of water, but was flowing fairly well. Little did I know that this would be a standard size and flow of a “water source” on the TRT. I was used to large streams with massive flow on the JMT and other hikes that’d I’d done before.

By 2 PM I reached my original destination goal at Brockway crossing. I thought I’d be here around 6 PM so I was a bit surprised that I was here so quickly. It wasn’t hard to notice all the massive gallon water jugs people had left for themselves here at Brockway. These are called water caches. People leave water for themselves at some of these road crossings so they don’t have to carry massive amounts of water in those long dry sections. They put their names on them and a date when they think they will be there. There were also dozens more jugs that didn’t have names that were up for grabs, left by trail angles, non hikers who leave treats for the hikers. I didn’t need any water cache so I just hung out, ate a couple bars and enjoyed some shade. I didn’t see any other hikers here so I just relaxed by myself for a bit.

Great views right out of the gate

I was surprised to see that I had cell service, so I called home and talked to my wife for a bit. It was great to hear her voice. Afterwards, I decided to hike on.

I met another hiker named Funny Bone. He’s going to hike around the lake CCW (counter clockwise) then turn around and hike it CW! He seemed like he wanted to really master this trail, finding all the in and out points, where it was best to resupply, etc. Maybe he’ll write a book about it.

I hiked on until around 7 PM. My campsite was at mile marker 27.4 the CA/NV border on the Far Out app. This was by far the best campsite I’ve ever had on a trail. I was up on a high peak overlooking the lake to the front and mountains to the West. It had nice big rock formations that doubled as great seats to overlook the view.

Setting up camp.

After I set up my camp, Lea, the first hiker I met on the TRT came in and asked if she could camp here, too. SURE! It was nice to have company. She’s a really cool person who, over the last three years has hiked many of the biggest long distance hikes such at the PCT, CDT and the Salkantay Trek in Peru (I did that one too). We had a lot to talk about in terms of hiking and life. We watched the sunset and then hit the hay.

Sunset at my campground

My first impressions of the trail is that it is not super difficult. My body seems to do quite well adjusting to altitude so I felt just fine. I didn’t do a lot of training for this hike either, so I was also surprised my body didn’t seem more sore. Hey, I’ll take it!

Day 2: CA/NV border to Marlette campground

TRT Mile: 55

Miles hiked today: 27.7

Last night was super hot. Normally I get very cold in the middle of the night, but not here. It’s been so hot during the day and the nights are pretty decent.

Up at 5:15 and on the trail by 6 AM.

It was really beautiful coming around the back of the North edge of the trail. You really feel like you’re turning and coming around to the East side of the Lake.

A big chunk of snow just off to the side of the trail. The first snow I saw on trail.

I saw the first sign of snow today. It was just off to the side of the trail. It’s nice as in July there is virtually no snow at all on the trail. It might not be like that every year, but this year it was and that was great. One less thing to think about.

I thought I planned my water resupply well, but I’m about a mile and a half away from the next water source and I only have one sip left! A little too close for comfort. I think I’ll make sure to keep a little extra so I don’t get so close to running out.

The water source could easily be missed. I heard a trickle and looked down the side of the mountain and saw a small bit of water rolling down the hill. I had to take my pack off and climb down. I used a leaf to make a bit of funnels so the trickle would go into my filter. Filling up several liters took a while and I laughed again at the irony. You have this massive lake all around you but just little trickles of water here and there to fulfill your needs.

Nearing the top of Relay Peak

Up and up and I came to the top of Relay Peak, the highest point on the TRT, 10,300 ft. I met two TRT hikers up here Nick and Laura. Nick and I would later hang out at Mt Rose parking lot for a bit before he headed into town to resupply. I didn’t see him again, but he was a really cool guy with great energy.

I later met another TRT hiker named, "Leap Frog" and Brittany. These were the only two CCW TRT hikers I saw all day.

Tip: If you don’t want to see too many hikers I think going CW makes sense as I really don’t see too many hikers going CCW and the CW hikers are going the same direction so we don’t see each other too often, if at all. Either that or there’s just not that many people hiking the TRT in July?

I stopped for a nice long great at Galena Creek Falls. The lower falls are spectacular and you can walk right up to the falls themselves. There’s not a pool at the bottom so you can’t swim here.

Taking a break at Galena Falls

I hiked on and could smell smoke a bit in the air. About an hour later the wind picked up and blew it out.

Ophir Creek is a great water source. A real creek with flowing water. I took a break here and enjoyed the sound of the water rushing by.

I feel like my hiker legs are starting to kick in today. The uphill is hard but they’re not hurting my legs like they were on day one.

Coming into Marlette Campground I had one of the most beautiful views of the entire trail. There’s an open meadow that looks down on Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe that is just breathtaking.

One of my favorite views coming into Marlette Campground. Lake Marlette below and Lake Tahoe just past that.

When I arrived at Marlette Campground I ran into Lea again! It was nice to see a familiar face. Tomorrow was her last day of the hike and I only saw her for a moment the next morning before she headed out.

The cool thing about being in a campground is you get luxury amenities like a picnic table and a bathroom (no running water). Funny to think that something like a picnic table is a luxury, but after a couple days of sitting on rocks or the ground, a picnic table felt like pure joy.

Day 3: Marlette Campground to Edgewood Creek

TRT Mile: 81.1

Miles hiked today: 28 (2ish additional miles for resupply)

I slept fairly well last night. Generally, when camping, I tend to toss and turn all night long. I definitely did that last night, but from about 1 AM until the morning I slept soundly. I woke up fresh at 5:15 AM ready to hit the trail at 6 AM.

Marlette Campground has a hand water pump that you heave back-and-forth and water begins to come out. You have to do this many, many times to get all the water you need, but it’s really great to have as this is a point where I had to fill all six liters to make the next twenty eight mile trek which is where the next viable water source was.

Filling my water bottles at the Marlette Pump

Solitude day. I only saw two hikers this entire day. Both were going counter clockwise. It was actually kind of nice. The solitude gave me space to think about life and be grateful for all the wonderful people and experiences I get to have in my life, like being out here on the trail.

Tip & note to self: trail mix, although tasty, is a lot of work to eat on the trail and I’m finding that I prefer simple bars for lunch. Preferably moist bars vs dry bars as it’s already so dry out here. Bars are fast, tasty and easy to eat while hiking or when taking a quick break. Also, when it comes to dinner I’m finding that the dehydrated food feels too dry to me. I think more moist meals would be ideal like noodles with broth or even some cold soaked food like couscous would be more appealing at the end of these super hot days.

Cell reception on this trail has been pretty amazing. I have Mint Mobile. I’m only using cell service to call my wife and daughter. Otherwise I put my phone in airplane mode, to save battery. I don’t want to look at my texts or notifications as I’m here to unplug. However, having access to call home is a real booster. Hearing my wife and daughter’s voices is the biggest pick-me-up!

Today was a power-through day as I knew that there wasn’t going to be any water until I got to my destination, Tramway market. That’s where I sent my resupply box to and that was my focus. I was also looking forward to getting a meal at The Fox & Hound Restaurant, next to the Tramway.

After about twelve miles of listening to each crunching footstep, bird chirp and rock scuttle I decided it was time to put my headphones on. I listened to Ready Player 2 via Audible today and got most of the way through it. It was nice to have something else to focus on today as it was a big uphill day and the hottest of the days thus far.

It’s great on this trail how you don’t always see Lake Tahoe. It comes in and out throughout the day and each time it pops up around a corner it’s an exciting feeling. Today there were lots of beautiful wildflowers. Overall not a lot of views today. Mostly hiking through the Alpine forest canopy with lots of big trees and some boulders to climb.

I came down the trail to the road and headed up and off trail to Tramway market. It was a lot of uphill to the market and on paved roads. My feet weren’t used to the hard surface and I missed the subtle cushion of the trail. When I arrived at the market I was expecting it to be nice and cool, but it was blistering hot in there. Maybe even hotter than it was outside! Yikes.

I never drink Gatorade, but I decided to get the Fruit Punch version and it was the most delicious thing ever. My body needed it more than I knew and I felt a definite pick me up. It was exactly what my body needed as I had been drinking warm water all day long, in fact I drank every drop of my six liters! I arrived at the market with only a sip left. Wow!

After I got my resupply box I went to The Fox & Hound restaurant right next door. They were super cool there and I was impressed with the place, both the menu and the vibe were great. It was really nice!

I had a mini pizza, side salad and a root beer. I also got extra ranch dressing to dip my pizza in. Yum! It was wild to see my face in a mirror as I hadn’t looked at myself for a few days and boy, was I a dirty mess.

Yummy food at The Fox & Hound

After I ate I got back on the TRT and hiked about another mile and a half just up the trail from Edgewood Creek (81.1). I had this camp spot all to myself. Having a spot all to myself helps me sleep better because I don’t like making noise and thinking that I’m waking up other campers when I get up early to pack in the morning. When I’m alone, or more spaced out, I can be as loud or not as I want to.

I’m up above Heavenly Village in South lake Tahoe now and I can see the gondola lines from Heavenly. Tonight I could hear music coming from down below in Heavenly village. Heavenly village is where my family and I go every year when we come to Tahoe. Hearing the sounds below of music and people cheering, although subtle, gave me a sense of familiar peace. Next time I’m down there with my family I’ll remember to look up to the mountains and remember when I was up there and wonder if anyone is up there listening in.

Day 4: Edgewood Creek to Big Meadow

TRT Mile: 106.6

Miles hiked today: 25.5

I slept SO good last night and I feel amazing.

As I walked along the trail this morning I’m singing, “I would walk 500 miles” out loud and having a blast.

I found that no matter how hard it looks like a mountain is to climb, just take it one step at a time and before you know it you’re there. And there’s always more mountain to climb so just enjoy each step.

California / Nevada State line marker

I met a CCW hiker today named Erin. Cool girl. She hiked the Long Trail in Vermont and really liked it. This is the second person who mentioned that trail on this trip. I’ll have to check it out.

Star Lake is really fantastic. Maybe it’s because it’s the first lake of my trek, but I think it truly is a magical place. It’s hard to get to so there were no day hikers, not even any campers.

My view of Star Lake

I was there the whole time by myself. That was pretty great, although I did think I would see other hikers as I’ve only seen one today so far. The beauty of Star Lake was getting to enjoy it all to myself like a little piece of heaven. I took off my shoes and waded into the water. Once I took my first steps, several trout sped past my legs. This was their home and I was invading their space. It was cool to see them dart by.

While there, I took care of some trail chores like laundry, washed my hair, took a “bath” and had a nice swim.

It’s afternoon now I’m with one trekking pole and my sun umbrella. My now standard afternoon TRT attire as the heat is just so intense.

Today has been the hardest day so far. It was uphill right from the start and then more uphill all day thereafter.

My big epiphany today is that, The best adventures are the ones that I have with my wife and daughter. Hands down. Being out here is amazing. Maybe a little over sensationalized in my head, but being here I’m realizing that the best adventures are the ones I have with them. I’m here now on this hike, and I’m grateful for that. I just want to be sure to remember that the simple things in life are also great adventures, too.

From Freel Peak onwards I found that much of the rest of the TRT has a lot of downhill. That was great, but I also had to remember that going downhill can be hard on the knees so I stayed at my regular pace and enjoyed the amazing views as I headed down.

Top of Freel Peak

It was getting late (7:40 PM) and I was ready to stop for the day. I came into Luther Pass Campground just up from Big Meadows. This place looked a bit busy so I decided not to camp here. I headed out past the parking lot and camped right past it just off to the side of the TRT. This gave me access to the parking lot’s bathroom and garbage bins, which was great as I could dump some of the food I didn’t need as I was way ahead of schedule by now and didn’t need to carry all that extra weight.

I set up my tent and used the parking lot to make my food and have a nice hard surface to stand on and some big, flat rocks to sit on as well. I did my nightly ritual of cleaning my feet and putting Vaseline on my heels before putting them into my sleep socks. I’ve got to take care of my feet, they are my main source of transportation and I want to make sure they are good.

Oh and I also take three ibuprofen before bed each night and that helps a lot.

Day 5: Big Meadow to Gilmore Lake

TRT Mile: 135.7

Miles hiked today: 29.2

Whenever I come into the forest I’m always amazed by all the diversity. From the grasses to the plants to the different types of trees. When humans can learn to live this way we will have true community.

Today definitely feels like a reward for all the hard uphill work from yesterday. Today had a lot of downhill. A lot of hard downhill too with rock boulder climbing, steps which are definitely hard on the knees.

After coming out of Big Meadows I came to the PCT/TRT junction. It’s always exciting to hike on the PCT. Seeing the PCT hikers headed from Mexico to Canada is fascinating. It is awesome to meet them and hear their stories. I’m amazed by their dedication, community and passion for what they are doing.

I met two PCT hikers today, Nugget, I think maybe got his name from giving good bits of info to people. And the other was, Sweet Cakes. I didn’t ask how he got his name but I assume it was because he likes all the yummy hostess cupcake goodies when he comes into town.

Nugget gave me a good bit of advice about how to attach my sun umbrella to my pack. He had it done and it was solid. It requires buying a special clip from Zpacks (link to clip) that you can buy for six bucks and it comes with a little zip cord to attach to the bottom.

I did not meet any TRT hikers on the trail today. Only day hikers and PCT hikers.

I was excited to get to the Echo Lake Chalet today. I had been hearing about their milkshakes from the PCT hikers today. I had a chocolate shake when I got there and also got a Gatorade (Berry Blast), Hummus and a small bag of Doritos. A hiker lunch of champions! It was so nice and I ate it under the shade of the Chalet while talking with other PCT hikers.

Echo Chalet Market

After a nice long break at the Chalet. I headed out into Desolation Wilderness. Before entering I had to show my permit to the ranger. Starting July 18th they will be requiring bear canisters in this area. I already had mine so I was set.

Walking along the TRT in this section there are a lot of loose rocks and homes built right out onto Echo Lake. It is really beautiful here and I saw a lot of day hikers coming into the area with their permit and camping gear. Most of them were headed to Lake Aloha to camp for the night.

Lake Aloha is breathtaking; it reminds me of Ray Lakes on the John Muir Trail. I’d love to go here with my family sometime as it’s accessible yet it feels completely remote and away from the outside world.

Lake Aloha

My sun umbrella has come in super handy almost every day. From around 11:00 AM to around 5:00 PM it’s an absolute necessity to have. It cuts the heat down by about ten degrees.

A quick dip in Lake Aloha was great. Even just getting my shirt wet and putting it back on serves as a great makeshift air conditioning which is so helpful on these brutally hot days.

I kept walking past Lake Aloha then past Heather Lake and Susie Lake then decided to camp at Gilmore Lake for the night. It was definitely a stretch goal to get here. It’s a beautiful lake and there are two groups of campers here. I set my camp up a bit away from everyone so I could have my own space to move, make noise and get up early and head out without bothering anyone.

Wow, I can’t believe I almost hiked 30 miles today!

This evening I had the idea that I’d like to have only about ten miles on the last day so that I could either cruise into town early, fresh and dying to get a French toast breakfast with scrambled eggs. OR, I would hike those last ten miles tomorrow to get into town and get a pizza and root beer then sleep, wake up early and head home to be with my family. I’ll make the decision when I get to the top of Twin Peaks/Granite Chief tomorrow. For now, it’s time to call it a night.

Day 6: Gilmore Lake to Tahoe City!

TRT Mile: 173.5

Miles hiked today: 38.1

When you start a hike and you are on day one or two you meet other people that are on day five or six and think, “wow, they are so far into the hike and have all this great trail knowledge”… and then, at some point, it flips and you are the one with the trail knowledge and can help other people out who are just getting started on their adventure. It’s a fun feeling, but it also means you’re on the other side of the hike heading into the home stretch. Today I’m on the home stretch.

Heading up Dick’s pass this morning is a nice steady climb up and feels like one of the passes on the John Muir Trail. it’s always good to hit a pass in the morning when the sun isn’t beating down in your face. Just in general it’s a good tip to try to time it, if possible, so that the shade and coolness are on your side.

I feel like a superhero today. My legs feel like Iron Man. On the inclines I feel my legs kick into a different gear and the back of my ankles feel like extra strength is pushing into them. I guess you call this your hiker legs.

Coming down from Dick’s pass into Lake Fontanillis

Lake Fontanillis is officially my favorite lake of the entire hike. It feels very private and calm. I took a swim here and felt like I had the whole lake to myself. The trail goes right along the side of it. At the end there’s a little waterfall that goes into a smaller pool. It’s really magical. There was a guy trail running back and forth who looked SO much like the late Chester Bennington. He went by me 3 different times and we talked a bit. I didn’t mention anything about his resemblance to Chester, but it could have been his doppelganger or brother. Probably not, but it was wild and I decided to listen to Linkin Park right afterwards as I headed on down the trail.

Chillin’ at Lake Fontanillis

I’ve come to the conclusion that a long hike like the PCT is not something that I want to do. Six to 10 days is plenty enough for me. What I like about these hikes is the ability to unplug from everything and enjoy nature while remembering how grateful I am for all the amazing things in my life. My family means everything to me and I can’t wait to be back with them. I believe this trip has given me some extra insight into being with them, being present with them. I have an amazing life and I am so thankful for that and so thankful for them.

I hiked past the TRT association who were camping right at the top of Twin Peak/Granite Chief where the PCT splits away from the TRT. I stood at the top of the mountain at 6 PM with the most amazing view. Lake Tahoe on the left and Desolation on the right. It was one of the most magical views of the entire trip. Now I had to make a choice. Did I want French Toast (camp), or did I want to gun it and get Pizza. Pizza it was! Since the last ten miles were mostly downhill I decided to go for it.

Lake Tahoe on the left and Desolation on the right. Much more beautiful in person

On the way down I didn’t see any other hikers. I did see big piles of bear scat on the trail and I knew what that meant. I decided NOT to look to my left or right, but often did glance behind me to make sure I wasn’t being followed by a bear. I was focused and had Pizza on the brain.

The last two miles got dark and I had to put my headlamp on and hike in the dark. I’ve never hiked in the dark before as I like to see the views, etc. But this was different. I was on a mission and I wasn’t going to stop now.

The big payoff at the Pioneer

As I kept going I started to see lights from Tahoe City and I knew I was near. I got into town and officially ended my hike at 9:35 PM. I was SO exhausted and hungry. Luckily The Pioneer was open and they had Pizza, no root beer so I got a Sprite instead. It was absolutely delicious and I was happy I hiked those last ten miles today.

While at The Pioneer I went to the bathroom to clean up a bit. I rinsed off my legs and changed into cleaner clothes. While I was in there these guys who had been drinking a lot started to pound on the door really hard. They'd pause for a minute then start pounding again. There were two bathrooms next to each other so they had other options. Then they started pounding and yelling something to the effect of, "get out you homeless bum." At this point I started to get nervous as it was late and they were drunk. So, when the pounding stopped I went out and no one was there, but I could see the guys sitting at their table. Right then a guy who worked there motioned for me to come in the back where the kitchen was. He told me to take the back exit and I did. I was happy to avoid any confrontation but it left me wondering how it must feel to actually be homeless and judged. My heart was racing as I left, but I never encountered them after that.

I camped this last night at the trailhead and woke up at 5 AM to drive home and be there in time for breakfast… Yes, French Toast. Yum!!!!