Tahoe Rim Trail 2022

Miles : 41.2 - 50.1  Photos : Lake Aloha + Echo Lake A month later and I arrived back where I left off on the Tahoe Rim Trail! It took several weeks for the Oak Fire to be put out, and the smoke to clear from Tahoe, but I feel like the wait will be worth it. I once again took the morning train + bus ride from Central Valley up to Tahoe. This time I decided to skip the hostel stay and just sent it back to Echo Lake where I was before. I texted trail angel Leilani after I ate some lunch and she was happy to give me a ride. Very generous! Within the hour I was starting my trek into the famous Desolation Wilderness.  The main site today was Lake Aloha. A huge lake full of little islands, and stunning mountains in the background. Saw lots of day hikers making their way back from there as I was going to it. Definitely a local favorite. I soaked my feet while taking in the views and then took a small nap on some rocks near the shore while my feet dried. It was heavenly. Getting up to...

Miles : 0 Photos : Smoke at the Hostel + AQI in Tahoe Last night one of the desk attendants at the hostel told me some news that smoke from the Oak Fire, a forest fire that started the day before, would be blowing in overnight. I thought it wasn’t going to be a problem based on an article I read online which boasted that the air quality wouldn’t be affected. I was skeptical but had to wait until morning time to evaluate my next move. When I woke up, I could smell the smoke instantly. When I checked the AQI near Echo Lake, the readings were ranging from 200 - 299. I had three options. Hike in the smoke, wait out the smoke in Tahoe, or bail and come back when the weather is better.  I wasn't gonna risk my health by hiking so that wasn’t my choice. I knew that the smoke from the Washburn fire was in Tahoe a few weeks ago and it blew over in a few days but since that’s not a guarantee for this fire I didn’t want to spend my money and time in Tahoe.  I decided the third option was ...

Miles : 26.1 - 41.2 Photos : PCT Junction + Phone Wallpaper Material Woke up this morning feeling really nauseous and exhausted. I had to hold in my gut to prevent myself from vomiting out my breakfast. I packed up and right before I was about to pack my tent, I sat for 10 minutes and thought about what I was going to do. I could either go back 3 miles to the nearest road and head into town or go forward towards Echo Lake 15 miles away and decide what to do during the day. I thought I should just keep pushing and if I ended up regretting it, I would just use that as a lesson for the future to bail when needed. I took the riskier option and decided to head forward.  The sick feeling went away after 20 minutes of hiking or so. Maybe I just needed fresh morning air pumped into my lungs? Not exactly sure.  I eventually made it to the junction where the PCT and TRT meet. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous. Large meadows, and tall cliffs nearby, with the trail right in the midd...

Miles : 13.4 - 26.1 + 4 “bonus” miles    Photos : Mountain Viewing + Through the Fields + Camouflaged Ditty Bag Today had its ups and downs. The views on the trail were so much different than yesterday. I was gazing upon large mountains leading up to Tahoe, big expansive meadows, and a nice view of Lake Tahoe itself! Surprisingly, the lake doesn’t come into view that much on trail. Only twice so far. Maybe that will change once I get further north. I had a goal of doing at least 17 miles today to push myself, and I was on track to accomplish it until I got to mile 11.5. I was finishing up filtering water putting my filter back into my front mesh pocket, and after feeling around in there realized that I left my ditty bag containing my electronics, medical kit, and repair kit 2 miles behind where I was. This realization happened when I was in the middle of a large mountain, so it was absolutely demoralizing when I realized I had to go all the way back down and right back to wher...

Miles : 0.0 - 13.4 Photo : Starting the Tahoe Rim Trail Started my hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail today! Feels good to be hiking what should’ve been my first big shakedown for the PCT. Better late than never! The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 174-mile trail that loops around Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America. I am doing the trail clockwise, starting and ending at the Kingsbury South Trailhead.  My journey here started yesterday at 4:00 AM with my Dad driving me an hour to the train station to start a 6-hour train + bus ride from Central Valley to Lake Tahoe. He has been driving me all around southern California the last few months during my PCT attempt so it was nice to have a shorter drive. I eventually arrived in the middle of Stateline, the touristy part of Tahoe where California and Nevada meet. I ate some lunch, got food for today’s dinner, and instead of going to the trailhead as planned, I went to the Mellow Mountain Hostel. I tend to get extremely poor sleep before a...