Tahoe Rim Trail

High and dry in the sierra nevada

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

So the question still remains, what is one to do when the snow just refuses to fly? In comparison to last winters 800+ inch puke-fest, this winter’s accumulation seems like a poor attempt at a cruel joke. The shoulder season around Tahoe can always be a hard time for outdoor pursuits. There’s not enough snow for true backcountry skiing, or even cross-country skiing, yet a bit too much to go for a trail run or day hike. It’s been unseasonably cold, but not quite enough for sustained good ice for climbing, and just a tad too cold on the digits for rock pursuits. The persistent melting of the precious little snow we have received leaves a nice icy mud glaze upon most surfaces. Having been unemployed for the last month due to the lack in snow, I’ve been asking myself the very question posed above as a daily mantra.

Feeling a sufficient dose of cabin fever and wanting to stretch the legs a bit, I spontaneously decided to head out for a walk about along the 165 mile Tahoe Rim Trail. Food supplies were purchased, gear was selected and packed, and within 36hrs of making an impulse decision, I found myself standing at the trailhead parking lot just outside of Tahoe City. Blues skies abound as I made the final adjustments to my trekking poles and before I knew it I was making one step in the direction that would ultimately lead me back to where I began.

I had previously seen the western side of the Tahoe Rim trail in 2004 as it parallels the PCT for 50 odd miles, so the exciting part of the trip would be exploring the other 2/3rds of the trail I had yet to see. I opted to start in Tahoe City and go clockwise for a few reasons. That trailhead is the closest to my front door, just incase the weather turned I would have sufficient time to see these new areas and I wanted to save (potentially) the best part for last; the beautiful and stunning Desolation Wilderness. I figured tromping through those familiar miles would conjure nostalgia and be a good ending to the hike. The one major disadvantage to going with this approach was I would be hiking through the driest parts of the trail with my heaviest load in food weight. I didn’t want to take the time to resupply along the way and knew such convenient places like Echo Lake Resort would be closed for the season. Having only 6 days of food with me and given the cooler temps, I knew my water consumption wouldn’t be that great, so I felt these few downsides were overshadowed by the benefits to be gained.

Day 1: Tahoe City - South of Martis Peak, 24.8mi

I parked my truck around 10 am at the Fairway Drive trailhead and stashed my key. Being situated next to a daycare, and just down the road from a fire station, this seemed like a low-key enough parking lot to ward off temptation for thieves and lurkers without much pause for alarm.

The first few miles of any trail are really just trying to pick up the subtle cues and nuances of it’s personality. How often will the trail be marked? How will it be graded? How well has it been maintained? Will it try and venture off to every possible scenic point or pave a straight and efficient point A to point B approach. All of these questions would factor into the inevitable situation and question of ‘how easy is it going to be to pick up the trail when I reach any snow covered areas?’. Thanks to the recreational residents of Tahoe, in most areas there would be refrozen footprints to follow through the trickiest areas. I would say as a whole 80% of the trail was melted out and snow free during the week I was out.

I spent most of the day trying to break into a routine and doing what I like best about hiking; thinking and observing. In the span of the first few hours I had completely designed and built my own house, a project that has been on my mind for quite sometime now. Most of the day the trail followed rolling treed expanses with the occasional visa ridge or glimpse down to the Lake below.

Nearing dusk, I was approaching the crossing of Hwy 267 at Brockway Summit. Looking ahead I thought the climb up to Mt Baldy (9,271ft) would offer a scenic overlook of the lake and a befitting place to observe the full moon that night. Many day hikers and bikers were rounding out their day as I passed through the trailhead parking lot. Many offered vicarious comments of how beautiful the evening campsite had potential for. I couldn’t have agreed more. One of my favorite times of the day to hike are when the wee slivers of light dance across the sky as the sun begins it’s final bow for the day. I continued on for about an hour and a half past dusk until I found the perfect established site just south of Martis Peak.

In my gear selection I opted to go a little more on the creature comfort side of things and opted out of the cuben tarp and upgraded to the roomy Easton Kilo tent. The additional warmth and sense of protected space would be a much welcomed change over the light and airy tarps I typically carry.

Day 2: South of Martis Peak - Spooner Lake Hut, 36.3mi

My day started off like many along the entire Rim Trail, spectacular sunrises and colors cast over the Lake. A quick collapse of camp had me hitting stride around 07:45am. A bit of an oversleep compared to my planned 06:30am wake-up. The ascent up to Mt Baldy is a gradual affair with plenty of views to the North and back onto the Lake. Hikers are rewarded for their efforts with an 8mi contour high above treeline. These sections of trail are always some of my favorite. Contouring trail, with good footing and scenic vistas is a trifecta that is hard to beat.

I passed two ski resorts during the day, Mt Rose and Diamond Peak, both equally desperate to conserve the few precious white strips of skiable terrain they have left. It was an odd contrast between my efforts and theirs. Myself in shorts and trail runners self propelled down a dusty trail, and them, skiing groomed corduroy in insulated apparel working on their goggle tans. That’s one of the things I love best about this area in general, the endless outdoor options and pursuits that can be had when conditions are right. During the same day I would pass mountain bikers, downhill skiers, hikers, trail runners and a few climbers. All within eye shot of the trail.

The trail on the eastern side of the Lake contours beautifully and oscillates between arid views down in the Carson City area of Nevada and the canopied expanses of the Sierra Nevada. the trail really lives up to it’s name in this section as you really get a sense that you’re riding the rim of a giant glass bowl.

One major detour I was looking forward to during the day was checking out a few backcountry huts that I had seen depicted on the map. I’m always on the look out for rustic, isolated backcountry huts to visit, especially once the ski touring season picks up. The few I had in mind where between Spooner Lake and Marlette Lake. In order to maximize my efficiency in incorporating them along my route, I decided to head cross-country briefly, and drop off Marlette Peak and head straight for the frozen namesake lake just below. By directly crossing the lake I could meet up with the North Canyon Trail located on the western bank of the lake. This would carry me down to Spooner Lake where I could meet back up with the Rim trail by Spooner Summit. Having guided trips in the winters of Minnesota, I felt competent on my ice assessment and it added an exciting element to the trip after a long day of dusty trail. Boot ice-skating could very well become the next extreme sport!

The huts I discovered are part of a cross country network of trails in the winter time. They range in comfort from the primitive and free sheperd’s hut located just off North Canyon Rd, with wood burning stove and complimentary rat turds. In contrast, the elaborate and posh Spooner Lake Hut and Wildcat Hut, which sports full propane stove, lights, bedding and furnishings, is a backcountry retreat in all sense of the word, but comes at the hefty price tag of $160 a night. Not conducive to the ski bum budget, let a lone the unemployed ski bum. I opted to sleep on the porch of the hut for $0.00.

Day 3: Spooner Lake Hut - Armstrong Pass, 31.5mi

Coldest morning by far of the trip. I think temps were below 15 degrees over night, with a reported 24 degrees in the confines of my tent as recorded by my Vector watch. I was definitely glad I packed the Thermawrap for cold morning starts like this. I try not to ever wear my down camp parka for hiking, so this secondary synthetic puffy was a perfect layer for cold mornings like this and quick snack breaks along the trail.

I was most excited for the day to check out Heavenly Resort and Freel Peak, the highest point around the lake at 10,881ft. Since I recently received a gift card to ski at Heavenly, I would use the time to scout future lines and get a feel for what the resort had to offer. Additionally I was eager to see if a cross country ridge traverse of Freel would be possible along the way without too much delay.

There is a bit of a confusing half-completed reroute that is taking place between Daggett Pass (Hwy 207) and the Van Sickle Connector Trail, so be advised of that. It seems like rough cut trail is in place on the south side of the highway, leaving a short section to be completed from the highway north to join back into the TRT. The only other unenjoyable part of the whole trip was being passed by some renegade dirt bike riders just south of Freel Peak, definitely not a designated motorized vehicle area.

The backside of Heavenly looks particularly enjoyable, albeit closed at the moment due to lack of snow. Nice steep chutes and alpine bowls to be had. It was a little discerning to see how much snow we’ll need as a base to cover up all of the down trees and debris before one can truly ski carefree without worry of snagging a ski on something buried below.

The Freel Peak area is definitely worth a visit, even if it’s just for a day endeavor. There are plenty of shorter local access points and you can really feel the terrain begin to change in contrast t other areas around the Lake. It almost has a High Sierra feel to it with some of the high alpine lakes and occasional granite outcrops. By far one of my favorite spots on the whole trip was passing by Star Lake just before dusk. My original plan earlier that morning was to try and get to Star Lake mid-afternoon so I would have ample time to consider a ridge traverse of Freel that would entail leaving the TRT at Star and heading to the saddle between Job Sister and Freel. From there I would be able to summit Freel and begin a descent back to the TRT via Armstrong Pass. Given it was about an hour before dark and I couldn’t get a view of the backside of Freel, I decided that the Freel traverse would probably be better suited for another time. The Lake Tahoe Basin map I was carrying left a lot to the imagination with a scale of 1:63,360 and 100ft contour lines.

Day 4: Armstrong Pass - Rockbound Valley, 30.6mi (+5mi)

I woke this morning and realized that at some point during my night hike the previous evening, I had inadvertently dropped my camera, presumably while putting it back into my hip pocket. In remembering where I had taken my last photo, I wagered that I probably had a 5mi round trip ‘hide and seek’ mission ahead of me. This would have only made for the 5th camera I have either, lost, dropped, water damaged or jammed with sand in my course of outdoor pursuits. Thankfully I awoke extra early that morning, and on the bright side I would get to see some of the land features I could only see silhouetted by the moonlit night sky.

The stretch of trail from Armstrong Pass to Tucker Flat is another example of effortless ridge top walking. Views to be had back onto the Lake, South Lake at this point, craggy Freel Peak to the northeast and the Carson Range to the south. The trail has one flaw in this section though. In attempting to stay high and true to the rim, it does a huge 15 mile lollypop around the Upper Truckee River. In wanting to make up for lost time with yesterday’s lost camera error, and wanting to see yet more new terrain, I opting to again diverge from the Rim Trail and take a stroll along the Hawley Grade, cutting nearly 10 miles from the day’s mileage. Sometimes creating your own route is more exciting in execution than blinding following a set path. The thrill of wondering whether or not your route ideas will materialize from map to land is enough to keep the navigation focus high.

It was a great moment to reunite with the PCT just south of Echo Lake. I only remembered bits and pieces of the Desolation Wilderness, so I was eager to see how much I remembered and how things might have changed. I forgot about all of the little summer cottages along the Echo Lakes. I couldn’t resist the temptation to snoop around and maybe get some home construction ideas.

Th Desolation Wilderness truly is a little gem of protected land around the Greater Tahoe region. Getting into the Lake Aloha area is always such a surreal place to venture. It’s hard to tell where land ends and water begins from shore line perspective. I spent most of my time scouting potential ski lines and dreamt of a week base camping in this area later this winter. Yet another day of beautiful twilight only added to the experience.

I had another route option to decide upon just north of Lake Aloha, continue on northward on the PCT, or divert one drainage to the west and have a scout of Mosquito Pass. The urge for always seeing something new won over yet again, so into the Rockbound Valley I ventured. The cirque by Clyde Lake is truly stunning and very reminiscent of the High Sierra.

Day 5: Rockbound Valley - Alpine Meadow, 26.5mi

I spent most of my last night , looking over route options for the final day and pondering what might be my best bang for my buck. I came to the conclusion that continuing north on the PCT past Twin Peak, where the TRT and PCT diverge, and popping out at Alpine Meadow ski resort would ultimately be much more scenic and fulfilling than the lower treed route the Rim Trail takes into Tahoe City, Plus, I would get a chance to see yet another ski resort’s terrain along the way and if I timed things right, maybe get to Alpine in time to catch last chair down to the parking lot.

This final leg of the trail was probably the snowiest. Most north facing aspects were still holding 10-20” of rotten snow and glazed ice, which made for slightly slower progress than I was hoping. The stretch of trail from Barker Pass north is such a phenomenal section of trail, it nearly tempted me to continue north and figure out the logistics of getting back to my truck later. If I had enough food, I would have seriously considered continuing past Squaw Valley and aim for Anderson Peak where the Benson Hut is. The section between I-80 south to Squaw is one of the best ski tours in the area and I hoping to make it back out this way once the dirt turns to snow.

In the end I made it to the upper lift at Alpine just as ski patrol was making their final sweeps of the mountain for the evening. I had the place to myself to make some boot ski turns down the resort. I’m sure I raised a few brows as people pondered what I must have been up to and where I came from. The bulk of the trip I had two things in mind motivating me each day, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s for dinner and a coffee/hot chocolate for the drive home. The Rim trail was the perfect reprise from he depressive state that everyone is feeling this winter season due to the lack of snow. As I sit and type this nearly two weeks after the trip, I start to hear the first snow flakes hitting the roof on what’s hyped to be the storm that gets our snow season kicked off.

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The spirit that guides. The symbolic trail markers decorate the Lodgepole pines along the 165mi Tahoe Rim Trail. Always a constant reminder of how far there is to go, and just how blue that big lake really is.

Dry, dusty trail encountered for much of the route.

Typical frozen water sources. Much time was spent walking around lake shores looking for weaknesses in the ice.

(left) Stunning splash of light upon the last minutes of lake view. (right) Setting up the Kilo under moonlight.

Tempting to want to sleep in when over nights temps are in the teens or twenties, but with sunrises and great trail like this, it’s hard to not want to get out and greet the day.

(above) Views down into the Nevada side of Tahoe. A welcome reprise from Lake view.

(top right) Lift at Diamond Peak, just above the trail corridor.

(right) The precious strip of white amongst a sea of brown. Diamond Peak resort.

(above) An overview of the xc route involved. Descending Marlette Peak towards Marlette Lake.

(left) Crossing of Marlette Lake to join the North Canyon Trail. The ice was over 18” thick in most places. More than enough!

A collection of frozen water sources. A constant theme throughout the hike.

(above) Two hours of perfect night hiking along the Feel Peak Basin.

(right) A view of Star Lake with the ridge up to Job’s Sister (10,823ft) in the background.

(above) A much needed break in the warmth of the sun.

(right) Huge Juniper tree north of Freel Peak

One of many ‘busting ass’ sequences survived over the course of the week. This one immortalized on film.

(above) last morning in the Kilo. Breakfast in bed is always a treat. (above right) Frozen lake, Desolation Wilderness. (right) Final ridge traverse and view of the Lake heading into Alpine Meadows.