The trail from Tahoe City starts with a few miles of pretty good climbing, so we began by hiking instead of running. On top of that, it was pretty rocky, too, as you can see some of here:
But we were rewarded with a few lake views like this:
So we hiked for awhile, until most of the climbing was done, and then did some trail running. Here's a couple more pics of the trail:
It was somewhere in this section that Chris realized that he'd left the keys to his car (which was parked at the other end) in the trunk of my car, back at the trailhead.
Too far in to turn back at that point, so we had to come up with another option. Fortunately, I had brought my phone, and miraculously, it got coverage! Chris called his wife Abby to see if she'd be willing to bring us an extra set of keys...
So we continued running - ran for just over an hour. A few more gratuitous scenery/posing shots:
And finally came to Watson Lake.
Took a little break, had a bite to eat and a stretch, and continued on. I should say: we had been curious if we were going to run into any snow up there. We did, but just a few little patches. Maybe 10 places where the snow crossed the trail, and those ranged from 5-25 feet long. Nothing impassable. Here's one of the bigger ones:
So we basically slogged the rest of the way in. Ran for awhile when it was downhill or flat, but the uphills totally sucked it out of me - don't have my altitude lungs yet. But we made it just fine - a few minutes before Abby showed up, in fact. Here's us waiting:
And my super dirty feet:
Then our heroes showed up with the keys, Abby and Chris's 5-month old Hannah:
From there, we headed down to Kings Beach and took a dunk in a VERY chilly Lake Tahoe (to reduce swelling, Chris says...)
Had a bite to eat in Tahoe City at Rosies, picked up cars and headed home. Great day.
Here are the numbers:
Trail mileage: 19.2 miles
Time on trail: 4:25
Time moving: 4:00
Time running: 2:10
3 comments:
Man! You look so tall in these pictures! How was the temperature? You guys are wearing t-shirts, but there is snow on the ground, so I was just wondering. This looks like a fantastic trail to hike (even through the snow) and get some fresh air, even if you do get some super dirty legs in the process. Although I might leave out the dip in the lake at the end- at least until late July or August when it warms up just a tad... I admire your decision to challenge yourself to complete a complete circuit of the entire Tahoe Rim Trail! :)
I forgot to ask! Did you guys match on purpose? And are those wicking shirts? :) Ha ha!
Temperature was just fine, probably in the 70s, although some sunny spots felt warmer. Like I said, there were only a few snow spots, in all-day shade or on north-facing slopes. Won't be there for long. And no, we didn't match on purpose - just seemed like the thing to wear...
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