12 Days and 168 Miles on the Tahoe Rim Trail
Hiking this trail was one of the best experiences of my life. Lake Tahoe is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. I had forgotten how much I missed being in the mountains--they are both beautiful and unforgiving, allowing you to gain only what you put in.
The images below are the result of 168 miles of hiking over the course of 12 days. As with many adventures not every photograph was taken. Obstacles like running out of water, arriving to camp by headlamp late in the night, and breaking vital camera equipment, all contributed to the day-to-day events of the trip. In the end, I came away with a collection of images that I am very proud of, not to mention a set of memories that will last a lifetime. See the full story below.
Full Story
The first day of any trip is overwhelming. I sat quietly in the passenger seat of my girlfriend’s car as she drove me to Tahoe City. There I would begin my twelve day journey hiking clockwise around Lake Tahoe on the Tahoe Rim Trail. My head was spinning a million miles a minute trying to remember if I had forgotten anything, whether or not I would come back with any good photographs, or if I would be able to reach the Stagecoach trailhead in the next six days to meet my friends.
By the second day, my mind slowly began to settle down and take in the surroundings. Throughout the morning I noticed an ominous storm-front moving in my direction. By the afternoon I had climbed to well over 9000 feet and almost completely above the tree line. There I had a completely unobstructed view of Lake Tahoe and I was far from any type of civilization. As I sat down to enjoy a snack, I watched black clouds roll into the Tahoe Basin. The wind was howling, and the cool air smelled as if the sky could open-up at any second. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Freel Peak on the south side of the lake. At that moment all my inhibitions concerning the trip vanished. My mind was calm as I sat in a front row seat to one of the best shows on earth. My camera was already out and I snapped off a few shots. I took as many pictures as I could before I had to retreat to a grove of western white pines just down the mountain. In the grove I lay hunkered down clutching my gear while the pouring rain brought a huge smile to my face. Once the storm cleared, I completed the last few miles to Gray Lake where I made camp for the evening. While making dinner I realized I was no longer worried about what might go wrong in the next 140 miles. Instead, all I could think about were the exciting new experiences that would soon unfold.
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| Self Portrait on the top of Relay Peak (10,338 ft.), the highest point on the Tahoe Rim Trail. |
The next couple of days were long and arduous. My primary concern shifted from photography to finding water. Water is very scarce on the eastern rim of the Tahoe Rim Trail, and especially so during the later months of summer and early fall. All the remaining snow fields from the previous winter dried up months ago, and it didn’t help that 2008 was a drought year. By the time I reached my camp on the third night, I had hiked twenty-two miles and was completely out of water. It was dark. I had accepted that I wouldn’t be eating a hot meal or drinking anything until I made it to Spooner Lake the next day. I wandered around the camp sorting out where I would lay my head and noticed a strange green box that looked out of place. I opened it up. To my shock and disbelief the box was filled with bottled water and a note affixed to the inside of the lid. “Water courtesy of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, FOR HIKERS ONLY!” Elated, I pinched myself, concluding that the only possible explanation for this discovery was that it was a mirage. Luckily it wasn’t. Exhausted and relieved, I cooked myself a well deserved hot meal, made a huge batch of hot chocolate and slipped into a blissful sleep.
Day Four proved a little less strenuous. The terrain was slightly easier, my legs were adjusting to the amount of hiking, and my pack was about ten pounds lighter from all the food I had consumed over the course of the trip. The warm afternoon rewarded me with inspiring views of Lake Tahoe and numerous mule deer sightings. By nightfall, I had a close encounter with a black bear--though I was unaware of it until the following morning. When I awoke, I found large bear prints encircling my tarp and sleeping bag. My guess is the bear came to check me out while looking for food, got a whiff of how bad I smelled, and probably went running for the hills…at least that is what I like to tell myself. In hindsight, it is probably better that I didn’t wake up.
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| Regina staying warm on a cold morning at Star Lake. |
Day Six could not have come sooner when I was greeted by three friends: Aaron Kutzer, his father Ralph Kutzer, and my girlfriend Regina Sanz. At last, company! After spending the first portion of the trip alone, I came to this conclusion: it is good to let the mind wander, but don’t let it wander too far or you may never get it back!
Over the next three days our group crested over Monument Pass, up to Star Lake and around the southern portion of the trail. When we arrived at Luther Pass and Hwy 89 Regina had to leave us and return to town. After saying our goodbyes, Aaron, Ralph and I continued onto our next camp at Showers Lake. The hike was absolutely stunning. We passed through golden meadows of mule ears and groves of quaking aspens leading us to the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail. (For those unfamiliar with the PCT, it is a trail that runs from Mexico to Canada along the mountain crests of California, Oregon and Washington. The Tahoe Rim Trail and Pacific Crest Trail merge and become one for 50 miles from this point.) This junction was especially exciting to me because it marked the southern most point of my adventure.
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| The trail marker where the TRT and the PCT become one. |
Day Nine came with a jolt when Ralph kicked me just before 6:00 am. I jumped out of my sleeping bag and made my way down to Showers Lake. Still not fully coherent, I began setting up my tripod on several rocks by the lake. Without warning, my foot slipped and I went crashing into the lake, camera in hand. Luckily the shallow cold water only soaked me, as I struggled to keep the camera above water. Shivering, I walked back to camp and noticed that my shutter release cable was sopping wet and several of the connector pins were broken. Unfortunately, this meant that for the rest of the trip I was forced to use the self timer on my camera for every shot that needed a long exposure.
After eating breakfast, drying off and receiving a number of laughs and cheap-shots from Aaron and Ralph, we set out for another long day of hiking. Along the way we passed by Lower Echo Lake where our friend Bryan Weis joined us with a much needed re-supply of food. Together, we continued to my most anticipated destination of the entire trip: Lake Aloha--located in the heart of Desolation Wilderness.
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| Aaron hiking on the western rim of the trail with Lake Tahoe in the backround. |
The sunrise over Lake Aloha the morning of Day Ten was the best I have ever seen. I woke up early so I would have plenty of time to set up my camera and scout out a good spot to take some photographs. I looked up and noticed a tiny ray of light illuminating the top of Pyramid Peak. Within a minute the entire Crystal Range of the Sierras was glowing with a brilliant orange hue. As the whole valley began to light up I ran around taking as many pictures as I could, knowing my short window of perfect light would soon be gone. After shooting from several different angles it struck me that one image of this breathtaking scene would never do it justice. The scene was far too big for one frame, so I decided to take a series of pictures to later stitch together into a panorama. All the shots that morning made me nervous because I no longer had a shutter release cable--I had to rely on the camera’s self timer. This ultimately gave me less control over the final image. In the end, the panorama turned out to be my favorite photo from the trip and one of the best shots I have ever taken.
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| Aaron, Ralph and Bryan hiking around Heather Lake with the Crystal Range in the backround, several miles after leaving our camp at Lake Aloha. |
From Day One of my journey, I viewed one stunning angle of Lake Tahoe after the next, climbed over remarkable mountain passes, and wandered through gorgeous amber meadows. I gazed upon pristine alpine lakes without any concern for paying bills, sitting in traffic or arriving at scheduled appointments. My mind was clear, calm and for the first time, in a long time, quiet.
On the last day, with only several miles to go, the sound of trucks and automobiles droned from the nearby highway. Sadly, I knew the end was near. As I walked into Tahoe City a flood of emotion ran through me. My mind cringed at the thought of getting back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life. On the one hand I was relieved to complete my journey, but on the other, I was not ready to leave the serenity of the last twelve days. Bryan, Aaron, Ralph and I sat at the Tahoe City trailhead, a little shell shocked, recapping the events of the trip. We concluded on only one proper course of action: go to the nearest bar, get a beer and eat a hot meal. I am pretty sure that was the best beer I have ever had.
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| Standing at the Tahoe City trailhead after completing all 168 miles of the Tahoe Rim Trail. |