June 30, 2020
- Start – 64 Acre Trailhead / Tahoe City (mile 120.3)
- End – Stealth spot near Barker Peak (mile 135.6)
- Daily Mileage – 15.3 miles
Today began a radically different experience than my prior 120 mies on the Tahoe Rim Trail. That’s because I am no longer solo. But more on that in a minute. First, let’s get back to where I left off in Tahoe City yesterday…
Keith and Finn were ready to pick me up as soon as I arrived 64 Acres Trailhead, and an hour later we were back at the campground where our RV was parked for the month in Reno, Nevada. The first order of business was a nice warm shower to get the past six days of grime and dirt off me. Then I’d needed to do some laundry and repack for the second part of this trip. It was all the typical town chores – but with the benefit of getting to sleep in my own bed overnight!
ADDS AND DROPS
Normally, the biggest part of any resupply is refilling my for food bag with enough meals and snacks to last me through the upcoming leg of my hike. All of my other gear normally stays the same. But, this resupply was going to be a lot different.
The first major difference was I was going to be swapping out my tent. During the first 120 miles of the TRT, I slept in my trusty Nemo Hornet 2P tent – the same exact tent I used for my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2019 and my 110-mile section hike on the Pacific Crest Trail this past January 2020. It’s a solid, lightweight tent that I know like the back of my hand, and I’ve been pretty happy with the tent overall. But there’s one major issue with trying to use it as a two-person tent instead a solo tent.
You see, the Nemo Hornet is shaped like an elongated trapezoid to make it lighter. The the foot of the tent is significantly narrower than the head of it. So, it’s more like a 1.5 person tent. It would be a really snug fit for two people sleeping in there, and they’d definitely need to sleep head-to-head to fit.
If I were snuggling with the hubby, these sleeping conditions *might* work. But this next 50-mile leg of the TRT was going to be with my 13 year old son, Finn. Neither of us was remotely interested in snuggling with the other person. And so, it was time to break out one of the other tents we carry in the RV for backpacking trips.
Based on the relatively short duration of this next leg (~3 days) – I decided to swap out my Hornet for the Nemo Dagger 2P. Yes, this was still a two-person tent, but the floor of the tent is a true square shape, thus increasing the the tent by an additional 9 square feet. This would also us to sleep head-to-foot for some extra personal space and privacy. However, since the Dagger is also about a pound heavier than the Hornet, we decided to split it up. I’d carry the the tent and footprint in my pack, while Finn carried the stakes and poles.
The second major swap to my gear was ditching the insanely heavy bear canister. As I mentioned before, I made the mistake of thinking I’d be able to just walk into an REI before this trip and buy an URSACK off the shelf. COVID-19 disrupted the supply system enough that when I arrived at the REI in Reno a few days before my hike, they were all sold out. I ordered one for in-store delivery, but it didn’t arrive until I was already out on the first section of the trail. But now, I was back in business with a much, much lighter food storage system for this leg of the trial.
All the rest of the gear swaps I made were to mitigate the cold front that just moved in. I replaced my 30-degree quilt with my warmer sleeping bag and added some hiking warmer clothes. And once I was all set, I needed to help Finn pack his own bag with everything he’d need for three days on the trail with me. (For a complete look at what’s in Finn’s pack, click HERE.)
And so, with everything in order, we had one last mission this morning before driving back to Tahoe City. We needed to stop at Sprinkle Donuts in downtown Reno to carb-load (seriously the best donuts ever!). And then a short car ride later, Keith was dropping us off back at the 64 Acres Trailhead in Tahoe City. Time to complete the rest of this trail!
MEADOWS & WILDFLOWERS
Since Tahoe City is the low point on the TRT, you know we were going to be going up today. The trail started off nice and flat on a paved bike path beside the Truckee River, and then we had a small climb before going through some more easy walking through the forests. Everything was off to a good start.
Less than an hour into our hike, we crossed path with two ladies out for a day hike with their Australian cattle dog. Finn wanted to stop and pet the dog for several minutes while I chatted, and I had to literally pull him away to get him refocused on the task at hand. Despite the distractions, we were both feeling fresh and full of energy this morning, so the miles seemed to pass without much effort. I kept checking in on Finn to make sure he was comfortable and tried to keep us at a moderate pace.
The first big landmark we passed was Page Meadow, a wide expanse of flat green that looked a bit wet and boggy. But, in the background we could make out Twin Peaks in the distance. This was also where the wildflowers began, with brightly colored blooms dotting the landscape and lining the trail. You couldn’t ask for a more tranquil start to the day in my opinion.
TAKING A BREAK
We stopped for our first break of the day about five miles into the day near Ward Creek. The trail crossed over a paved road (Ward Creek Road) and on the opposite side of the road was a nice big open area along the water. Finn was super excited to head down to the creek to fill up our water bladder and filter his water for the first time. He had so much energy, I don’t think he actually sat down and rested during the entire break. But at least I got him to eat a snack.
As we were getting up to get back on the trail, a lone day hiker came by. She seemed to be headed in the same direction as us but was making much better time given her super light load. This particular stretch of the trail followed a forest service road wasn’t much more difficult than walking down a dirt road. So far, so good.
Next up was a large area where logs were being stockpiled from some nearby forestry operations. We didn’t walk through the harvested area like I did two days ago on the way to Watson Lake, so I’m not sure where all these of bark-stripped logs came from. But, there sure were plenty of them waiting there to be transported somewhere for lumber.
After another two miles, the trail diverged from the forest road and were were back on nice, smooth single track again. The trail eventually crossed over Ward Creek on a beautiful metal bridge before climbing upward through tons of tall purple wildflowers. Partially up the trail, on our way up toward Twin Peaks, we finally caught up to the day hiker we’d seen at the end of our break. She’d been headed out to McCloud Falls – which was ever bit as lovely as all the other waterfalls I’d seen on trail.
Then it was back to the long challenging climb with frequent views of Twin Peaks in the distance. Less than a mile before we reach the junction to the summit, we decided to stop for lunch and rest. We’d knocked out 10 miles already and I knew I needed to get some food into Finn before the hunger and crabbiness had a chance to work it’s way on him. In the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
We set up our tent at the top of an open area near the trail junction with the Standford Rock Trail. In keeping with my practice thus far on the TRT, I decided to set the tent up for lunch to avoid the mosquitos and so we could have a relaxing hour-long break in the shade. There was a nice breeze too, so were quite comfortable sitting in the tent and eating and resting our feet with our shoes off.
Ten miles of hiking before lunch was a pretty admirable, and we both felt strong still. If we intended to break down the upcoming 50 miles into three days, we’d need to average 16.66 miles each day. That’s a really solid distance, and not one most 13 year old kids would be game for. But, then again, Finn wasn’t exactly going from the couch to a 50-mile hike. He’s a very active teen who’s hiked and climbed a lot over the past two years, including recently hiking to the top of Humphreys Peak (Arizona’s highest point at 12, 635′) and an equally challenging 9-mile hike down inside the Grand Canyon. So, barring any injuries, I have no doubt he’ll be able to make it the entire 50 miles.
BACK ON THE PCT
After lunch, we make it the final steep mile up to junction for the trail to Twin Peaks. Our efforts were rewarded with some snow and some spectacular panoramic views from the pass. Then it was time to make a hard left turn. This was the spot where the TRT once again merged with the Pacific Crest Trail. A right turn would send us north toward Canada, while turning left would take us to the south end of Lake Tahoe — and all the way down to Mexico if we kept going (spoiler alert: we didn’t actually go all the way to Mexico!)
Finn posed a question to me from the trail’s junction that kind of took be by surprise. Back at lunch, I told him I was only planning for us to hike as far as Barker Peak today. This would give us a little more than a 15-miler today. Although this plan fell a few miles short of our goal of 16.66 miles/day, I didn’t want to start out too big on his first day on the trail. That was a recipe for disaster.
But after summiting the pass he was feeling strong. So he asked me if maybe I’d consider hiking 20 miles today. What?!? I was taken aback by this unexpected request. We certainly had enough daylight left to hike several more hours before dark. Was he really enjoying himself THAT much out here that he wanted to hike five extra miles?? Did I underestimate his capabilities or love for the great outdoors? Or was he just riding on a wave of high altitude and great views?
I was unwilling to agree to anything concrete here on the pass, so I told him, “let’s focus on getting to Barker Peak in three miles, and once we’re there, we can decide if we want to continue on.” That answer seemed to placate him. I’d entertained his request, and now he was ready to hike on.
BARKER PEAK
As we started heading down the switchbacks we could spy McKinney Bay off in the distance and entered into the Granite Chief Wilderness. The next mile was downhill, and then we were going up a steep climb once again. All the energy Finn seemed to have at the PCT trail junction seemed to disappear on that second hill. And when we stopped to get some more water at the north fork of Blackwood Creek he said as much.
We were right at 15 miles at that point, and Finn was more than ready to start looking for a place to put up the tent and make dinner. I knew his ambition earlier this afternoon was too good to be true. And, I’m super glad I’d been non-committal when he floated the plan of a 20-mile day so that he didn’t feel backed into a decision to go on a death march for two more hours this evening.
At the creek, we each gathered two liters of water to get us through dinner and breakfast and began looking for a place to make camp. About 1/3 mile up the trail we found a nice flat open area on Barker Peak that seemed to meet our needs. Ample room to set up the tent. A nice log to sit on and enjoy our dinner. And more sublime views of McKinney Bay to our east.
As I gathered all the tent parts together and began setting up our shelter, Finn decided he was going to find somewhere to go pre-dig us a cathole – just in case one of us needed it tonight or first thing in the morning. The tent went up quick and easy, but as I put the rainfly on I realized I’d made one critical mistake. I didn’t bring enough stakes. I’d grabbed my bag of six ultralight tent stakes for my Horney, not the bag that came with this tent – which needed eight tent stakes. Doh!
With the four ends of the tent secured, I needed to make a decision. Each vestibule required two more tent stakes, so I could use my two remaining tent stakes to securely stake out one of the vestibules and improvise on the other side. Or, I could try to use one tent stake on each side of the tent and have two semi-taut vestibules.
I went with option number one.
And when Finn returned from digging his cathole, I let him know that we were going to primarily go in and out of one side of the tent (i.e., the side I’d staked out), while the other vestibule would be our storage area. I took the two loose cords attached to that side the rainfly on the “storage” vestibule, wrapped them around stick I scavenged, and anchored each one between some heavy rocks.. Not perfect, but it would work for the next two nights on the trail.
ALPENGLOW
With the tent set up, I got to work making dinner while Finn got cleaned up and changed into his camp clothes. Since we weren’t that far from our water source, we each took turns heading back to the creek to rinse off our legs and wash off our faces. The cold water, plus a few baby wipes, did its job and we settled in to enjoy dinner while the sun started to set.
After eating, I was off taking photos McKinney Bay when Finn came to get me said he had something I HAD to see. As most parents know, when your child comes to you with urgency and excitement, you have to take it with a grain of salt. It might be something of little consequence (e.g., hey, look at this cool bug). But, every once in a while it’s actually something objectively important or worth your attention.
In this case, it really was something 100% worthwhile. While I was fixated on the views of Lake Tahoe off in one direction, Finn was checking out the mountains on the other side of the ridgeline. And what a spectacular sight they were. Not only were they covered in snow, but it was the perfect example of alpenglow. The setting sun was reflecting off the top of the mountains in a way that made them seem to almost glow. And, I probably would have missed sight completely if I’d been out here hiking solo. Talk about majestic beauty!
DAY 7 OVERVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS
- It was a nice easy day back on the trail where we didn’t have force the miles. The scenery was sublime and it was a good introduction to long-distance hiking for Finn.
- The alpenglow over the mountains was probably my favorite scene on the Tahoe Rim Trail thus far! Add in spectacular views of Lake Tahoe in the opposite direction and I was in heaven. I’m not sure we could have picked a better spot on trail to set up camp tonight.
CHALLENGES
- Today’s biggest challenge was to remembering to keep a slower pace, take more frequent breaks, and regularly check in with Finn about his feet, fatigue, and water consumption. After all, I don’t want to have to carry him out of the backcountry.
- Discovering that I was two stakes short for our tent. Clearly, I made some faulty assumptions back at the RV about this tent’s requirements. Lesson learned – set up the tent at least once BEFORE you get to the trailhead!
PHOTO OF THE DAY
