Overview
This was Anne's second trip to the Lake Tahoe area, but I had been to the lake many times during the early to mid '80s. This was also the first time that we had an opportunity to tour some of the attractions and to get in a descent hike. From my previous trips I know that the water in the lake really is crystal clear and the deep blue water does, often, look like a sparkling jewel placed in a setting of dark green forest. On this trip the sky was mostly cloudy and it rained on and off the entire weekend. Even though we enjoyed the cool air and even the light rain, it would have been nice to see that deep blue once again.
It rained on and off all night, and pretty hard at one point. It was still raining when I got up at about 4:30 a.m. (local time). But by the time I finally got out of bed at 6:30 a.m. it had stopped. We decided to try a hike anyway.
Tahoe Rim Trail
It was a bit chilly for Anne, but I enjoyed the cloudy, cool weather. We drove north to Spooner Summit and found the Tahoe Rim Trail trailhead, on the south side of Highway 50, just over the summit on the Carson City side, in an old rest area that has been abandoned. There is parking there for quite a few cars, and it has a portable toilet (fairly clean) and an informational kiosk. There is no water available at the trailhead.
The entire Tahoe Rim Trail is about 178 miles long, and, as one would expect, it circles the entire lake. We did a five mile portion from Spooner Summit to South Camp Peak, an area referred to in some places as Lake View.
The trail starts out on an uphill slope, but uses many long switchbacks, so it isn't too bad. It is rated as a moderate hike. The trail is in generally good condition. It is mostly packed sand, but it is rocky and narrow in several places. There are not too many really steep spots, and where it is steep, it does not keep that grade for any distance. Probably the steepest and rockiest portion is the approach to the clearing along the northwestern slope of South Camp Peak.
The peak area is open and rocky, with at least three prominent rock outcrops that provide view points of the lake. From these vantage points you can see the entire lake, from north to south and east to west. There is a great view of the Desolation Wilderness, to the southwest, as well.
While viewing the lake we spotted an unusual chipmunk (at least for us). It had a golden-orange "jacket" over its shoulders and down to about midway on its waist. This "jacket" also covered its front legs. The back portion of the critter had the stripes and spots, just like what we would think of as a typical chipmunk. (We checked the Peterson Field Guide to Mammals when we got home and found this to be the Golden-mantled Squirrel, and not a true chipmunk after all.)
Bikers use this trail, so listen for their sometimes rapid approach. If they don't see you around a corner or stand of trees, they might plow right on through you, especially when they are going down hill. Some move very quickly and some seem to be quite reckless in their use of the trail. All of the bikers we met today (and most bikers that we've met on other trails) seem to be courteous and conscientious about their use of the trail, and sharing it with hikers.
On the way in we met two middle aged women on their way back to the trailhead, at about the 2.5 mile point. They were the only hikers we met on the entire hike. On our way back, we met two male bikers, then one female biker, another male biker close to the trailhead, and then, right above the trailhead there was a trio of would be hikers and a young baby. This group consisted of two males and a female. The female was trying to push one of those large wheeled baby joggers up the trail. As good as the trail is, it is still too narrow and too rocky in many places for that sort of a contraption. After a short way they turned around and came back and headed across the highway to another trailhead on that side.
The morning was cloudy, but we got lucky and it didn't rain while we were on the trail. Our legs and old blisters held up fine. It was a good hike. There are trail guides available at the kiosk at the trailhead.
Our GPS readings at the trailhead were: 24 feet accuracy; 7,840 feet elevation; N 39 06 199; W 119 53 724. At Lake View: 17 feet accuracy; 8,713 feet elevation; N 39 03 735; W 119 53 987. Our stopping point was 4.89 miles from the trailhead, for a round trip hike of 9.74 miles. We averaged 2.8 m.p.h. walking, and 2.2 m.p.h. overall (including stops).
On our way out I spotted an interesting gray squirrel sitting on the branch of a pine, about 20 feet off the ground. It had a cream colored stomach. It was eating a large yellow pine cone (it was still soft, or fresh), tearing off the separate sections to get to the seed inside. The discarded sections dropped to a pile beneath the tree. There were quite a few discarded sections littering the area around that tree, and several other trees in the area. (After checking Peterson's Field Guide and the information on the kiosk at the trailhead, we've decided that it is a Chickaree, also known as a Douglas Squirrel.)
We also spotted quite a few small chipmunks flitting through the woods and across the rocks. There weren't many birds, but we did spot a small, gray bird that flitted about on the sides of trees. The head was solid white with a band of dark slate gray running from its neck (back) across the top of its head and down its face. It had a long, yellow beak.
We noticed the variety of trees (evergreens) in the area. There were many places along the trail that had been affected by forest fire, probably several years ago, because the scrub vegetation (manzanita, etc.) has grown back considerably. Another thing we noticed was the lack of flowers. We must have missed the season, although we didn't see much evidence that they had even been there. The "mule ears" had dried flowers, and there were a few scattered red flowers, and I saw one very delicate plant with tiny white flowers, but that was about it.
The trail also passes through some areas that have been logged. I don't know if that happened before or after the fire or fires. |
