The Chances: Sep 8, 2008

Monday, September 08, 2008

The Tahoe Rim Trail is a trail that goes 165 miles around the perimeter of Lake Tahoe in California & Nevada. They have it separated into 8 sections so you can finish it without having to do the entire trail at once.

With the hike I did on Saturday, I've now completed all 165 miles! I had wanted to complete it last year, but my mother's illness made that impossible. I mentioned this to the TRT Association person on the phone, and she said, "Some people take ten years!" I found that funny, since the trail was only completed in 2001. :)

Saturday was my final Tahoe Rim Trail hike. That's right, I've now completed all 165 miles! For a while now I've not brought my DSLR because it's so big, but I also didn't have any pictures. This time, I decided to bring it and deal with the extra weight.

I played around, trying to attach the camera bag to myself. It's amazing with a bag that size, it's a game because you have to have the camera accessible or you won't use it, but the camera's so big, it gets in the way of mobility. I attached it to the pack's waist belt, and latched it so it wouldn't swing around. It worked surprisingly well, although it still got in the way of my left leg a bit.

So, yes, I'm back! I slept in until 10:30 yesterday morning, and enjoyed every minute. My wife told me she's glad I finished the TRT, that the day after I'm always grouchy and sore. Hmmph!

Like the last one, this one had views of Lake Tahoe for quite a while. In fact, as we started there was a great view as we ascended.

Here's a quick Google Earth view of the entire trail, this one according to the trail posting was 19.2 miles. At the end, the GPS showed 19.5 miles, but National Geographic TOPO! only showed 18.86. Well, close enough.

Also unlike many of the segments, this one wasn't stuck under trees the whole time, we could actually see quite a bit. The person who took this picture managed to get my gut in the sun. Thanks.