Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020
The climb back up to return to the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT) was rocky, but not hateful. It was a fairly gentle climb. Once we were back on trail, we were climbing some more. It was long stretches of switchbacks all the way to the highest point of the TRT. It was a scenic climb, but it took too long for my liking. I think it’s because my first long distance hike was the Appalachian Trail. I prefer to go straight up and over rather than slowly zig zag to my destination.
Frisbee met me at the top and we enjoyed second breakfast before making the descent. We passed by a nice looking waterfall and a whole mess of day hikers as we made our way down to the trailhead. We decided to take another break while we were there. There were two female hikers hanging our there, and one of them had a laugh that sounded like a guinea pig. Frisbee and I exchanged smirks every time she laughed. We crossed the street and walked through a second trailhead parking area before grabbing water at the creek. The terrain was fairly, flat for a good while.
I ran into an old man with a ginormous pack who told me he was doing a shakedown hike. He wasn’t looking too good. He asked me where the next water source was. He still had a couple miles to go. I offered him some of my water. It was a really hot day through some super exposed trail, and he was all out of water. He declined my offer. After walking a little further, I was mad at myself for not insisting. I worried about him. I was happy to hear from Frisbee later that some mountain bikers insisted he take their water shortly after I crossed paths with him.
It was a slow climb up, and it looked like the wildfire smoke was creeping its way back over the lake and across the trail. Frisbee’s buddy Dan had highly recommended we take the side trail to Sand Harbor Overlook. The smoke had gotten so thick when I reached the junction, it seemed like a lost cause. I was pretty bummed out. I saw a deer as I approached the junction for Marlette Peak Campground at mile 53.6.
I hadn’t see Dr. Thunder all day. He was hustling! Once I got there, I saw him all settled down at a picnic table. He wasn’t the only one there. A group of older hikers were already set up nearby. Water was about to become pretty scarce for good while, so this was where we were staying. There was a water pump at this site, so we would do our best to hydrate well before leaving in the morning.
22.7 mi + 0.8 mi of Gray Lake alternate + 0.9 mi Marlette Lake View alternate = 24.4 miles (39.3 km)
Jump Ahead to The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 4
Jump Back to The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 2
or
Start from the Beginning: The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 1
Stubbs Rambles On 