Thursday, September 3rd, 2020
There was a long dry section ahead. All I had was 2 liters of water for the next 10 miles until we got to the trailhead that supposedly had a water cache. I was really hopeful. There were nice views all morning of Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe. I passed a few day hikers as I approached the Spooner Summit trailhead. I crossed I-50 and was super happy to see water caches on the other side.
Frisbee, Thunder and I ate and hydrated before we hiked another super long, dry section. From there, I made some poor decisions. I felt like I had hydrated enough to only carry 1.5 liters to get me through the 15 mile section ahead. I’m certain everyone reading this would realize this was a really dumb idea. You would all be correct.
The amount of sun exposure and the heat of the day would put me in a bad state of dehydration. I wouldn’t experience the worst effects of heat exhaustion until much later that day. I was super relieved when I finally made it to the Heavenly Ski Resort at mile 78.8. We were on a mission to find the “Fox and Hound Restaurant.” I was glad Frisbee was around to do most of the navigating for me because I wasn’t completely in my right mind at that moment.
We got to the restaurant where we hydrated, A LOT, and ate some good food. I noticed I was covered in a rash, but didn’t think too much about it. We went to the store to grab resupply for the stretch of trail ahead, but we wouldn’t go too far that night. Once it got dark, we nestled up by the lodge for the night. The moon was bright, but wouldn’t be the main thing keeping me awake. I felt really ill. My back and stomach were cramping really bad to the point where I couldn’t get comfortable. This was frustrating, but it got worse. Not only did I have muscle cramps and bad nausea, but I had to sneak off in the middle of the night due to bad diarrhea. I really should have hydrated better. I never learn.
24.2 mi + 0.2 mi Marlette Lake View alternate = 24.4 miles (39.3 km)
Jump Ahead to The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 5
Jump Back to The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 3
or
Start from the Beginning: The Tahoe Rim Trail: Part 1
Stubbs Rambles On 