Sunday, August 16, 2015

My One Successful Trip So Far this Summer

I had big backpacking plans for this summer.  I was going to thru hike the Tahoe Rim Trail and try to get onto any trail as much as possible.  Sadly, I misjudged just how bad my plantar fasciitis is.  So far, I've gone on exactly one backpacking trip and that was back in June.  I tried to go on one other trip but was defeated a mere 4 hours into the trip.  More on  that later.

My one successful trip was on the Tahoe Rim Trail.  I started at the Spooner Summit trailhead and hiked into Marlette Campground.  A very fun trip.  I've day hiked the first part of this section of the Tahoe Rim Trail a few times and thought it was OK.  Kind of blah scenery wise but OK.  I, like so many other day hikers, have always stopped at the North Canyon Campground trail intersection.  It's about 4 miles to that point, making for an 8 mile round trip.  But just 1.5 miles past the intersection, the views really open up and can be quite spectacular.


View of Star Peak.

A typical view in the first 5 miles.  Carson Valley in the distance. The road cuts visible on the hillside are Highway 50.
The first 5 or so miles of this section are a steady climb - although by no means grueling.  On a scale of 5 where 1 is easy and flat and 5 is an uphill death march, I'd give this a 3, maybe a 3.5.  After about mile 5, the views to the west open up and there's a great view of Lake Tahoe and Marlette Lake below.  In June there were tons of pretty little purple wild flowers.  But what surprised me the most were the pieces of petrified wood I saw along this section.

Hillside walk about 5 miles in.  Marlette Lake is just barely visible in the center left of the photo.

Expansive view of Lake Tahoe.
Sagey open walking.
 After about mile 6, the trail flattens out and there is a nice walk through a high meadow that eventually leads to some stunning views of Eagle Valley (Carson City), Reno, and Mt. Rose and Slide Mountains.  As a nearly life-long resident of Northern Nevada and having grown up in Reno, it was a thrill to see Mt. Rose and Slide "at their level."
Big piece of petrified wood. 
Looking north toward Mr. Rose and Slide Mountain.  Marlette Lake below.



My one complaint about this section is that both of my maps - the Tahoe Rim Trail Association's official map and the National Geographic Recreation map for the Tahoe Basin - gave incorrect mileage.  Both said it was about an 8 to 8.5 mile hike to the campground.  In truth, it's about 10 miles. Not a huge deal but I was mentally prepared for 8 miles and had only packed enough water for that distance.  In the end, it was OK and I made it to the campground with plenty of water to spare but I do wish the maps were a bit more accurate.

Oh - I should mention that my dog, Dexter, accompanied me.  He carried his own water and food in his doggie backpack.  He did VERY well!  I was very proud of him for being so stoic.  He was very obedient and walked behind me the entire trip.  He even slept in the tent with me and didn't bark or cause problems, even though he was highly curious about the other campers - especially the hammocks they were sleeping in.  Am I inspired to do more backpacking with him?  Maybe but 1 or 2 day trips only.  His backpack was a nearly constant annoyance to me, having to be adjusted every few minutes.  Even the slightest imbalance in the load would result in it slipping to one side.  At one point, I turned around to find that it had slipped completely under his belly.  I spent A LOT of time adjusting and re-adjusting it and fiddling with his water bottles to make sure his water was evenly distributed.  But more than anything, I'm a little unsure that he had a good time.  He was glued to me for the trip and seemed a little scared occasionally.  It was very windy toward midday and he seemed scared and unsure about it.  He never ran away but he might have run off had he been more scared.  I really don't like the idea of losing my dog in the middle of a backpacking trip.  Maybe more trips will help his confidence.

Anyway, I'd heard not so great things about the Marlette Campground, so I was a little leery about and unsure about what I would find.  I'd heard it described as "creepy" and "weird."  I don't know why others complain about it, I found it to be very nice.  What a luxury to sit at a picnic table to have dinner and to have a well that pumps icy cold potable water!  Not to mention a nice pit toilet and bear boxes.  I guess some people prefer more of a wilderness experience.  I did find a spot where some backpackers had scraped a shallow hole to dispose of their trash.  Gross.  I packed it out for them. Double gross.

My campsite with my Easton Rimrock1 tent.  It's maiden voyage.  I like it very much!

Trash left by other backpackers in a shallow hole.  Gross.

The next day, I hiked back the way I'd come.  I met up with a yellow bellied marmot on the ridge above Marlette Lake.  He was not inclined to be photographed as he scampered away when I got too close to the rocks he calls home.  I took a nice break at that spot and tried to sneak up on him for another photo but he sensed my plan and scuttled away before I could get the camera ready.

I did kind of bad thing on the way out.  With the trail mostly downhill on the return trip, I basically walked the entire 10 miles with only one break.  I tend to do this on downhill sections.  I'm not tired so I forget to get off my feet every few miles.  By the time I made it back to the truck, my plantar fasciitis was flaring up so badly, I could barely put weight on my foot.  I also was not good about giving water to Dexter.  He had hardly drank any water the day before, so I assumed he didn't need much.  But on our one break at the marmot's rock, I gave him some water and he ended up drinking over a liter in one go, which is a lot for a 50 pound dog.  I felt terrible about that!

After our hike, I took Dexter to In 'N' Out Burger in Carson City and ordered a cheeseburger and fries for myself and a plain meat patty for Dexter.  He thought that was a great treat!  All-in-all I really enjoyed my little trip and would highly recommend this section.  And for you day hikers - push on past the North Canyon Campground trail and you will be treated to some beautiful views.

Here are some photos from our return trip:


Stunning.





I love it when trails hug the edge of hills like this.

The marmot's rock.  He's just barely visible on the rock to the left.



No comments:

Post a Comment