One Step at a Time: A Nice Little Hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail

Jeff and I took the dogs out for a little hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail last weekend. The weather is perfect for hiking and the aspens are starting to turn. We started at the trailhead on the south side of Spooner Summit. It's a great place to start because of the big parking lot and pit toilet. Plus the grade isn't too steep and the trail levels out after about 1.5 miles.

This was my inaugural trip wearing a hiking skirt and my new Dirty Girl gaiters and I'm super pleased with both. I'll be wearing a hiking skirt from now on. I like that skirts allow for a lot of freedom of movement and keep me feeling cool and comfortable. As far as the Dirty Girls are concerned - I was a little skeptical that they'd be better than my REI scree gaiters. But how can hundreds of PCT through hikers be wrong? Well, they're awesome. They're so light and comfortable, I forget I have them on - compared to the REI gaiters, which I was conscious of pretty much all the time mainly because of the velcro scratching on my leg constantly.

The day was lovely and the trees, sagebrush, and manzanita smelled wonderful owing to some recent rain and snow. We hiked about 3 miles in and enjoyed some nice views of the lake before turning back. Even though it was a Saturday, we only saw a handful of other hikers. I love getting onto the Tahoe Rim Trail and I'm going to try to get up to Lake Tahoe at least once a week until the snow prohibits any more hikes. I just wish it didn't require a 1.5 hour drive to get there from Fallon.

Me and Jeff.

Me sporting my Marmot Riley skirt and Dirty Girls. My day pack is a cheap-o Outdoor Products "Skyline 8.0" pack that I paid $25 for at Big 5. They sell them at Wal Mart too, if that tells you anything. I love it. Comfy and plenty roomy for a 3L hydration bag, extra clothes, and snacks. It even has two hip belt pockets. I've abused the crap out of it and it keeps going. It even withstood a 6 hour downpour on the Oregon Coast without leaking.