Gray Lake to Watson Lake

Mileage: 16.4 miles (+0.8 mile side trail), total 69.2 miles

Campsite elevation: 7,762 feet

Last night was fairly uneventful and although it was prime bear territory we didn’t have any nocturnal visitors. The campsite was fairly noisy though and being so close to water there was an cacophony of frogs carrying on until close to midnight.

We headed back up the side trail which was a detour of nearly a mile to rejoin the TRT. Campsite choices here are dictated by water sources. Today we have a stretch of 17.5 miles when you include the side trail to our next water source and campsite at Watson Lake.

The trail followed the contours along a ridge line for the first part of the day. We are now crossing along the northern part of the lake and begin heading south later today along the western shore and will reach Tahoe City tomorrow.

The morning had stunning views and nice forest stretches in what was basically a 10 mile downhill to Brockway Summit. There were no sketchy snow traverses and as we descended the snow disappeared.

We passed lots of day hikers who were all keen for a chat and wanted to know how much further it was to their destination. Then there are the trail runners who bound past you at 5 min/km up a steep hill looking hardly out of breath. Usually followed by a dog looking in dire need of a drink. We are convinced they walk until they see someone coming the other way and then sprint energetically past you.

We finally reached Brockway Summit around 1pm just in time for a lunch break and relaxation before tackling the 6 mile uphill which was to come.

The afternoon was fairly uneventful climbing up to Watson Lake campsite. It was noticeable given we were only at 7,500 ft how much easier the climb was and our pace was much more sustainable.

We climbed up through meadows and after pausing to fill our water bottles for camp, arrived at Watson Lake. This is a campsite accessible by car so is quite crowded.

We ended up having a good chat with our tent neighbour who invited us to sit by the fire. A few other neighbours started singing camp songs accompanied by a pair of bongo drums. The ‘Cats in the Cradle’ was followed by the ‘Whispering Song’ which still unfortunately included full tilt bongos. Fortunately, after one last rendition of the ‘Whispering Song’, they finally packed it in and everyone could finally sleep.

Tomorrow we have a 13.5 mile day and are aiming to arrive by 4ish. We will take our first zero there and enjoy having a day off.