Tahoe City

Mileage: zero

Elevation: 6,255 feet

I slept well last night in a real bed at the Pepper Tree Inn so it was hard getting out of bed in the morning. However, there was a few things to get organised.

After breakfast, we headed down to the local Tahoe City post office to take care of a couple of things. We decided to lighten our load a bit by sending on gear we are not using and will not need in the warm conditions we are getting on the trail.

Whilst we are keeping our microspikes for the upcoming snow sections, we are removing a few items such as a second insulation layer. These have been mailed on to our next destination, Lone Pine, a four hour drive south where we will head after we finish the Tahoe Rim Trail.

Then it was on to the local supermarket to complete our resupply for the next six days. We had already done a mail drop to Tahoe City so only had a few things to pick up.

We had lunch at the Bridgetender which had been recommended by some hikers we had met a few days ago who were both cooler and younger than us. The place was right on the Truckee River and was a nice spot. We had a couple of craft beers followed by a burger.

After six days on the trail, we were feeling a bit sore so booked in for a massage in the afternoon. The owner was a Tahoe local and a keen mountain biker so gave lots of info on the trail.

One slightly worrying aspect was that she thought we would need ice axes to get across Dick’s Pass in a few days. I have brought an ice axe for the JMT but did not bring it for this trail.

In the evening, we headed out for an ice cream. Given it is my birthday in a few days, the owner put a candle in the ice cream.

We then had a walk down to the marina and had a look around at all the expensive yachts. There was a great view across the lake to Relay Peak and also to Desolation Wilderness.

Dinner was at Mo’s BBQ which was just behind the marina. The setting was great, the evening was nice but the food was…average. Still it was a nice spot to spend the evening.

Tomorrow we head back into the wilds to complete our thru-hike. The next few days are a bit of an unknown snow-wise so we will probably call the TRT Association in the morning to get the latest snow information prior to heading out tomorrow.