Tamarack Lake to Round Lake

Mileage: 18.9 miles, total 139.3 miles

Campsite elevation: 8,100 feet

It was good to see the dawn slowly breaking as it got light around our campsite. I was the first person awake at around 5.30 AM and took the opportunity to admire the view down towards the lakes.

After breakfast, we left before much of the campground was stirring. There was a short 0.3 mile hike back to rejoin the TRT which then led down towards Echo Lake. The terrain underfoot was very rocky and this made progress slow.

After some time, we reached the bottom of the valley at Upper Echo Lake. Here you are faced with a choice – either hike 2.6 miles of rocky ground to Echo Lake or catch the water taxi. Of course, we chose the latter.

There is a payphone at Upper Echo Lake from which to call the taxi. About 20 minutes later, we heard the low roar of the boat engines and shortly after our ride turned up to take us to Echo Lake.

The boat ride was fun and it was nice to experience things at a fast pace from the water rather than the slow pace of walking. Upper and Lower Echo Lakes are joined by a narrow channel which is only navigable from May after the ice and snow melts until August when evaporation means it is no longer feasible. The bottom was only a foot beneath the boat and in another month, our boat ride would no longer be an option.

We were dropped off in Echo Lake which is a collection of about three buildings, one of which is a store. So we had a second breakfast, this one involving ice cream.

From Echo Lake, the trail began a long climb that lasted hours. Once past Echo Summit (referring to the highway, not the mountain), the gradient intensified until it was straight up.

At Echo Lake summit, we saw lots of PCT hikers trying to hitch a lift into South Lake Tahoe. The technique was for the girls to stand on the side of the road whilst the guys stood behind in the shadows. When a car pulled over, there was a surprise for the driver as 4 stinky males jumped out of nowhere and into the car.

Eventually the climb to the top finally ended and we stopped for lunch. Unfortunately the climb recommenced straight after lunch and was relentless. We bumped into an older guy doing the PCT with his son. When we mentioned we were feeling decidedly unfit next to our PCT companions, he said not too be to harsh on ourselves as the PCT hikers remaining on trail at this point were strong and the best of the best. All the others had dropped out long ago. That made us feel better.

The trail then descended to its most southerly point at Meiss Meadow along the Truckee River. It was here we bid farewell to the PCT and saw our last PCT hiker, a rather wary Asian woman who scurried past us at top kilter up the hill.

The TRT then began its way back northwards and eventually we reached our campsite for the night at Round Lake. Not perfectly round but it was close enough. The lake wasn’t as nice as Tamarack Lake and had every mosquito in the entire Sierras but we had a good view of the sun setting and the full moon rising.