Thru-Hiking the TRT
By Tim Hauserman, Author of popular TRT guidebooks and passionate TRT trekker
I’ve been in love with the TRT for 30 years. I watched hardworking volunteers spending thousands of hours building the trail. Joined the Tahoe Rim Trail Board as the trail was nearing completion because I wanted to help create a 150 Mile Club for those crazy enough to hike the whole trail. We thought surely it would only be a small handful of folks who would take up the challenge (and also thought that the trail wouldn’t be longer than 150 miles).
I finished hiking the TRT the first time in 1999 when a few segments were more of a vague outline. I wrote the official Tahoe Rim Trail guidebook in 2000. Seven years later I took on my first thru-hike, and quickly came to the revelation that hiking the trail in one continuous loop was very different than ticking off sections one at a time. The best part is much of the way around the loop you can see both where you are going and where you have been.
For my solo thru-hike I called up a few friends to meet me for resupplies and water drops, walked out my door through the woods to the TRT and 14 days later sauntered onto my driveway. I only met three thru-hikers going the opposite direction and except for two nights in Desolation Wilderness camped every night with no one else around. The times have changed.
In the early years, thru-hikers were primarily local folks who had been on the trail a number of times before taking on the full circuit. Now, there’s a lot more people taking up the thru-hike challenge and many come from around the world. Some have never even seen the trail before setting foot on their 170 mile journey. While this new group of thru-hikers is a reminder of the enticing beauty of the TRT and the power of hiking, I also feel it might be a good time to pass on a few tips from a long-time TRT hiker:
First: Everyone needs to hike their own hike based on realistic expectations of their abilities. The TRT was originally considered a challenging two week hike. Now some super fit folks rush around the lake in 7-10 days. But be wary, especially if long distance hiking is new to you. Perhaps you are not one of those speedsters, which is very much Ok. In fact, my advice no matter your fitness level is to slow down and enjoy the ride. This is likely to be a once in a lifetime experience. It is not a race.
Give yourself the time to take a leisurely swim in Lake Aloha followed by a warm melt into the granite. Spend an hour meditating on the amazing wind swept western white pines at the entrance to the Granite Chief Wilderness. Hang out at the bench on South Camp Peak and contemplate the Sierra crest. Most importantly, frequently stop and listen to the quiet sound of nothingness. There is nothing better than nothing.
Second, take Leave No Trace Principle #1 ”Plan ahead and prepare” fully to heart. I’ve been seeing a steady stream of posts on Facebook somewhere along the lines of “I’m flying into Reno at 7 pm
and want to start hiking on the trail early the next morning how do I get there?” Please for your experience and safety read a book about the trail, throughly review the Tahoe Rim Trail Association website, understand everything you need to know about finding water and where to resupply. Here at the lake we have mostly small spread out towns with limited amenities. You can’t instantly get something you are missing or get transported to a trailhead at the drop of a hat. And be sure to keep close tabs on the weather. It might be 75 and sunny today, and 30 and snowing next week…yes, even in August. Been there, done that. Got really cold.
Finally, you are responsible for your own experience. You don’t want to be that person who pops up on social media asking for help half way through the hike. While most often a failure to plan effectively will just be an inconvenience, it might also lead to the need for our volunteer search and rescue teams going to work. Nobody wants that. They would prefer hiking the TRT for pleasure instead of rescue.
Bio: Tim Hauserman wrote “Tahoe Rim Trail: The official guide for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians,” now with a 4th edition. His most recent book is “Going it Alone: Ramblings and Reflections from the trail.” is a memoir about solo backpacking misadventures, with a major chapter on his first thru-hike on the TRT. Click here to check out his publications!
