Katie Talks Tahoe: Tahoe Rim Trail: Week 1

The 165 Mile Club K2TRT (Katie2 Tahoe Rim Trail) Challenge Begins!

The summer of 2014 is the summer we will run, walk, hike or crawl the entire circumference of Lake Tahoe on the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT). "We" being my friend and colleague Katie Chappell and me. We will be completing a section each week for a total of 14 sections and over 165 miles! These runs will be a fun and refreshing way for us to recharge and appreciate this amazing place we live in! In addition to getting out and sharing the stories of our adventure, we have decided to dedicate each run to a local charity. After each segment is completed, we will celebrate by sending a donation to the dedicated charity for that given week. We feel so fortunate to live in such an amazing place and want to use this as an opportunity to give back to some of the groups that support the community and make Truckee/Tahoe such a great and beautiful place to live. Our total personal contributions upon (fingers crossed) completion of our goal will total $5,600.

Week 1: Tahoe Meadows to Tunnel Creek

Due to snow levels, gate closures to access points and our knowledge of the trail, our first section started at Mt. Rose Meadows and ended at Tunnel Creek just above Incline Village. This left us with an extra 3 mile steep descent down to HWY 28 where we parked one car.

This was a perfect day for our first journey. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing just right, our running vests had arrived… just one small problem… Katie Chappell realized she forgot her shoes when we got to the trailhead! That was not going to stop us. With a quick trip to the sports store in Incline Village we were up one new pair of running shoes and off on the trail through Mt. Rose Meadows heading South.

Our trek started in a beautiful meadow with wildflowers and panoramic mountain views. We weaved our way though dense trees, rock outcroppings, and soft sandy trails for a relatively level cross country run. We were continually surprised and awe stricken as each turn revealed a new vista of Lake Tahoe or on the other side the Carson Valley back over to a breathtaking view Big Blue. The miles flew by and before we knew it the run was at an end! We finished with gigantic smiles on our faces, slightly sore feet and a nice cold beer at Tunnel Creek Café.

After successfully accomplishing our first segment with 12 miles under our belt, we will proudly be sending a celebration donation to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is dedicated to maintaining this 165 mile trail that winds around through the ridge tops of the Lake Tahoe Basin, crossing six counties and two states. Thank you for building, maintaining and preserving a priceless part of Lake Tahoe since 1981.

To learn more about the Tahoe Rim Trail click here

The goal now is to pick up each week where we left off the week before. This week we will have the climb back up Tunnel Creek to start where we left off on the TRT and continue to Spooner Lake. Our Week 2 designated charity will be the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe.