[pct-l] Conditions around Lake Tahoe

[Sean Nordeen]

I just hiked the entire Tahoe Rim Trail from June 21 to the 29th,
staring from Kingsbury Grade on the east side.  Thanks to everyone
that answered my questions about it last September when I was
originally planning on going.  Something came up at work that caused
me to delay it til this spring.

The north and east shore are drier then normal for the time of year
but not unusual.  I had a couple of 12-15 mile stretches of no water.
Some supposedly reliable water spots were dry but most were still
running.  Forget any of the seasonal sources though. One of my Aqua
Mira bottles leaked before reaching Tahoe City and I ended up hiking
the 2nd half of the trail with no water treatment.  The water from
Spooner Lake tasted like Duck and definitely needed an electrolyte mix
to add some flavor.  Mud Lake will probably dry up before August.

On the south and west side of the lake there were are few snow banks
left but trival to walk over. Water was abundant and I rarely carried
more then a liter of water. The mountain peaks in Desolation
Wilderness still have snow on top which makes for some great scenery.
The numbers of PCT-thru-hikers I saw was high though many seemed to be
on a death march to get their miles in rather then enjoying some of
the sights I remember stopping at in 2009.  While taking a break at
Meiss Cabin, I saw 12 hike by at a high pace and only 1 bothered to
hike the 100 yards to check out the cabin and barn.  When I
thru-hiked, I remember thinking it had a Little House on the Prairie
vibe and found it very interesting.

I didn't think the west side was marshy at all.  Certainly no wetter
then I remember late July of 2009 being when I thru-hiked.  I thought
the mosquitos weren't bad at all for the time of year (pretty good for
a June) and they barely bothered me (long sleeves, pants, and a hat
treated with permithrin with no DEET worked for me).  I did see them
occasionally swarming others but when they are exposing so much skin
(running shorts and short sleeves or a tank top) its like they were
trying to entice the little buggers.  Better them then me though.
Some people are mosquito mangnets and are great to hike around since
they get all the bugs.  The signs along the PCT through there were
replaced since 2009 and much clearer to follow.  This time I managed
to not miss the turn to Dicks Pass and go over Mosquito Pass instead.
They now have made that junction so obvious, its impossible to make a
mistake now.

-Miner