WOW Adventure Club
- Adventure Club
- Tahoe Rim Trail Ride
- Tahoe Rim Trail Ride Photos
Tahoe Rim Trail Ride
August 19, 2001
Tahoe Rim Trail Ride Photos
Ten riders congregated at Keith Hart’s house off of Fredericksburg Rd just yards away from the California/Nevada border at the southern end of Carson Valley in Nevada. Eager to tackle a day of single-track, we all piled into two vehicles for the shuttle to Luther Pass in California.
Everyone was in high spirits as we hit the trail at about 9:00 am. The first hour was a nice warm up of consistent incline spattered with decomposed granite and rock. The same goes for the second and third hour as our climb was broken up by shaded groves, alpine meadows and spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and the High Sierra. The trail was technical and the photo ops were plentiful…Steve and I were in no rush. Thankfully, the group stopped every so often and let us “slower” riders catch up. The altitude at Armstrong Pass, our toughest climb, was about 8,700’ as most of the ride was between 7,500’ and 9,200’. We had perfect weather and a comfortable temperature range between the upper 70s and lower 80s.
Star Lake Star Lake was picturesque; cool, clear and nestled underneath two 10,000’ peaks, as pretty as any alpine lake in the world. The other riders were probably envious as Steve and I were the only ones who brought a lunch comprised of more than Power Bars and water. After we scarfed down a 7-11 deli sandwich, a Balance Bar and the last few slugs of our Gatorade, the group mounted their modern horses for the second half of the days’ ride.
We weren’t that far down the trail when we hit a quick piece of single-track weaving down through the forest. I could hear someone right behind me and I was enjoying the pressure. I kept going faster, trying to concentrate on the rocky trail, looking way ahead…or so I thought. There were many rectangular granite water diversions placed “strategically” perpendicular to the trail all the way along the TRT. This particular one, I thought I could jump as I was rocketing downhill. Wrong! My back tire caught the upper edge of the diversion throwing me sideways in the air. Needless to say, the landing was hard as I flew over my handlebars. Todd showing his battle wounds Granite cuts skin like a razor. Upon landing I caught a glimpse of my pursuant on his front wheel trying to stop his momentum before he ran me over. My back tire had a pinch flat from the attempt at hopping the diversion and I was bloody. Trying to ignore the stinging cuts and bruises, I changed my tube and subconsciously told myself that there would be no more games of cat and mouse today.
Tahoe Switchbacks The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful as we all tried to negotiate the many switchbacks, loose dirt and boulder staircases. Carson Valley was on our right, thousands of feet below us. Around mile 20 we started to see signs of civilization again. As we passed under the Motts Canyon chairlift at Heavenly, I couldn’t help but imagine the double black run with a fresh layer of powder. Whizzing down the last few yards underneath the Stagecoach chairlift my odometer read 24 miles. We still had 3,000’ of downhill to get back to the valley floor and Old Kingsbury Grade offered a quick descent. The pavement felt smooth after so many miles in the dirt. The speed was welcome as we were all getting tired and ready to be done. About an hour and nearly another 15 miles passed before we reached Keith’s house. All in all, we pedaled nearly 39 miles together. Another epic ride for the history books; Dream Big …Then Live It!
By: Todd Whear
