The opening of the Tahoe Rim Trail started two weeks early for 18 hikers who would be the first to officially complete the whole 150-mile loop. Consisting of 10 men and 8 women, mostly locals, this diverse group of individuals embarked on a journey, which would make Tahoe history. The Rim Trail dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony climaxed with the whole group arriving at their completion point high above Lake Tahoe at Martis Peak.
One of the 18 hikers, Evelyn Berg, was our eyes and ears while on the historic trip around Lake Tahoe. She found out about this adventure while reading an article from the Nevada Commission on Tourism and was one of the first people to sign on for the expedition. Evelyn is a long time resident of Lake Tahoe who only started backpacking about a year ago. And it didn’t take long before she knew this was something she just had to do. Evelyn has spent a lot of time on Lake Tahoe’s trails but has never before done a backpacking trip of this magnitude.
While on the trail, Evelyn did experience a few highs and lows throughout the journey. The lows consisted mostly of blistered feet and a “brutal climb” up to Dick’s Peak, were she needing just a little bit of encouragement to summit. Other than that Evelyn said the whole group got along great and they all shared in the normal day to day chores associated with backpacking. Her main duties included carrying fuel canisters and as she put it “show up and eat”.
Evelyn had too many high points to write about them all. The best part for her was experiencing new trails, incredible views and the opportunity to meet new people while enjoying the great outdoors. Her favorite spot on the trail was in Desolations Wilderness at a place called Fontanillis Lake. Fontanillis definitely has one of the more unique shorelines of any of the wilderness lakes with all of the granite walls and rockbound coves. Evelyn said she could see herself living there in a small log cabin with a dog and be perfectly content.
Evelyn did have some advise for hikers thinking of completing the whole 150-mile loop. “Really check your equipment and don’t over pack. Also knowing where to get your water supply is very important as well as proper nutrition”. Evelyn hopes to complete this hike again someday and had this to say about her recent journey. “This experience has definitely changed my life, you learn a lot about yourself out there and now I know what is important to me”. Evelyn hopes to share her experience with people by someday offering day or overnight trips to different sections of the Rim Trail.
If you are thinking of hiking, biking or horseback riding any part of this epic trail there is a multitude of information on the Rim Trail website, www.tahoerimtrail.org. This site has plenty of helpful tips as well as maps and phone numbers to help you plan your Tahoe Rim Trail journey. See you on the trail!
Geoff Burke
Virtualtahoe.com sports editor
