| The Tahoe Rim Trail officially opened Saturday, September 22, 2001. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the base of Martis Peak overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe. This 150-mile trail winds through two states, six counties, three national forests, state parkland and three wilderness areas. The trail is open to hikers, backpackers, equestrians, and in most cases mountain bikers. The celebration kicked off with the arrival of the first group of hikers to officially complete the whole 150 – mile loop and a few emotional words by the founder of the Tahoe Rim Trail, Glenn Hampton.
A teary eyed Hampton spoke to the crowd and thanked all the 10,000 volunteers and trail workers for finally making his dream come true. “I wanted this trail to be light on the land and you have definitely done that. The Tahoe Rim Trail is going to be the staple for future generations on how to build a trail.” Hampton had the idea for a trail system, which encompassed the Lake Tahoe Basin while hiking in this same area over 25 years ago. “Imagine a trail that winds around Lake Tahoe, meandering through history. Wading through waist high grass and wildflowers, trekking on Washoe Indian hunting trails and following routes taken by the earliest of Lake Tahoe’s pioneers, what could be a better trail?” Hampton’s vision was first realized by the Appalachian Mountain Trail Club and was 1 of only 6 projects to be funded from that era. Geoff Burke, Sports & Recreation Editor for VirtualTahoe.com attended the grand opening ceremony of the Tahoe Rim Trail. Geoff had the opportunity to interview Evelyn Berg, a member of the thru-hike team and filed the following report.
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