Day 9 on the Tahoe Rim Trail: Slackpacking for a day

• Miles they walked: 16.6
• Miles covered: 86.3-102.9
• Miles remaining: 72.1
• Number of rocks overcome: too many to count

Waking up in bed in the morning also meant we had clean clothes to wear today and there was no need to take down our tent and pack up camp.

We stocked up on breakfast, snacks and lunch at the 7/11 location. Unfortunately, it’s not as good as a Japanese 7/11, but it’s absolutely fine for a day of food on the road. We then took a Lyft back to the Big Meadow trailhead.

The pleasure of walking without a backpack

Today I just carried my small Patagonia crossbody bag and it was wonderful. Ben was carrying his pack but only with supplies for the two of them for the day, so even he enjoyed having a much lighter pack and not having the bear canister strapped to the top.

It felt great to walk with so little and I definitely enjoyed being able to look out and admire the scenery more than thinking about when I could drop my bag or take a break. There was a sense of freedom in not being burdened with a backpack, although I know mine wasn’t even that heavy for a hiker.

Walking among the boulders of the conglomerate

The first part of the day was fast winding around very large rocks and boulders that looked man-made in some places. Then we arrived at Round Lake, which was very calm and looked like a mirror. A man arrived shortly after us and his two dogs headed straight to the lake for a morning swim.

Enjoying the calm at Round Lake

The PCT, 19 years later

At the TRT’s southernmost point, the trail meets the PCT (the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border), and the two follow the same trail for about 50 miles. Ben ran the PCT in 2006, so he returned after 19 years, with me, rather than his much faster partner at the time, Billy.

Ben is back on the PCT!

The trail after this point was noticeably worse maintained than when it was TRT only and signage was sometimes non-existent.

Lunch and paddle on the lake.

We stopped for an early lunch at Showers Lake, where I went for a paddle to cool off and then relaxed on a log in the sun. It was very nice to be able to take off my shoes, air out my socks, and cool off my feet. I’ve noticed that taking off my shoes and socks during lunch time and airing them out has helped me instead of wearing the same sweaty socks and shoes all day.

Just relaxing at Lake Showers

After lunch, part of the trail went through some overgrown grasslands, with bushes waist-high in places. Early in the season the trail is probably more visible and our map and guide suggested plenty of wildflowers.

We also saw two groups of trail maintenance volunteers throughout the day working hard to clear and keep the trail accessible.

This section of the trail was a little different than what we had encountered so far, as it did not feature curves, but rather straight ups and downs. In a sense, I preferred them because it didn’t seem like a long roundabout way to the top.

Although I didn’t have my backpack, which definitely made walking easier, I also didn’t have any trouble breathing going up these climbs, so I don’t think the altitude is as much of an issue as it was at the beginning. However, my gagging cough persists, which means I haven’t felt completely well since starting TRT.

When will the rocks end?

With only a few miles left today, we reached the most technical part of the trail yet and it brought back memories of the rock section on the West Highland Way. Progress was super slow and painstaking at times, as we very, very slowly descended, scrambling over rocks and boulders.

I barely have any photos of this stretch because it was one of those stretches where I had to spend most of it watching my feet so I wouldn’t miss a step or fall. And it seemed to go on and on.

It was during this stretch that we got lost for the first time as the trail simply disappeared and we were surrounded by large rocks in all directions. With a little help from the FarOut app, we realized we had missed a non-obvious turn and had to backtrack, which means going back up some of the rocks.

between the rocks

It was finally over and the last kilometer or so was through what was left of the burnt forests after the summer 2021 fires. This section was a bit eerie due to all the burnt trees and also quite exposed.

Get a problem in seconds

Instead of stopping at the Echo Summit trailhead, we had read that it would be easier to make a hitch where the trail crossed Highway 50. This turned out to be true as we got a ride in a matter of seconds. I think it may have even been the first truck to arrive.

While Ben sat up front and chatted with C, who was on his way home to South Lake Tahoe, I sat cross-legged in the back because of the huge speakers taking up the entire footwell. I’m glad the trip wasn’t longer and I don’t have long legs!

Back in South Lake Tahoe, we topped off our Chinese leftovers with some items from Jack in the Box and made the most of the inn’s shared kitchen and had dinner.

Chinese Leftovers Meet Jack in the Box for Dinner

I celebrated walking half the trail with a strawberry BuzzBall from nearby 7/11 drunk in bed while my clothes dried in the bathroom ready for another day of hiking tomorrow.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.