Tahoe Rim Trail Angels

04 Jun Tahoe Rim Trail Angels

What does a Tahoe Rim trail angel Do?

A Timely Food Resupply. Thru Hiking sounds like a go it alone event and for some it is. On the John Muir Trail we often carried nine days worth of food. We decided to carry only 5 days worth of food on the Tahoe Rim Trail. It wasn’t too hard to find several friends and family willing to help us in our resupply efforts.

A Precious Drink of Water. It is pretty easy to pack several days of food for a hike but packing water is a different story. Because of the dryer season in 2018 and the time of year we hiked…water was in short supply. On one section of the Tahoe Rim there was a 20 mile distance between a water sources. We needed a water resupply for this leg of the trip.

A Gracious Ride. When we came off the trail I thought I would be able to get a cell signal, get an Uber so we didn’t have to do the asphalt finish. Go figure…no cell service. Fortunately a local saw us on the road and offered us a ride to our car. It just seems people are always willing to help out. Thank you kind sir for a nice ride to our car.

The Unexpected Surprise. Jodi and I came across a list of Trail Angels and what they wanted to provide any hiker. The list had about 30 names on it. Some offered a place to stay inside or outside, a hot shower, a drop off or a pick up on days they were available to help. What a special gift to have people you both know and don’t know helping hikers, providing sometimes crucial support for somebody else’s adventure. What a gift from total strangers.

The Riddles are no Joke!

Our first Tahoe Rim Trail Angels were Eric and Michelle. We had a few options on when we could meet up with them to get a food resupply. They decided to tackle, in my opinion the most difficult option. They did 15.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 3,799 feet, while carrying five days of food for Jodi and I. Yep that would be about 20 pounds of food. They hiked up and stayed the night. It was a great visit and we all really enjoyed a beautiful night on Dicks Lake.

The Steak Master, Tim

Our second Tahoe Rim Trail Angel was Tim, our daughters boyfriend. Cassandra also joined us at Dicks Lake to section hike to Tahoe City. Tim planned on picking her up at Tahoe City and since he was coming, we had him bring us more food. He actually made us steaks on the BBQ…nothing like exceptional steaks on the trail. We will figure out ways to incorporate his steak Trail Angel status in all future hikes.

The Super Family

Parts of the the Tahoe Rim Trail, late in the season, presented some water supply challenges. The 17.3 mile stretch from Watson Lake to Gray Lake didn’t have any water sources. 6.8 miles into our hike we cross highway 267 at Brockway Summit and this will be our water resupply spot. Fortunately for us, my sister, Lydia and her family, Shannon, Alyssa and Kaelynn, met us at what I believe was the most crucial spot for us. We needed 10 liters of water to push through the remaining 10.5 mile dry patch. They brought enough water for Jodi and I and our new trail buddy, Sunshine, (aka Lila). What a welcome surprise when they brought sandwiches, fruit and chocolate too! They brought so much extra food we were able to share our spoils with Sunshine as well. They showed the true heart of a Tahoe Rim Trail Angel. We hung around about 30 minutes telling trail stories, then we headed off up the mountain.

The Great Uncle

Our final planned Trail Angel was my always ready Uncle Louis from Reno. He met us at Mount Rose Campground to give us our last resupply. He was so determined to ensure we had what we needed, when we needed it, he did a dry run the week before. It was so good to see his smiling face and share an authentic trail dinner with us. He will be on our short list for any future thru hikes we under take.

The Personal Connection!!

With every thru hike there are highs and lows. Well…it’s that way with life in general. The Marlette water pump was broken. This obstacle had us hiking 14.5 miles between water sources. We had lunch on a mountain top that overlooked not only Lake Tahoe but Marlette Lake. This part of the day was a high point. Our next water source was Spooner Lake. By the time we made it to the lake we were both tired, thirsty and at different stages of grumpy. I think I was in the pain in the rear stage. When we arrived and found the water…things were much better.

As it turns out there was about 20 kids with parents doing a photoshoot for a clothing line and eating pizza. A few people came over and asked us what we were doing and we told them about the Tahoe Rim Trail. Ramir was particularly interested in our travels. Somehow…I mentioned how nice it would be to have a slice of pizza and a few minutes later he showed up with a few pizza slices, for both of us. It is truly hard describe how good food tastes after being on the trail for so long. Thank you Ramir our Spooner Lake Trail Angel. We are still in contact and I believe he will be a fellow hiker soon.

The Best People in the World

What a special gift to have people you both know and don’t know helping hikers, providing sometimes crucial support for somebody else’s adventure.

This is our personal thank you for all who helped us!

How about You?

I would love to hear about your Trail Angel experience, whether you were the Trail Angel or you were helped by a Trail Angel. Feel free to leave your story below in the comments section. Happy Trails!