MAGICAL MOMENTS

Magicalby Sandi Solomonson

Lake Tahoe is Mother Nature’s playground; full of nooks and crannies to discover. A place where you can explore for decades, only to overhear someone chatting about last weekend’s hike to a place you’ve never heard of. Quick - add it to your Bucket List.

One must-do Tahoe destination on your dance card is Chickadee Ridge, located in The Meadows on Highway 431 between Incline Village and Reno. Known as the home of the ever-adorable Chickadee Birds, this popular north Tahoe hike is short and easy. Yet, a kaleidoscope of scenery, jawdropping views of Lake Tahoe, and a photographer's paradise await. It’s perfect for nature lovers of all ages who enjoy a winter snowshoe, admiring spring wildflowers, or just putting your face to the sun on a warm summer's day. Laughter for all ages - guaranteed.

On a good day, Chickadees weigh in around .38 ounces. These little feather puffs flit around gathering up to 80,000 individual seeds to cache for winter. They’re cheerful extroverts, naturally fearless around humans, and have an insatiable curiosity. In other words, they’re always ready for the next party dressed in black, white, and grayish taupe. For this popular hike, don’t worry about finding Chickadees. When you’re close to the ridge, you’ll spot these charismatic acrobats darting in and around trees, hearing their signature “Cheese - Burg - Eer” song. Mornings are the optimum time to catch the action and there’s plenty of smooth boulders to sit and enjoy the views of Lake Tahoe. If it’s windy, the pine trees sway with haunting whispers and groans. It's quite magical.

Remember, these are wild birds in a wild, scenic area. Some advocate that the birds should not be fed at all. The main point is be respectful, don’t feed them any human food, and leave

no trace. On one occasion, I snowshoed to “The Ridge” for an afternoon of sun, snacks, and a small thermos of Irish Coffee. Perched on my favorite warm boulder, I overheard a mother and son debating about their snowshoe outing. While the teen-aged son rolled his eyes about wearing ‘tennis rackets’ on his feet and how cold he was, mom gently responded with words about how they were bonding and getting some fresh air. I picked up on the fact that they were visiting Lake Tahoe while Dad was in a conference all day. As they approached, the mother was snapping photos of the lake while the bored son stared down at his smartphone. “Can we go now,” he would complain. I called to him, “Hey, you wanna feed the Chickadees?” With a ‘who are you look’ and mom's encouragement, the young man trudged through the crisp snow, joining me on the steely gray boulder. Then, I poured some bird seed into the palms of his thick gloves. Holding them up in the air, birds started landing on his hands, nipping away at the seed. One gregarious bird even started tugging at the yarn on his beanie. Suddenly, the Chickadees were flying all

In Native American traditions,

Chickadees often symbolize guidance, truth, knowledge, and success. In these traditions, it around singing their “Cheese - is considered good Burg - Eer” song and flying in a luck to see or hear dance-like formation. It almost seemed orchestrated! He was one. The presence of a Chickadee may giggling like a little boy, “Mom, look at this!”...”You gotta try this!”' as she clicked off a record indicate the correct breaking amount of photos to capture his ecstatic joy. His path for you to take. boredom had turned into a lifelong memory I’m sure they still reminisce about today. That’s the cool thing about Chickadee Ridge and Lake Tahoe. It’s guaranteed to bring out the kid in all ages, followed with a serving of laughter. Rally your friends and family and head out to Chickadee Ridge. Feast your senses on all that Lake Tahoe has to offer, create new, unfiltered memories, and be awed by this humble bird. I guarantee it's the correct path to take.

HOW TO GET THERE

The Tahoe Rim Trail and the Meadows Trail share a trail head (parking area) that is located on the south side of NV431, around 16 miles southwest from I-580 Reno and 7.4 miles northeast from Tahoe Boulevard (NV28) in Incline Village. To access the trail, walk along the boardwalk through the meadow from the trailhead, and continue, following signs to the Tahoe Rim Trail. You'll enter the forest and continue uphill for about 1.5 miles. While winter snows may prevent seeing trail markers, the remainder of the year, the trail is easy to follow . Plus, with its popularity, there tends to be a worn path. If you’re feeling ambitious, branch off to another trail for more adventure.

WHAT TO BRING

WINTER Snowshoes, layered clothing, water, snacks, sunscreen, polarized sunglasses, organic bird seed, day pack, sledding disk as there’s a fabulous sledding hill.

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL Layered clothing, water, snacks, sunscreen, organic bird seed, day pack.

QUICK STATS

Starting elevation approx. 8500 feet 3.5 - 4.4 mile round trip hike 269 feet elevation gain Easy to Moderately challenging trail Part of the Tahoe Rim Trail Dog friendly trail - remember bags