Summer 2017 Trail Blazer

SUMMER 2017

Super Bloom! as the

Ta h o e R i m T r a i l melts after record-setting snowfall, the stage is set.

K I NG SBURY TRAILH EAD

JU N E 3 R D

SU M M E R E V E NTS &

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TR A IL FE ST E V E N T

VOLU N T E E R G UI D E

VIEW FROM THE RIM

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crossing you may want to t was a long winter, but reconsider. Often users summer is finally upon create alternative ways us and we have a lot to to cross the stream to celebrate! One of the first avoid going through it things on my list is WATER! that are not trail crew After several years of severe approved. You may want to drought, this past winter reconsider. brought a significant amount of precipitation to the Sierra.

by Morgan Fessler 4. Know where you are As of April 1st, the California Executive Director going! Whether on foot, Department of Water hoof, or tires make sure to scope out the Resources reported that the Central exit point on the opposite side so you Sierra (home to Lake Tahoe and the don’t get off track as you navigate rocks, TRT) snowpack was at 197% of normal! logs, or anything else swept up in the This means we can expect our beautiful stream. springs, creeks and rivers to be flowing well for this year’s Tahoe Rim Trail 5. Take care of our sensitive stream adventures. It also presents challenges bank vegetation! Definitely find the best that users should consider before hitting place to cross a stream, but as much the trail. as possible, try to avoid trampling the First the snowpack is deep! While we may vegetation. It is doing the heavy lifting needed to keep soil on the banks and have a hot summer, which some experts prevent erosion. are predicting, you should still anticipate hitting snow on the trail especially at 6. Thank your local trail crew and all of high elevations and on the west side of our members who support their work! the trail late into the summer. Make sure That nice flat rock perfectly placed in the to refresh on your navigational skills and middle of the stream that doesn’t wiggle know how to get from point A to point a smidge when you step on it didn’t just B when you can’t see the trail. Also, end up there when the glaciers receded consider micro spikes. thousands of years ago, a trail crew placed it there and spent hours in the Below are a few things for users to stream making it just perfect! consider when encountering water crossings.

For updated information on snow coverage, water resources and crossings, 1. Generally stream crossings should set and more check out our Trail Conditions off your Spidey sense if the current is webpage on the Tahoe Rim Trail swift or the water is above your knee or Association’s new website! Have an hub if you’re on a bike. excellent summer and hopefully we’ll see you on the trail. Thank you for being a 2. Check out the bottom. Is it sandy and part of our fantastic trail community! you might sink down into it, is it full of large rocks that are potential ankle twisters, or have the rocks conspired with With Gratitude, the vegetation to make the crossing as slick as possible?

3. Is there a better option? If you’re looking at a sketchy old log, slick with water or algae, suspended above the

Morgan Fessler Executive Director

Tahoe Rim Trail Association Trail Blazer is the official publication of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, practice and inspire stewardship and preserve access to the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe Region.

STAFF Executive Director Morgan Fessler Director of Trail Operations Chris Binder Outdoor Programs Director Lindsey Schultz Development Manager Veronica Palmer Operations & Marketing Manager Justine Lentz Outdoor & Youth Programs Manager Maggie Brandenburg Office Administrator Laurie Buffington BOARD OF DIRECTORS President John Singlaub Vice President Jim Crompton Treasurer John McCall Secretary Ande Chern Sustainable Funding Alice Hampton Trail Operations Don Bailey Trail Use Carl Woods Board Members Dave Schnake, Lorilyn Chitwood, Jim Cline, David DeVoe, Shannon McIsaac, & Kristen Power

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association works in partnertship with the USDA Forest Service and Nevada State Parks

Google Street View Who saw Googie around the TRT last summer? Googie is the nickname the TRTA Google Trekker volunteer team named the beast in the 50 lb backpack that took thousands of images providing a 360° view of the trail and surrounding areas. The team organized and carried Googie across 130 miles of the Tahoe Rim Trail and spent dozens of hours organizing and hiking. This was no small feat! Props to our TRTA Guide Brett Hubbard and his faithful team for this accomplishment we will all benefit from. TRT Street View will be live this summer. Keep a 360° eye out!

Welcome Veronica!

Veronica Palmer has joined our team as our new Development Manager. An avid long-distance hiker, Veronica and her husband became enamored with the Tahoe Basin after completing the PCT and relocated shortly after. Veronica has a degree in photography from Sam Houston State University and enjoys spending her free time hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing, and photographing in the mountains she loves. Veronica will be coordinating our membership program and looks forward to meeting all of our members on the trail!

Volunteers Save The Date Wednesday, October 25th Valhalla Grand Hall South Lake Tahoe

PROPOSED PLAN NEWS & NOTES

The issues at the Kingsbury North Trailhead have been on our radar for many years as they have with Douglas County and the US Forest Service. So we took action! The US Forest Service has secured funding to repave the parking area and with this kick start to the project, the TRTA convened our partners to discuss the opportunity to expand the work at the trailhead from simply repaving to 1319-18-101-002 addressing the critical needs of the area. After a significant amount of planning, outreach efforts, and concept drawings, Douglas County submitted a successful grant to the Nevada Recreational Trails Program to overhaul the Kingsbury North Trailhead. This summer the USFS and Douglas County will start work to repave the trailhead, create a turnaround for trailers (and hopefully public buses in the future), delineate trailer parking spaces, install garbage

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USFS GATE

TRAILHEAD KIOSK AND TRASH RECEPTACLE

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The trails centered on the Kingsbury North Trailhead have received a major facelift over the past decade. As the epicenter of the Daggett Reroute Project, new trail connecting Kingsbury North to Kingsbury South was built so that Tahoe Rim Trail users no longer had to hike for four miles on the road. We also built the Daggett North East Loop to provide a shorter loop option within the Tahoe Rim Trail System.

Additionally, we have committed significant energy to improving trail conditions to Castle Rock and the connection between the trailhead and new sections of the TRT. This past year, our friends, the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association also finished the new Kingsbury Stinger Trail. These new and 1319-18-101-002 enhanced trails have made major improvements to the recreational experience for this trailhead. Unfortunately the trailhead itself has languished. The road has deteriorated so badly that giant potholes threaten to swallow up cars whole. No formalized parking structure remains so vehicles park anywhere and everywhere often on vegetation or in the few spots trailers could utilize. There are also issues with garbage and human waste.

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Improvements coming to Kingsbury North Trailhead!

cans, and the big one – build a bathroom! RThe D. bathroom will be K open year round to accommodate the significant number of winter recreationalists as well as summer trail users. It will provide a critical water refiling stop along the TRT for thru or section hikers.

It will also address the significant issue of human waste at the trailhead. We are looking forward to supporting this project as it comes to fruition! Big thanks to Douglas County, USFS - Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and all our partners involved for making our Kingsbury North Trailhead dreams a reality!

GRANT REQUEST RESTROOM AND DRINKING FOUNTAIN

GRAVEL PATH TRAILHEAD KIOSK AND TRASH RECEPTACLE Several new trails in the Kingsbury area prompted a call for improved parking, restrooms, and trash receptacles.

TA H O E R I M T R A I L P H O T O C O N T E S T

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Show us what you got! Professional and amateur photographers are welcome to submit their best shots of the Tahoe Rim Trail.

1319-18-101-003 12 winners will be selected to outfit a 2018 Tahoe Rim Trail calendar. Entrants can submit their photos at tahoerimtrail.org from PRIVATE PROPERTY June 1st, 2017 until Sept. 30th, 2017. We encourage photo submissions from a year-round period to show case the diversity of 1319-18-110-002 the trail. The public voting period will take place from Oct. 1st- Oct. 31st to narrow down the submissions to 12 winners!

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The Dirt On Trail Operations

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by Chris Binder Director of Trail Ops

s we approach the 2017 trail building season the TRTA finds itself in the midst of local, regional and global trends that are having significant impacts on the TRT and its hikers, bikers and riders. As we consider the repercussions of these trends for trail management, it is clear that new strategies are required to preserve the Tahoe Rim Trail experience for everyone.

INCREASING VISITOR NUMBERS Locally, data suggests that record numbers of people are visiting the Tahoe Basin. The Tahoe Regional Planning Authority recently announced that upwards of 24 million people and 10 million vehicles travel to Lake Tahoe each year. Many of these folks are coming to spend time on public lands and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit estimates that they receive 5.7 million annual visits. Thanks to our Visitor Use Monitoring Program, the TRTA estimates that the TRT system sees more than 400,000 users annually and saw as much as a 45% increase in use over the past decade.

Regionally, the Sierra Nevada is suffering from its worst epidemic of tree mortality since recordkeeping began. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy reports over 100 million trees have been killed in California by drought and bark beetles, with the vast majority in the Sierra Nevada in 2015 and 2016.

With so many feet, tires and hoofs on the trail collaborations with trail management partners to expand our trail systems, provide public transportation to recreation sites, and educate the public to reduce negative resource impacts are more crucial than ever.

INCREASING TREE MORTALITY Regionally, the Sierra Nevada is suffering from its worst epidemic of tree mortality since record-keeping began. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy reports over 100 million trees have been killed in California by drought and bark beetles, with the vast majority in the Sierra Nevada in 2015 and 2016. Several locations along the Trail have received the highest ‘Tier 1 Hazard Zone’ rating by CalFire, indicating the most severe risk of wildfire and tree failure due to tree mortality.

To combat the risk to trail volunteers, users and facilities from failing trees, the TRTA has been awarded nearly $60,000 in funding from the state of Nevada to identify and mitigate hazardous trees. Along with our partners, this is the first in a long series of steps that will be taken to address this critical issue.

DECREASING PREDICTABILITY Globally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that weather patterns are becoming less predictable. While the epic snow totals of this past winter brought back memories of the early 1980s for some long-time area residents, it was even more noteworthy coming on the heels of a five-year drought.

As we wait for the TRT to melt out we are already able to see some of the damage the heavy storms brought to lower elevation trails, including some in the Carson Valley and Reno where land managers have applied for federal emergency funds to assist with rebuilding efforts. We must plan to build and retrofit our trails to accommodate larger volumes of runoff and to resist larger rainstorms and educate trail users to negative impacts of hiking, biking and riding on wet trails.

TRAIL USE NEWS

Youth Tidbits

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by Maggie Brandenburg Outdoor & Youth Programs Manager

o what do you do when you’re out of school for an entire week and the whole town is covered in snow that’s deeper than you are tall? Why go outside and play of course! This February, through generous funding from Vail Resort’s EpicPromise grant program, the TRTA held our first ever Winter Camps that brought 65 Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe members outside in the snow to play and laugh and learn during President’s Day Week. The goals for Winter Camp were two-fold; to give local kids hands-on educational experiences in the winter, and to help out local parents by providing free, quality educational programming for kids during one of the busiest weeks for tourism in Tahoe. While we had long dreamed of being able to offer such a program, it was catapulted into reality when Vail Resort’s EpicPromise grant program picked our proposal to be a major grant-winner last fall.

Each day of Winter Camp, kids gathered to learn about how animals cope with the snow, how people survive in the snow, and how cool snow really is. Kids built snow shelters, learned how to read a map and compass, snowshoed through local wild places, practiced winter predator strategies, and explored the challenges migratory birds face. While the younger kids spent the afternoon out in the snow, the teenagers spent the entire day out in the wilderness being fully immersed in the winter experience. After devoting an hour and a half to creating one of the coolest snow caves we’ve ever seen, fifth grader, Emmie Fiel said that she really, “enjoyed snowshoeing and learned so much about animals and surviving in the winter.” And at the end of each day, we wrapped up what we had learned by drinking cocoa and creating a troop of unique animals with special winter adaptations.

“The TRTA snowshoeing days provided our members with a new appreciation of our local wildlife, the snow and activities that you can enjoy during the winter. It was a great way for them to get outside and have fun in an educational and safe manner,” said Jude Wood, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe. Plans have already begun to continue Winter Camps in 2018.

Not to outdo ourselves, the TRTA is continuing with our recent track record of increasing the number and scope of our youth programs. This summer, we are embarking on a brand new service learning adventure with the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, by getting kids out to learn about the importance of trail stewardship while giving back to the environment through trail building and maintenance. The TRTA is also ecstatic to announce that this summer we are offering a record-breaking EIGHT Youth Backcountry Camps! Five of these camps are offered free of charge to our long-time partners, SOS Outreach, the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe and Presidio Community YMCA, and our brand new partners, Tahoe Family Solutions and Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada thanks to the support from our donors/members. Three trips are available to the public this June, July and August. Trips are already filling up, so register the youth in your life now before they miss out on the best part of Tahoe summer!

Please consider sponsoring youth who cannot afford this life-changing experience, by donating to the TRTA Youth Programs.

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TRAIL BLAZER | Summer 2017 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association

Guided Hikes SEGMENT AND THRU HIKES Boost your brainpower, improve focus and creative problem solving, stop negative thoughts, and simply disconnect. Sooth your mind and hike with us next summer by joining our Thru or Segment Hike Program and hike the entire Tahoe Rim Trail. Contact Lindsey at lindseys@tahoerimtrail.org to be put on the 2018 interest list.

GUIDED DAY HIKES Ever wonder why the local bird, Clark’s Nutcracker, and the whitebark pine are soulmates? Have you enjoyed a little red wine on the top of a ridge overlooking the sunset surrounded by wildflowers? We have and we’ll take you there! Let us spoil you this summer. Check out our educational Guided Day Hikes and courses.

MEMBERS ONLY FULL MOON HIKE Hike with Tahoe Rim Trail experts! We have a special members’ only Full Moon hike just for you scheduled Tuesday, September 5th to Picnic Rock above Brockway Summit. This trek will begin watching the sunset and the moon rise as we make our way to a stunning vista. Complimentary goodies will be provided to show our appreciation. Hope you can make it!

2017 SUMMER/FALL ACTIVITY SCHEDULE SATURDAY, JUNE 3RD Guided National Trails Day Hike @ NV State Park’s Spooner Lake TUESDAY, JUNE 6TH Wildflowers of the Tahoe Basin Trail Talk @ Lake Tahoe Community College SUNDAY, JUNE 18TH Alpenglow - The Conscientious Hiker, Biker and Equestrian LNT Hike @ Brockway Summit WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21ST How DO you Poop in the Woods, and Other LNT Questions - a clinic for Alpenglow’s Mountain Fest SATURDAY, JULY 8TH - 9TH Backpacking 101 @ Dardanelles

AUGUST YOUTH BACKCOUNTRY CAMP

MONDAY, JULY 17TH Geology of the Tahoe Basin @ Brockway’s Picnic Rock

What’s cooler than spending the summer having fun, learning rad skills, and making new friends? You’re right- probably nothing! There are only a few spots left on our last Youth Backcountry Camp trip August 13-16 for ages 1214. Sign up quick before they are all gone!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18TH Giant Tree Hunt with the Sugar Pine Foundation @ Kingsbury S. Trailhead SATURDAY, AUGUST 26TH - 27TH Backpacking 101 @ Showers Lake TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH Member’s Only Full Moon Hike @ Brockway’s Picnic Rock WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH Guided Bike Ride @ Tahoe Meadows THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5TH Tackling the TRT with your Horse Trail Talk @ Galena Creek Visitor Center SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH Fall Photography Hike @ Spooner North Trailhead

SIGN UP AT TAHOERIMTRAIL.ORG

National Trails Day

Join Us!

Looking to get involved this National Trails Day with us? In honor of the nation’s largest celebration of trails we have two fun ways you can dig in on the action!

Saturday June 3rd

Celebrate the kick-off to the trail season at our TRTA Trail Fest Visit us at Spooner Lake State Park from 10:00am-2:00pm for a day filled of all things trail! Our schedule of events will include a Rock Talk Demo, Fix a Flat Clinic, Gastronomy of the Trail samples, Guided Hikes and other workshops for trail minded enthusiasts. In addition, this event serves as the launch to the 5th Annual Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge- a now completely FREE program. Register at tahoerimtrail.org.

Volunteer for the Biggest Workday of the Year We have decided to head down the hill in search of snow-free trail for this year’s National Trails Day workday. The TRTA, the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association, and the Biggest Little Trail Stewardship are teaming up to host a workday on the Thomas Creek Trail near Galena Regional Park to make repairs after a rough winter of wash outs and floods.

National Trails Day Events GASTRONOMY OF THE TRAIL

SUGAR PINE SEEDLING CARE

Sample popular backpackers cuisine provided by Backpackers Pantry

Help water the world’s largest pine in one its smallest states with the Sugar Pine Foundation

ROCK TALK

PHOTOGRAPHY OF A THRU HIKE

Test your skills and trail rock building techniques with TRTA Crew Leaders

Take an inside look at a collection of photos from thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail

BIKING BASICS

GUIDED HIKE OF SPOONER LAKE

Learn to fix a flat and more with Flume Trail Bikes

Explore the changing of the seasons through a causal stroll around Spooner Lake (must register in advance)

FIND THE PERFECT FIT Backpacker gear fittings with REI

PACK SHAKEDOWN Take a look at what’s inside a thru and day hikers packs

Guests include: Flume Trail Bikes, Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks, Leave No Trace, REI, Sugar Pine Foundation, Tahoe Douglas Fire District, Xtreme Hiking, and more!

2017 ACTIVE TRTA GUIDES Alan Catron Amy Lott Barbara Longshore Ben Simonian Bill Echols Brad Wishek Brett Hubbard Bruce Antell Carl Woods Cindy Morgan Colleen Katen Connie Web Debbie Matuk Ellen Goldsmith

Hugh Peterson Jeff Cotton Jennifer Coon Jim McNamara Jim Mrazek JoAnne Goena John McCall John Regin Jordan Summers Joseph Salonga Judy Echols Kate Huckbody LaTrenda Easton Laura Woods

Laurie Buffington Loretta Low Lori Enzenberger Matthew Taylor Meryl Lowell Naomi Silvergleid Netti Russi Paul Ward Paula Messano Sharon Marie Wilcox Steve Hale Susan Henson

MEMBER BENEFIT! AIRMEDCARE NETWORK:

2017 ACTIVE CREW LEADERS Bill Doherty Bill Hager Bill Weik Bob Anderson Bruce Levy Charlene Summers Cheryl Bailey Chris Strohm Chuck McVicker Clay Grubb Dave Schnake

Dave Stevenson David Hennig Don Bailey Doug Johnson Ed Smith Ellen Lucas Jackie Ferek Jerry Heitzler Jim Backhus Jim Crompton John Clausen

AIR AMBULANCE MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTJohn McCall John McKenna Mike Kuckenmeister Mike Stone Patrick Pevey Paul Sinnott Phil Brisack Randy Collins Shannon Foley Sherre Fantozzi Tami Thompson

FORMERLY CALSTAR We hope you never need it, but air ambulance insurance is a smart investment for those of us who spend time in the backcountry. Many of our members have enjoyed the TRTA group rate membership through CALSTAR which is now merged with AirMedCare Network, the nation’s largest air ambulance. No fear! For TRTA members, the group rate still applies.

Contact info@tahoerimtrail.org for more info and to receive the TRTA coupon code for your AirMedCare Network membership.

36TH ANNUAL CELEBRATION FUNDRAISER The Association’s biggest event of the year, the Annual Celebration, will be taking place this October. Details are still being finalized but expect the evening event to include the very popular silent auction, cocktails, and the State of the Trails address. Stay tuned this summer for more information on how you can secure your spot!

What’s So Super about a Super Bloom?

Southern California is experiencing a record breaking “Super Bloom”. To help illustrate just how special this super bloom is, Lindsey Schultz, our Outdoor Programs Director, reached out to Rick McNeil, park ecologist at Joshua Tree National Park, for an exclusive TRTA interview.

by Lindsey Schultz Outdoor Programs Director

Satellite images of the Southern California Super Bloom

Lindsey: Hi Rick, we’ve been hearing so much about the super bloom exploding across southern California’s desert spaces up here in Tahoe. Like many, I love wildflowers but are there things from an ecologist’s perspective that make this super bloom so special?

I am always looking at the plants around me; on the side of the highway, at a stop light, anywhere things grow, so I can better understand the overall relationship. When you are on the hunt for new plants, look for south facing exposed slopes. I love getting above the tree line and looking down within an alpine area.

Rick: This year offers a truly unique array of flower blooms due to the sheer volume of rainfall the state has received.

In January alone, the amount of rain that fell on Joshua Tree National Park exceeded the yearly average. Under these relatively wet conditions, plants are not only appearing in greater numbers, but any plant that can flower will. Many seeds typically go dormant for years, even decades waiting for the right conditions. This year is one of those once or twice in a lifetime opportunities to see this level of diversity and density of bloom.

Lindsey: Let’s say I’ve been trapped under a McLeod or a Pulaski for decades and have just discovered this whole world of wildflowers. Where should I start?

Rick: Best thing to do is to pick up a picture guide to any area you are exploring. Once you can start naming plants, they start taking on a different level of clarity. Learning about the area helps you understand how it all interacts.

Start first with learning the plants on your favorite trail, then branch out from there.

Photo: Ken Lee

Lindsey: Any pointers for Lake Tahoe wildflower enthusiasts?

TAHOE’S WILDFLOWER HOTSPOTS Barker Pass Showers Lake area Page Meadows Marlette Lake area

Rick: It is still too early to know when Tahoe’s wildflower season will peak. What I can say is plants are blooming earlier every year and alpine plants are generally considered to be the canaries in the coal mine. As climate changes, the alpine plants are usually affected first being major indicators of the ecological state.

Plants that live on top of mountains have typically reached their adaptive migratory end point so if they cannot adapt to the changing conditions, they will disappear from that place. High elevation plants have to deal with extreme cold and radiation input forcing very cool adaptations like cushion plants.

The more people that understand the natural world around them, the more they are inclined to care for it. Learn a flower today.

And remember, look but don’t take!

TRAIL BLAZER | Summer 2017 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association

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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

The Sharpest Tool in the Shed Bill Banning’s volunteer work for the TRTA is done entirely behind the scenes, yet is critical for our Trail Operations programs. We asked Bill to shine some light on how he contributes his unique skills to help the TRTA.

How long have you been volunteering for TRTA? How did you get started and what keeps you coming back?

It’s been five years now I guess. Clay Grubb came to me and asked if I was interested in doing this. Since I have worked with tools a lot in my lifetime, making my living with tools and being in the hardware business I thought it would work out. I enjoy doing it and know that it makes a difference.

You do work for the TRTA that most people probably don’t know much about. Can you describe how you help the organization?

I bring the tools into my shop during the winter and clean them up and sharpen as needed, adjust working parts, replace or repair handles for most everything, repaint the blue so that hopefully they can be identified on the trail. Basically any kind of maintenance that needs to be done.

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TRAIL BLAZER | Summer 2017 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association

Did you have a background of recreating on trails or volunteering for a trail organization before you began to volunteer for the TRTA? Since we live on Andria Dr. about a block and a half from the trail, my wife and have hiked the trail many times in the twenty years we have lived here. I did not do any trail work until I got involved with the tools. I still do not go out on the trail to work, I seem to have enough work in the shop even during the summer.

Can you describe one memorable experience you’ve had on the TRT or volunteering with the TRTA? A couple of years ago they gave me a plaque for my service which sits on the book case in my office. I appreciated that very much, but the real joy that I get from this is how appreciative the trail workers are for the job that I do. This to me is the greatest gift. As I tell them, if you’re not dulling or breaking tools than you’re not working. So, if you break or dull something, bring it in and I’ll fix it.

Partnering for Trails Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization! From board members to trail builders we couldn’t steward the Tahoe Rim Trail without them. This year, our fantastic partner, NV Energy is chipping in to help the Association sustain our volunteer team!

Each year the TRTA has the privilege of working with hundreds of individuals, families, and groups who dedicate their time to a myriad of projects including (but definitely not limited to) building trail, filing documents, leading trail crews, folding mail, preparing hike packets, removing down trees from the trail, tabling at outreach events, cleaning helmets, testing tents, and guiding hikes.

The generous funding we have received from NV Energy provides essential support we need to train, outfit and thank our volunteers properly.

NV Energy has been a longtime supporter of our organization, providing financial support that has sustained our organization and been instrumental to our work to preserve the trail and inspire stewardship. Their support contributed to the construction of popular trails including portions of the Rim to Reno Trail and the Mt. Houghton Trail. They were also one of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s first Trail Challenge sponsors helping us kick off the new program five years ago. Please join me in thanking NV Energy for their commitment to our community and recreation! It’s been an honor to work with the wonderful NV Energy staff including Katie Naninni, Karen Ross, and Karen McClenahan and we look forward to many more years of fruitful partnership!

Business Sponsors Our business supporters give back to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association in a big way. Would you like to become a Business & Corporate Supporter?

Contact us to learn more.

FREEL PEAK MEMBERS $10,000+

MT. ROSE MEMBERS $5,000+

MT. TALLAC MEMBERS $2,500+

MT. BALDY MEMBERS $1,000+

Join a Trail Crew

2017 BACKCOUNTRY WORK CAMPS No Experience Required Tools, Gear & Training Provided

August 17-20 September 1-4

REGISTER TODAY AT TAHOERIMTRAIL.ORG

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WORK DAYS!

LOCATIONS: MT. ROSE HWY & SPOONER SUMMIT

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All Tools and Gear Provided!

No Previous Experience Required!

LOCATIONS: BROCKWAY, BARKER & MT. ROSE HWY

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Food, Friends & Fun!

BACK COUNTRY CAMPS!

LOCATION: KINGSBURY SOUTH / MOTT CANYON

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LOCATIONS: KINGSBURY, BROCKWAY & MT. ROSE HWY

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LOCATION: BROCKWAY SUMMIT

“It was so great to give back to the trail I love!”

Sign up today! To register and for more information visit www.tahoerimtrail.org

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No 200 Reno, NV

128 Market St. Suite 3E PO Box 3267 Stateline, NV 89449

Return Service Requested

Trail Blazer

The Official Publication of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association

3, 2, 1…. WE’RE OFF!

This April the TRTA was thrilled to launch its brand-new revamped website tahoerimtrail.org.

After months of hard work the final product turned out better than we ever imagined! The new user-friendly site provides easier navigation and functionality that has a responsive layout to accommodate all platforms from your giant desktop computer screen to your cellphone in your back pocket. If you take a look around the site we think you’ll get a good idea of who we are, what we do and how you can get involved.

In addition to changes in design and layout, the site features new functions like an interactive map that allows user to customize information on water sources, camping regulations, and trailhead access points and a new Stories & News blog page. We are very pleased with the makeover and invite visitors to explore tahoerimtrail.org today!