WINTER 2021 EDITION
Forging Ahead Despite unprecedented challenges, the TRTA remains committed to fulfilling its mission.
CONTENTS
View from the Rim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 TRAIL OPERATIONS The Dirt on Trail Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Major Project Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 VOLUNTEERING Reflections on a Decade of Volunteering with TRTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Volunteer Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 OUTDOOR PROGRAMS Guided Hiking Program Update - Lindsey’s Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Outdoor Education and the Coronavirus Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge 2020 Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Poster Contest: Planting Seeds of Stewardship Around Lake Tahoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NEWS & DEDICATIONS Fastest Known Time on the TRT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Views We Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Tahoe Rim Trail Association The 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 Steel Deputy Director Chris Binder Development Manager Veronica Palmer Office Administrator Laurie Buffington Outdoor Programs Director Lindsey Schultz Trail Operations Manager Kristine Koran Youth Programs Manager Julia Kaseta
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Dave Schnake Vice President Tricia Tong Treasurer John McCall Secretary Michelle Glickert Vice President of Trail Ops Shannon Foley Vice President of Trail Use Carl Woods Board Members Joe Irvin, John Singlaub, Marissa Fox, Roberta Martinoni, Tom Fullerton
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association works in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and Nevada Division of State Parks
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TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
VIEW FROM THE RIM
Business Members TRTA Business Members are essential partners that help us fulfill our mission. These partners help ensure the Tahoe Rim Trail remains just as phenomenal in the future as it is today and help us inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. For more information on becoming a Business Member, contact Veronica at veronicap@tahoerimtrail.org. FREEL PEAK $10,000+
I
t was a myth. Urban legend to 50-foot bridge spanning the maybe. When I started work at entire conduit would have been the TRTA there were rumblings of ideal for trail users, the cost and an elusive bridge needed to cross short season it is needed made a raging torrent at Echo Summit. I that a less ideal solution for EID. found it odd as my recollection of A shorter span keeping trail users the trail near Echo Lakes included above the waterline would get no such water crossing in which the job done. We also needed to a bridge, sometimes described ensure this relatively small issue as needing to be 40 to 50 feet by Morgan Steel for EID but larger issue for trail in length, would be warranted. Executive Director users didn’t fall off the radar Making the issue sound even less and fade into obscurity. Over the plausible was the gem of information that past couple of years when the deadline for the someone else was on the hook to fund the bridge installation came and went then was construction of the bridge. Fast forward nearly extended we, along with our partners at the nine years and not only have I discovered the Pacific Crest Trail Association, kept persisting. origins of this tale but, in 2020, this torrent is tamed! With everything else that had transpired in 2020, the outlook didn’t look good that this After diving into this issue with our volunteers, would be the year that the bridge was finally partners, and land managers, I eventually built. Fortunately, to our surprise, it got done. discovered the details. Every year after the Thanks, EID! The TRTA has work to do next Labor Day holiday festivities have wrapped season on the approaches but EID built a up and the crowds in the area quiet, the water fantastic bridge. in Echo Lakes is released from the damn and heads downstream. On its journey westward, In the end, I see the bridge as an analogy the water from the lake scoured out and of our 2020 trail season. It didn’t look like it widened the banks of the normally dry conduit. was going to happen but, with hard work, it Most years this is a substantial amount of water was a massive success. Our effort pushing for and creates a significant hazard. The danger the bridge is also indicative of the role our was significant enough that most trail users organization plays in the Basin as advocates chose to cross private property and walk on for trail users, recreational infrastructure, Johnson Pass Road rather than navigate the and the landscape along with our dogged water crossing. I also learned that, somewhere dedication to our projects. along the line, the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) had agreed to foot the bill for the bridge. Thank you for making this work and all our efforts around the trail possible in 2020! With a clear picture of the details, the TRTA With Gratitude, dove in. Our charge was to implement an appropriate solution for the land managers, water purveyors, and trail users. While a 40-
MT. ROSE $5,000-$9,999
MT. TALLAC $2,500-$4,999
MT. BALDY $1,000 - $2,499
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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The Dirt On Trail Operations T
he pandemic has had a drastic effect on the 2020 trail construction and maintenance season on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Mitigating the risks of COVID-19 has meant a short season, reduced trail crew sizes, and detailed sanitation, screening, and distancing guidelines. Unfortunately, this resulted in fewer volunteer opportunities for the general by Chris Binder public to give back to the trail they love. Deputy Director While TRTA originally had over 100 volunteer trail crew events scheduled to be open to the public, in the end we only held about a quarter of that number this year. I apologize to those who were unable to come out with us this season, or were only able to come out for a fraction of the crew days they had hoped. On the positive side, TRTA maintained trail crews in the field nearly continually between mid-June and the end of October, following our internal protocols (and those of our land management partners). Volunteer TRTA Crew Leaders have dedicated thousands of hours to trail construction projects in Van Sickle Bi-State Park and at Echo Summit, and Crew Leaders and general volunteers have done the same at Watson Lake. In addition, our Segment Coordinators have been leading crews to perform maintenance and tackle smaller projects on every segment
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TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
of the trail, while youth crews and veteran volunteer crews have been hard at work rebuilding the collocated TRT and Pacific Crest Trail in northern Desolation Wilderness. 2020 also saw the inauguration of a new approach for the TRTA to getting good work done on the trail – the TRTA Staff Crew. This innovation has seen TRTA staff tackling dozens of projects large and small, spending over 2,000 hours improving the trail this summer. If you were lucky enough to spend time on the trail this year there is no doubt you benefited from new and improved signs, trail structures, and other work accomplished by TRTA staff and volunteers. Unfortunately, a majority of projects scheduled in conjunction with our partners at the US Forest Service were put on hold this year as that agency focused on fighting wildfires and managing facilities in the face of the pandemic. However, as we look ahead to 2021 with reserved optimism that we will not face both a record-breaking wildfire season and a daunting new surge of the pandemic, there is hope to get those projects moving again. Important projects to improve trailhead signs and kiosks, campground facilities on and near the trail, and to finally fix the ditch through the trail along the Truckee Rivers are, among others, on our plate for 2021. We’ll need your help to do it, so thank you for supporting the TRTA. Have a great winter, and we’ll see you out on the trail next year!
T R A I L O P E R AT I O N S
MAJOR PROJECT UPDATES
Reroute Your Trail Plans, Smoke and Closures Ahead
T
his field season we overcame many unforeseen obstacles. While the field season’s start was delayed due to the pandemic, once we had a plan for how we would adapt to working in the era of COVID, our team hit the by Kristine Koran Trail Ops Manager ground running and had an incredibly productive year. Maintenance work is a massive task every year for our organization and 2020 was no exception. In small, socially distanced teams, we cleared downed trees that had toppled over through the winter, brushed back overgrown trails, rebuilt trailhead infrastructure, cleared and added drainages, repaired stream crossings, and improved trail tread. As our teams of two were able to expand during the summer, our maintenance work ventured further into the backcountry. We successfully and safely hosted two wilderness work camps in Desolation Wilderness to build steps and drainages between Middle Velma and Fontanillis Lake. With inconsistent air quality and looming thunderstorms in the distance, we built 37 new rock steps in eight days. All of the miles of brushing, new trailhead staircases and approaches, stream crossings, and tread repair we completed this season are a testament to the dedication of TRTA volunteers. In addition to our massive maintenance workload throughout the 200mile trail system, four reroutes were also completed this season thanks to our team of dedicated TRTA crew leaders. These trail reroutes moved the trail off unsustainable alignments and were crucial for improving the trail experience and preventing erosion. The 1.3 mile Echo Summit reroute, which took three years to construct, was designed to move the trail away from the noisy Highway 50 corridor. The work involved moving and blasting boulders to build a sustainable trail and took
over 10,000 volunteer hours to complete. This year, the final year of construction, focused mainly on finishing highly technical rock work. The new section of trail winds through boulder fields, requiring winches and rigging equipment to move material and ensure the tread is wide enough to meet equestrian trail standards. The retaining walls, rock steps, and views of Lake Tahoe and Desolation Wilderness are a huge improvement on this collocated section of the Pacific Crest and Tahoe Rim trails.
Two reroutes in Nevada State Parks were opened this season as well. The parks remained open during the large-scale shutdown of National Forests in our region, allowing work to continue there when other projects were put on hold. While some workdays were cut short due to hazardous air conditions resulting from massive wildfires throughout the west, our volunteers were committed to getting out there when air quality allowed. In Van Sickle Bi-State Park the initial portion of the lower K to K trail, previously a social trail mostly following a dirt road, was completed. The TRTA led the project and worked in collaboration with the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA). Volunteers worked side by side (6-feet apart) to build about 3,600 feet of new trail. Our other reroute in Nevada State Parks is located along the Tahoe Rim Trail near the Marlette Peak Campground. This trail was badly eroded and was often snow-covered well into the summer due to its shady exposure, leading to braided muddy trail. The completed rerouted trail now routes along the west side of Marlette Peak proving fantastic views of both Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe on sustainable single-track. Finally, work was nearly completed on a reroute near Watson Lake. The new route replaces a dusty, popular OHV road with quiet and enjoyable single track trail that meanders through trees and boulders. We look forward to completing the finishing touches on this section of trail next season. A BIG thank you to all TRTA volunteers for their hard work during this complicated season. It is incredible how much work we accomplished despite the challenges we were presented with. A trail worker’s job is never done and we look forward to projects both big and small that we will tackle next field season.
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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VOLUNTEERING
Reflections on a Decade of Volunteering with TRTA
by Dave Schnake TRTA Board President
Over the last eleven years while building improvements to or maintaining the Tahoe Rim Trail numerous hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians have thanked me for my work. One PCT thru hiker even took a moment to leave me a note on the back of my truck after chatting with me while I was clearing downed trees off the trail. As much as my ego has appreciated the sentiment, their thanks were misplaced. Thanks should go to all the members and donors that make the non-profit Tahoe Rim Trail Association possible.
Without their continuing support over the years, the Association would not have been able to develop partnerships with the various land agencies around the Lake. The Association provides the framework for training and gaining experience that result in its volunteers conducting trail work that meets the highest standards and is done safely. And finally, the Association has, over the years, built up a team of volunteers dedicated and committed to providing a world class trail experience for all those that travel on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Their many cumulative years of experience is priceless; their cumulative pay over those years, $0. But personally, as a TRTA volunteer, money truly isn’t everything. I have been paid in many, many other ways. These are just a few of the experiences I would have missed out on if members and donors did not support the existence of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. I’ll start with all the people I’ve met, some just in brief chats as we passed on the trail, others which have developed into friendships that will endure for many years to come. I initially thought I’d be exaggerating to say the number of people I’ve met through my time with the TRTA was in the thousands. Thinking back, though, I have no doubt this is true; the various volunteers that came to work on the trail for just a day or two, the people I met on the trail, 6
The fall is when you meet lots of the hikers from Europe who have traveled half-way around the world just to experience the TRT. I have talked about this with other trail workers and tried to put together a list of the countries from which visitors had traveled. It quickly became obvious that a list of countries from which we haven’t met hikers would be very short.
my fellow crew leaders, agency folks, and those poor audiences I tortured with some of my Trail Talks. One thing they all had in common is that they all cherished their trail experiences. We would relive our experiences on trails we both traveled and, my favorite, they would share stories of trails I would love to travel in the future. In addition to trails in this country I talked with people who hiked trails in the Alps, Spain, Croatia, South America, Africa, New Zealand, Norway, and others. Starting in midsummer I would start to meet the PCT thruhikers on their way from the Mexican border to Canada. Having already spent months in the wilderness, hiking over 1,100 miles, some of them are starved to talk to another human being, while others are starting to develop a strange animal like stare as they have started to go ‘wild’.
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Trail work has taken me to all parts of the trail at one time or another. Some years ago, I completed my third complete loop of the trail while assessing trail conditions near Watson Lake. It dawned on me that day that I was on a section of trail my daughter’s Girl Scout Troop had volunteered to brush years earlier, long before I ever volunteered for trail work. Always, there is an immense personal satisfaction when you look back at a section of trail you just helped build or repair. Then there was the constant camaraderie of working as a team and the ever-entertaining bull sessions during lunch breaks. Crews would always seek the best viewpoint for their lunch break, even if it were a half mile from the work area! I could wax philosophic about trail work, but my suggestion is, give it a try and experience it for yourself! Working on the trail provided me so many unique trail experiences. Working on a technical repair or new trail construction, means you
spend most of the day in one place. While working on the trails in Van Sickle State Park, I would notice how the color of the lake would change ever so slowly as the sun moved overhead. Also, you discover that the sounds of the forest change throughout the day as the thermal winds vary and that animal sounds, the chirping and chattering, differ in low light versus bright sunlight. One day I could look down on the top of a broken off dead tree. A nest of baby squirrels kept peeking out, curious as to what I was and what I was doing. Recently, a long-eared chipmunk, normally a very shy animal, spent hours chattering and dancing near me as I was working near Watson Lake. I imagine he was fussing because I was intruding on his territory. Then there are the larger animals. A bear walked by us during a crew leader training session, to plop down into a pond and splash the water with his big paws like a little kid having a grand ole time. Another bear was walking up a trail when I was carrying a load of tools down. I did all the recommended responses; I banged tools together, stood tall, and yelled. The bear looked at me with a ‘yeah, right’ look and kept coming. I let him have the trail and hiked down the hill to our truck. Near Twin Peaks I was sitting by the trail serenely watching the sun come up when a bear, not seeing me, walked up behind me. We became aware of each other about the same time; he took off like a rocket (it’s an amazing sight the first time you see how fast a bear can run!) and I concentrated to slow my heart rate to avoid a heart attack! On my return trip on an early winter hike, I found mountain lion tracks crossing my earlier footprints. Deer usually had the habit of blending into the scenery and then scaring the bejeebers out of me as they’d suddenly leap up as I passed by. The list goes on and on. Flowers, trees, streams, storm clouds, pogonip, blowing snow, rock formations, etc., etc.. All these experiences I owe to my volunteering with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association and to the Association’s continued stewardship of the Tahoe Rim Trail. So, again, I want to thank the many members and donors who have supported the TRTA and thereby provided me with years of wonderful experiences.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Jamie Nowitzki We may be biased but we think TRTA volunteers are the greatest. Case in point, Jamie Goodspeed Nowitzki! Jamie has been a Tahoe Rim Trail volunteer since 2017 serving as both a crew leader and trail guide. Jamie grew up in northern Michigan enjoying the great outdoors with her family. Her favorite hobby is backpacking. More specifically, backpacking on National Scenic Trails like the Pacific Crest Trail and the North Country Trail. In 2007, with the mountains calling, she made the move to Lake Tahoe. She has been adventuring on the Tahoe Rim Trail every year since. She and her pup Dylan completed the Tahoe Rim Trail in 2017. Jamie got involved with volunteering after enjoying a solo backpacking trip along the PCT. She decided to give back to the trails she loved starting with digging into workdays and overnight backcountry work projects. She fondly looks back at her first workday with the TRTA and remembers how much fun she had and how fulfilled she felt walking away dirty and tired. More recently she started volunteering for the Forest Service’s Desolation Wilderness Volunteers after seeing some of the negative impacts the growing number of users in Desolation were creating. Through volunteering, she has learned many life lessons and has made amazing friendships along the way. She is a great resource for the TRTA, putting in over 250 volunteer hours in 2020 alone. She has her Wilderness First Responder, Crosscut B Sawyer, and her CPR certifications. This woman is a rock star and we are grateful for all the time she spends volunteering with the TRTA! When not out adventuring or volunteering on trails, Jamie can be found at the Bijou Community School in South Lake Tahoe, CA where she recently accepted a new position with the Lake Tahoe Unified School District as the Cafeteria Supervisor. She is very excited to help provide students with a healthy diet and make a positive impact in the community. After working with Jaime on the trail, we know the Bijou kids are in for a real treat! TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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OUTDOOR PROGRAMS
Lindsey’s Compass
Making Lemonade S
by Lindsey Schultz Outdoor Programs Director
ummers at the Tahoe Rim Trail Association are typically a well-orchestrated buzz of activity with segment hike and thru-hike programs, youth trips, backcountry skills courses, trail challenge, educational trail talks, and trail operations projects coming and going seven days a week throughout the Tahoe Basin. TRTA staff relies heavily on our amazing volunteer family to make normal operations possible and, just as TRTA staff plans all year for the busy summer season, our volunteer guides physically train, coach, and stay abreast of current gear trends in preparation to lead participants into the backcountry.
For many of us, most or all of our 2020 events were modified or canceled. The TRTA was no different. We missed our volunteer guides dearly since canceling our remaining 2020 guided hiking programs. But while our guides may not have been out on the trails together, they continued to venture into the backcountry for a solo trail season. Here’s a peek at what everyone was up to this summer! Loretta Low
Tricia Tong & Co. 8
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Jim Mrazek & Co.
“I, like everyone, was devastated when all of our guided programs were canceled. Once I picked myself up off of the floor and recovered, I decided to turn lemons into lemonade. I knew that I couldn’t stay off of the TRT for long. I joined fellow guides Tricia Tong and Jim McNamara for 10-days on the Pacific Crest Trail in June. We hiked together from Donner Summit to Chester, 175-miles. Jim went on to finish his hike at the Columbia River Anna Lijphart
Jan Nishikawa
Carl Woods
in August. It was an opportunity I would not have had if our TRTA programs had remained intact. Between these hiking projects and some other trips—Tetons and Pt. Reyes—the summer of COVID turned out to be quite wonderful for me.” - Sharell Katibah
Jo Ann Goena
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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OUTDOOR PROGRAMS
Outdoor Education and the Coronavirus Crisis
I
n 2020, education as we know it took a sharp turn. Elementary-aged children substituted sharing and playtime for hand sanitizer and isolation. Middle school kids swapped smiles and high-fives for masks and 6 foot spaces. High schoolers traded pencils and classrooms for keyboards and never-ending homework. As many school districts made these changes to protect students, staff, families, and the community, the TRTA was grappling with similar concerns. Ultimately we changed our plans and canceled by Julia Kaseta our in-person outdoor education programs.
health and safety. It has also given our organization hope that we can get back to our youth backpacking trips in 2021.
Outdoor education programs are essential for youth which is why, here at the TRTA, we are committed to finding ways to provide this type of curriculum. In 2020 we focused on adapting the existing virtual learning format by combining it with outdoor education curriculums. The TRTA’s Online to Outdoor Education program focused on getting kids outside to experience place-based education and learn Youth Programs about environmental concepts from the comfort and Manager Even before these massive shifts due to COVID, increasing safety of their home. Although the program was delivered screen time and a general lack of health and wellness have been a virtually, youth engage in hands-on activities and explore their growing problem. Psychologists have been studying the correlation surrounding natural spaces for a blend of the two learning styles. This between time spent outside and mental and physical health. With the program can act as a primer to in-person outdoor education lessons, as rapid growth of technology over the past two decades and a reduction it introduces the concepts of Leave No Trace, natural history, and trail in time spent outside, there has been a decrease in socialization and stewardship while promoting independence and problem-solving skills. emotional intelligence and an increase in depression, anxiety, obesity, and attention deficit disorders among youth. Prior to this pandemic, Our goal is to ensure that the impacts of COVID on our youth programs kids averaged seven hours per day in front of a screen and less than ten in 2020 are a blip on the radar and we can pick back up with our highly minutes per day engaging in outdoor play. As astonishing as that may sought after and important Youth Backcountry Camp program next year. seem, screen time has likely increased drastically in the past year as We recognize that many kids have missed outdoor experiences this year digital learning has become the main vehicle for education. and want to ensure more kids have this opportunity in 2021 and beyond. Outdoor, nature-based programs help kids develop life skills and Recent studies have supported the assertion that natural outdoor diminish many of the problems families, teachers, and the community elements such as wind and sunlight disperse and eliminate viral droplets, are facing from the physical, psychological, and financial burdens of decreasing transmission rates of COVID-19 by up to 80 percent. Apart isolating at home. from the physical and psychological benefits that time spent outside provides, outdoor spaces allow for more manageable classrooms in For information regarding the TRTA’s outdoor education programs, please visit our web page at tahoerimtrail.org/youth-programs or contact Julia accordance with safety protocols by health officials. That’s a win-win for Kaseta at juliak@tahoerimtrail.org for specific requests.
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TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge 2020 Recap The Trail Challenge program empowers YOU to self-guide your backcountry adventures. The Tahoe Rim Trail Challenge provides detailed maps and descriptions of our favorite routes along the trail for users to download and explore on their own. This year with many of the TRTA’s guided hiking programs canceled, these self-guided tours of the trail were more important than ever. Challengers tracked their progress including the Challenges they completed and the miles they traveled. We hope to see all of our challengers back next year for another round!
LEADER BOARD 2020 NAME
TEAM
MILES
Chris Harley
197.5
Phillip Gregory
146.4
Jason Eberle
127.3
Rhett Atkinson Jennifer Munyan
REI
“Completed all 6 challenges. What a truly amazing experience. I’m on Cloud 9 every time I go out on the TRT. Looking forward to next year!” “Amazingly stark landscape devoid of anyone while at Lake Aloha, I must return there again.” “Spectacular golden leaves of quaking aspens.” “As always, no litter and trail is in such great shape! Completed 14 miles. Great to see families with kids.” “Such a beautiful trail! Well maintained, can’t get lost.”
116.2 101.38
Scott “Wanderer” Jones
90.2
Neil “The Angry Yodeler” Fage
90.2
Lynn Heislein
87.4
Janet Bath
83.7
Kristin Szabo
79.5
“All is good! Even met some TRT volunteers working on the trail while we backpacked this section!” “Took the final ascent to Freel Peakbeautiful!” “Trail was excellent, no litter anywhere! Thank you work crews” TRAIL TRAIL BLAZER BLAZER || Winter Winter 2019 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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Planting Seeds of Stewardship Around Lake Tahoe
W
hile outdoor spaces in the Tahoe Basin seemed to be the only safe-escape for many residents and visitors during the 2020 trail season, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association faced impassable hurdles to ensure the safety of participants, staff, and the community for our Youth Backcountry Camp program. To send a van packed full of children and instructors into the backcountry for four days at a time did not align with the TRTA’s high safety standards given the rise of COVID-19. Despite the heartbreaking cancelation of our signature youth program in 2020, we got creative and stayed true to our mission to inspire stewardship. This spring, the Association launched a poster contest designed to educate kids on Leave No Trace ethics while providing them the opportunity to make a positive impact on the communities around the Tahoe Basin. Youth were encouraged to tap into their creative side and depict the Seven Leave No Trace Principles in an eye-catching way to educate residents and visitors on how to care for wildlife, the natural landscape, and other trail users when recreating in the outdoors. While we received a plethora of fabulous submissions, we chose Maile Green’s creative depiction of the principles. Maile’s poster spent the trail season hanging at the South Lake Tahoe Public Library and TRT trailheads to plant seeds of stewardship in the minds of residents and visitors to Lake Tahoe.
Maile Green
Maile’s creation reflected her artistic skills, inspirations, and key takeaways from the seven Leave No Trace Principles. “I knew about cleaning up after yourself, putting out fires, and making sure other people have a good time too. I didn’t know to travel and camp on durable surfaces, so I put it in the middle of the poster to highlight what I most learned from this contest.” Her unique design incorporates an anime-style adopted from her 5 years of living in Japan and artistic principles learned from her mom’s expertise. This wise teen stresses that stewardship ethics are vital to the safety of humans, plants, and animals in the Tahoe backcountry because ignoring these principles can cause negative impacts on the environment. “I think it’s super important to follow the Seven Leave No Trace Principles because other 12
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Created by TRTA Poster Contest Winner, Maile Green, 13 yrs. Learn more about how you can minimize impact on the trail at tahoerimtrail.org/leave-no-trace.
people want to enjoy the trails just like you and we want to keep our wildlife and nature safe.” From the wildfires to the significant increase in trail-users and the abundance of trash and microplastics left behind in outdoor spaces this summer, our trails took a hard hit this year. We are so thankful for all of the participants who created Leave No Trace posters to help us spread awareness about stewardship ethics. While looking for creativity, we found even more: leaders, stewards, and inspiration. Maile said it best: “Nature’s for everyone. We want to leave it just like we found it.” TRAIL BLAZER | Spring 2019 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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Fastest Known Time on the TRT T
he Tahoe Rim Trail, at about 171 miles long with almost 31,000 feet of vertical gain, poses a daunting challenge to anyone looking to complete the whole thing, let alone attempting to be the fastest person to ever complete it. That is exactly what local Tahoe City ultra-runner Adam Kimble set out to do this summer. 2020 was a challenging year that affected everyone differently. For ultrarunners, the cancelation of most big races, like the Tahoe 200 and Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs, left a void. Elite athletes like Adam started looking for something to do on their own. For many, the idea of setting a speed record, or Fastest Known Time (FKT), looked very appealing. In the speed record community, there are multiple types of FKTs. The most popular are the supported and unsupported records. Supported means the runner has a team of people behind him/her helping along the way, providing food and water at different locations, or even running alongside to set the pace. An unsupported FKT means the runner is completely alone and unaided. They cannot even stash supplies for themselves ahead of time (this would be considered another type of record). Adam set out to break the supported record set by Kilian Jornet in 2009 of 38 hours and 32 minutes. When people asked him before his attempt what time he wanted to run he told them, “if I could run 38:31 I’d be happy. Ten seconds under his time would be good enough for me.” Adam did his best to run the exact path that Jornet did 11 years earlier, starting and ending in Tahoe City, running clockwise, but the trail has changed a lot since 2009. With reroutes and other changes to the trail, Adam estimates that his run was about 6 to 7 miles longer than Jornet’s record-setting course in 2009. Breaking a record on the TRT was not a new idea for Adam. He made his
by Veronica Palmer
first attempt at the supported record in October Development of 2019. Unfortunately, after a missed resupply Manager with his crew early on resulted in running for a few hours with no food or water during the heat of the day, he was never able to fully recover. He ultimately ended up missing the record by almost 8 hours. He walked away from that attempt knowing he didn’t give it his best try and he would be back to try again. He never thought it would be just nine months later. When his schedule cleared up due to racing event cancellations, he knew the time was right. In July, Adam coordinated with friends in his running community and put together a support team to help him achieve his goal. His team was made up of a 4-person support crew, his wife and three friends, and seven pacers. Each pacer traded off running with him for 20-mile sections. “In my lowest moments they kept me focused,” he added, “it’s hard to get too negative when there is someone next to you telling you you’re doing great.” As he ran, he found the hardest part was the long steady climb from Kingsbury Grade to the shoulder of Freel Peak. That section fell about 80 miles into his run and was done entirely in the dark. He said the climb was relentless. By the time he made it to Dick’s Pass in Desolation Wilderness, he knew based on his pace goals that he was likely to break the record. That realization gave him the mental boost he needed to power through the last section and finish strong.
Adam ended up shaving off a whole hour and twenty minutes from Killian’s time, finishing in 37 hours and 12 minutes. When asked what made him want to break the speed record on the Tahoe Rim Trail he said, “First and foremost, my love of the trail. I think of this as my home field. I wanted to play the biggest game on the home field.” TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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Views we love
The Tahoe Rim Trail holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Through the TRTA’s Adopt-a-Vista/ Adopt-a-Mile program members of our community can honor their loved ones or special occasions by dedicating a special spot on the trail they hold dear. Here are this year’s adopted vistas and their special dedications. If you are interested in adopting a vista or a mile, contact Veronica Palmer at veronicap@tahoerimtrail.org.
Marilyn’s Mountain Keith and Marilyn Sanders are long time volunteers and supporters of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. This summer after building new trail near Watson Lake, they spotted this amazing vista along the trail which Keith adopted in Marilyn’s honor.
“We benefit by being among the tall trees, high mountains, clean air, and wildlife. Wellmaintained and accessible hiking and biking trails allow more of us to be outside. The large rock outcropping with its huge, flat rock is a great resting place along the new trail and is adopted to honor my wife Marilyn Sanders who enjoyed working on the trail.” Keith Sanders 14
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
Sienna P. Rettig Vista Sienna grew up enjoying Lake Tahoe with family and friends and it was her favorite place in the world. Sienna was an avid skier and developed a special connection to Tahoe. What mattered most to Sienna was the present moment and being with the people she loved. Described by her friends as their angel, Sienna was a guiding light in the lives of many people. Sienna always put others first and the love she showed others was reflected back on her from her family, friends, and all those in her life. Her family state, “we have adopted this vista in honor of Sienna, our love for her and her love for Lake Tahoe. As we visit, we will forever cherish the breathtaking views overlooking the lake and this vista will always remind us of Sienna’s true beauty.”
Wendy Ann Hayward Vista
Lit’l Nora Vista
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is honored to include the Wendy Ann Hayward Vista this year. Wendy, along with the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation, was instrumental in providing the funding needing to grow our youth programs over the past several years. Her family adopted this vista to remember and honor Wendy Ann Hayward as a loving mother, wife, friend, sister, and daughter to Nancy and Homer Hayward. And for all the incredible memories in Tahoe at Haynados Hideaway on the Lake.
The story behind the adoption of the Lit’l Nora Vista is one that warms our hearts! In September of 2019 Larry Patzman, a marine veteran, needed a kidney. His daughter, Nora, stepped up at this critical moment and donated her’s. This year the Patzman Family, Larry and his wife Sarah, decided to commemorate the first anniversary of Nora’s gift to her father on September 27th by adopting this vista. She saved his life.
TRAIL BLAZER | Winter 2021 | Tahoe Rim Trail Association
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128 Market St. Suite 3E PO Box 3267 Stateline, NV 89449
Trail Blazer
The Official Publication of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association
