South Lake Tahoe

Climbing Mt. Tallac in 2004

I was in a 3 day backpacking trip with the Stanford posse over Mt. Tallac back in 2004. From the private trail head by Fallen Leaf Lake, we went straight up 3000 feet carrying 20 lbs backpack. It was one of the hardest hiking I've done.

Fast-forward 15 years and this trip is  now coming to an end. We drove 500 miles straight from Boise in this last leg of our journey. No hiking, no sightseeing; only charging stops for the first time in this trip. We made up for it the next day with Rubicon Trail.

Rubicon trail mostly follows the lake. The most scenic portion of the trail starts from Calawee Cove in D. L. Bliss Park and ends in Emerald Bay State Park for about 3.6 miles, one way. There was no shuttle back, so you either have to do the round trip of 7.2 miles, or turn around in the middle. We ended up doing 2.1 miles and turn back for the total of 4.2 miles. I knew I could get away with 4 miles and I did not want to push my luck, though another half a mile would've taken me to Farly Beach. Self discipline won the day.

View from Rubicon Trail