Here We Go...

View from Watson Lake Road in North Lake looking south.

         When I was a senior in high school a few of my friends convinced me to go out on a limb and try something that I had never enjoyed: distance running. The first couple weeks were brutal and I hated it. As I got in better shape I began to enjoy it simply for the fun of running through the woods on Tiger Mountain with my friends. When I returned from my first year of college I spent the summer running those same trails with my buddies Diggity (Nate Werner) and Yoak (Randall Yoakum). We had a daily routine of running the 6 mile Bus/Swamp/Big Tree loop, then floating on Lake Sammamish, then Mongolian Grill. We did that just about every day and it was probably the most fun I have ever had running. For the next couple summers in college and the few after that I would run simply to get back in shape. It wasn't necessarily fun, it was just habit. Over the past few summers of running roughly 30 miles per week I started to develop what I believe was plantar fasciitis, a condition caused by excessive stress on the heels of your feet which can lead to debilitating pain. I would frequently wake up at night or in the morning and limp around for several minutes before my heels loosened up. At the end of those past few summers I always told myself, "Next summer I'm going to find something else," but the following spring, for no apparent reason, I would start running again. That is what led me to this year when everything changed...


I recently read a book titled "Born to Run" that inspired and completely re-motivated me in my trail running. It talks about all this research that has been conducted proving that, contrary to popular belief, humans have evolved with the ability to run for extraordinary distances and lengths of time, and for the majority of their lives with no adverse effects. It focuses in particular on an isolated tribe of people in the rugged Copper Canyons of Mexico who's primary means of transportation is running to wherever they need to go. This tribe, known as the "Tarahumara," have been known to run for hundreds of miles at a time in thin, extremely minimal sandals. They frequently run 30-40 miles a day, whether it be for necessity or sport, and do this for the vast majority of their lives with practically no stress related injuries. No knee pain, no shin splints, no plantar fasciitis, no stress fractures...NOTHING. It seems impossible to achieve these distances year after year, and even more unlikely in shoes with no tread, padding, or arch support to speak of. However, the research uncovered in "Born to Run" claims that it is actually our modern, high-tech running shoes that are responsible for all of the ailments that haunt runners. It states that the human foot is designed to absorb tremendous amounts of stress, but when it is cushioned by thick padding or weakened by arch supports it looses its strength and becomes susceptible to injury. As a result of these discoveries, many trail marathoners and ultra-distance runners have converted to minimalist, or "barefoot," running shoes and watched their long-time injuries and running pains completely disappear.


This information was very intriguing to me, even though I had, and still have my doubts. Nonetheless, with the way my heels have been deteriorating over the past few years I felt like I had nothing to lose. New Balance is one of the primary shoe companies leading the way in the new "minimalist" movement, and with the guidance of some of the most accomplished ultra-distance trail runners in the world, they have put out an entire line of minimalist running shoes. I decided to pick up a pair of the New Balance MT101 and give them a shot. This shoe has been personally tweaked and re-tweaked by decorated ultra-runner Tony Krupicka, so I thought it would be a decent place to start.


I have been running in the MT101 for a few weeks now and I have completely adapted my running style to the design of the shoe. They are essentially a pair of aqua socks with a hard, thin rock guard under the toes and ball of the foot. That, combined with relatively little heel padding and support, forces you to run more on your toes and the ball of your foot as opposed to the more traditional heel-to-toe foot strike. Also, the lack of cushion has led me to shorten and significantly lighten my stride. Rather than charging over rocks or roots or whatever is in my way, I am much lighter on my feet and carefully choosing my foot placement. The first week I had the shoes I put in almost 50 miles, including two 12-milers and a 23-miler. The two weeks since then I have been running 50+ miles per week, with 12-15 miles every other day and the occasional 20+ miler thrown into the mix. I have never run those kind of distances before and I have been loving every mile of it. Now instead of trying to get my run out of the way, I am going out for 2-4 hours at a time and cruising. No rush, just enjoying it. The best part is that so far I have almost no pain in my heels, and my knees and feet feel pretty good too. This could definitely change, but so far so good.


After my first week or so of eating up trail in my minimalist shoes I started to wonder... How far could I go? And what trails would that kind of distance open up to me? That's when I set the goal of running the Tahoe Rim Trail. The Tahoe Rim Trail is a famous 165 mile loop that circumnavigates Lake Tahoe. It is broken down into 8 segments ranging from 12.2 to 32.5 miles, with an average segment distance of 21 miles and an average elevation of over 8,000 ft. I am going to run one segment a week (work schedule permitting) starting with the segment closest to my house (Tahoe City to Brockway Summit, 19.2 miles), and work my way clockwise around the lake until I have seen every inch of the Tahoe Rim Trail. Now all I have to do is wait for the record snow pack to melt and its on! Here we go...

My Gear

       My objective for running the Tahoe Rim Trail is to go as light and simple as possible. I have spent the last couple weeks trying different set ups and I think I have it dialed in. It might change depending on factors like water supply and how much food I will need, but this is probably everything that I will be using.

New Balance MT101 minimalist trail running shoe. Only 7.8 oz.

Salomon Twin Belt. Space for 2 water bottles and 2 small pouches for food. My water filter fits perfectly into one of the water bottle holders and will most likely replace one of the bottles on most of my runs.

One Salomon bottle for the waist pack and one high-tech, ultra-light homemade hand bottle.

MSR SweetWater Microfilter. This thing will allow me to run very light and can filter fresh water from a puddle of mud if necessary. It will surely be my savior on many of the segments. Thanks, Dad!

Watson Lake Trail Reconnaissance

       This winter we were lucky enough to receive a record 800+ inches of snowfall in Lake Tahoe. It made for an amazing ski season but it is going to drastically shorten my window of time to run the Tahoe Rim. Today I decided to at least try to run to Watson Lake and back. Watson Lake is roughly 7 miles in to the 19.2 mile segment from Brockway Summit to Tahoe City, making for a 14 mile round trip with considerable elevation gain. Aside from the occasional patch of snow the trail was mainly clear for the first 5.5 miles. Somewhere around the 6 mile mark I completely lost the trail under about 5 feet of snow and somehow ended up on an access road which I followed to Watson Lake. I arrived at Watson Lake, which sits at 7,500 ft  elevation, to find the lake still 90% frozen over and surrounded by at least 5 feet of solid snow pack. Keep in mind that it is already almost July and large portions of the TRT are over 9,000 ft with several spots over 10,000 ft. Needless to say its going to be a few more weeks before I can really start.

Segment 5: Kingsbury Grade to Big Meadow

Segment Length: 23.3 Miles

Start Elevation: 7,520 ft.

End Elevation: 7,300 ft.

High Point: 10,000+ ft. (shoulder of Freel Peak) 

Mileage sign at the Kingsbury Trail Head.

  At 23 miles and some change, this segment from Kingsbury Grade to Big Meadow was another beast of a run. The trail starts at the bottom of the Stagecoach Express chair at Heavenly and proceeds to climb straight to the top of the resort. You pass 9,000 ft. elevation right out of the gate on this segment and you stay there for 20 miles until you finally descend to Big Meadow at the end. Even though this is the longest segment I have run so far (by .1 miles) and it is well above 9,000 ft. for most of the distance, there are also consistent water sources which I have not had on my previous runs. After winding around the back of Heavenly Ski Resort, which is HUGE by the way, I reached my first creek that was flowing out of some stubborn snow fields. Learning from my runs from Brockway to Mt. Rose and Mt. Rose to Spooner, I forced myself to down about two liters of water before refilling my bottles and heading on my way. This turned out to be unnecessary as there were numerous other water sources, but I did notice a huge difference later in the run from staying so well hydrated. The trail climbs steadily for the first 5 miles to Monument Pass where the trail levels out and you finally get a break.

Job's Sister (Left) and Freel Peak (Right).

At the top of Monument Pass you get your first view of Freel Peak and Job's Sister. At 10,881 and 10,833 respectively, they are the two highest peaks in the entire Tahoe Basin. Even after 3 1/2 months of hot California summer there are still massive snow fields left over from last winter on both peaks.

Star Lake.

From Monument Pass the trail mellows out for about 4 miles before reaching Star Lake. Star Lake sits at the base of Job's Sister and is probably the most pristine lake that I have seen in the Sierra. Compared to the high lakes of the N. Cascades, a lot of the lakes that I have been to around here appear to be shallower and more stagnant. You also rarely see trout rising or swimming along the shore like you do at nearly every lake in the Cascade Range. However, it didn't take me more than 10 seconds upon reaching Star Lake to spot a nice size brown trout cruising past the logs at the outflow stream. I took a break at Star to drink some water and relax, and saw trout rising all over the lake in the middle of the day. I didn't see any larger than about 12 inches cruising in the shallows, but based on some of the splashes I saw out in the middle I have a feeling there are some nice ones in there. I am pretty excited to have found a nice fishing lake and I am definitely planning on heading back there with my fly rod and float tube this fall!

Freel Peak (10,881 ft.)

From Star Lake the trail climbs for a mile or two up to another pass at the base of Freel Peak. At slightly over 10,000 ft. in elevation this is the highest point on this segment and one of the highest points on the entire Tahoe Rim. After passing Freel Peak there are 10.5 miles of gradual climbs and descents through dense forests and in and out of meadows. This stretch of trail wasn't particularly strenuous but it was tedious and it felt like it went by in slow motion. On the other hand my legs felt great and I didn't feel at all dehydrated like I have on a couple of the other runs.

The last 2 miles descend steeply, dropping more than 2,000 feet in elevation to the Big Meadow Trail Head. This final 2 mile stretch is some of the most amazing single track mountain biking that I have ever seen, and I passed no fewer than 20 bikers hiking their bikes up the hill to enjoy the 2,000 vertical on the way down. I reached the Big Meadow Trail Head at 5 PM, and with plenty of time to catch a ride back to my car I figured my adventure for the day was over. I couldn't have been more wrong...


Big Meadow is off of Highway 89, a steep, narrow, two-lane highway with no shoulder. To add to the difficulty of trying to hitch a ride on a narrow mountain road with no shoulder, a car would only pass me once every 5 minutes or so. After an hour and a half, with the sun going down, I finally got two guys in their work truck to pick me up. They were heading to Sacramento and could only take me as far as the junction of Hwy 89 and Hwy 50 where they dropped me off. At this point I was happy to be out of the mountains but I wasn't out of the woods. With almost no daylight remaining I got a ride with another guy that could only take me to within a few miles of South Lake. This was great except for the fact that they were doing shoulder work and replacing the sidewalks from there all the way through South Lake. With no light and no place to hitch a ride I ended up having to walk 6 miles through all of S. Lake Tahoe to the bottom of Kingsbury Grade. Refusing to hike another 6 miles and 2,000 vertical feet to the top of Kingsbury, I posted up on the corner and waited for another 30 minutes before someone was willing to pick me up in the dark. After all was said and done I finally made it back to my car at 10:30 PM. As is turns out, running is the easy part!


Thanks to everyone that gave me a ride. Especially Evan, who picked me up in the dark and took me to my car. I hope you enjoy the 6-pack of Mirror Pond.

Segment 4: Spooner Summit to Kingsbury Grade (SR 207)

Mileage sign at Spooner Summit Trail Head.

Segment Length: 14 Miles


Start elevation: 7,150 ft.


End Elevation: 7,920 ft.


High Point: 8,866 ft. (South Camp Peak)

Lake Tahoe with the distant peaks of the Desolation Wilderness.

This segment, from Spooner Summit to Kingsbury Grade, proved to be somewhat of a break compared to the previous three segments. At just over 14 miles, it is significantly shorter and also lacks the brutal elevation gain and loss that I have encountered thus far. Even though this segment is "easier," it still starts off with a gradual six mile climb to the top of the ridge before leveling out. There isn't a whole lot to look at for the first six miles which makes it seem like a longer than it really is, but once you reach the ridge it is all worth it. When you approach the top of the ridge you ascend out of the trees to a view of the entire Tahoe Basin. Looking straight across the south end of the lake you can see all the peaks of the Desolation Wilderness, including Mt. Tallac, Pyramid Peak and Dicks Peak. Looking south you can see Heavenly Ski Resort and Freel Peak, the highest peak in the Tahoe Basin.

Boulder fields along the trail.

The trail winds along the top of the ridge for a mile or two before dipping back into the trees for the remainder of the segment. The final 6 miles or so traverses steep mountainsides and winds through huge boulder fields, but the trail itself is pretty mellow. This is one of the few stretches so far where I have felt like I could afford to bump up my pace and let it fly a little. I cruised at about a 7 minute mile pace for the final 6 miles, and for the first time running the Rim it was nice to not have to worry about running out of energy or water.

View of South Lake from the trail.

 The distance of this run is listed at 12.2 miles, but they recently added an additional 2 miles to avoid having to walk down the road to the trail head for the next segment. I will gladly take an additional 2 miles of trail over having to run on the road any day.


Thanks to Tony for driving me from Kingsbury Grade down to S. Lake, and thanks to Ward for driving me from S. Lake back to my car at Spooner Summit.

Segment 3: Tahoe Meadows to Spooner Summit

Segment Length: 23.1 miles

Start Elevation: 8,740 ft.

End Elevation: 7,150 ft.


High Point: 9,214 ft. (Snow Valley Peak)

Mileage sign at Tahoe Meadows.

At 23.1 miles, this segment from Tahoe Meadows to Spooner Summit is the longest of the three that I have run so far. However, with a higher start elevation than end elevation, I was very excited to not have to run uphill all day (see Segment 2).  Starting at Tahoe Meadows the trail winds along the top of the ridge with great views of Lake Tahoe on one side and the Carson Valley on the other. 

View of the Carson Valley from the ridge.

 All of the climbs and descents are relatively gentle for the first 9 1/2 miles to Tunnel Creek Road. I wasn't trying to run particularly fast but I ended up making it to Tunnel Creek in under an hour and a half. Its amazing how quickly you can cover ground when the trail isn't climbing straight uphill. 

Mileage marker at Tunnel Creek.

Feeling like I was ahead of schedule I decided to stop for a snack and hang out with a couple mountain bikers who had caught up to me. It seems like I get the same reaction from pretty much everyone I run into on the trail when I tell them what I am doing. Its always something like, "Oh, cool. Wait...What?!?" I talked to those guys for a few minutes before they headed down Tunnel Creek Road toward Incline Village and I headed on my way.

One of the Twin Lakes.

Only 1/2 mile after Tunnel Creek I reached Twin Lakes. I only found one lake, but judging by the name I'm sure there was another one near by. It was actually a pretty cool spot with all of these randomly placed white boulders everywhere. Learning from my last run, I drank all of the water that I had and filtered more before leaving Twin Lakes. I was glad that I did as the trail climbed for a solid 2 miles back to the top of the ridge.

Abundance of Lupin.

Once on top of the ridge, the trail flattened out again and traversed across mountain sides of the thickest wild flowers I have ever seen. The huge snow year has provided lots of extra water late into summer, and there are literally entire mountains colored purple with Lupin. Of all my time hiking in the mountains I have never seen anything like it. 

Endless fields of Lupin near Snow Valley Peak.

Marlette Lake with Tahoe in the distance.

With roughly 9 miles left Marlette Lake came into view. I had been banking on being able to refill my water bottles at Marlette but that didn't work out so well. I didn't realize it, but without taking a several mile side hike this was the closest I would I get to the lake. This was unfortunate considering I only had 16 ounces of water left with 9 miles still ahead, including a climb over Snow Valley Peak (9,214 ft.).

A lone tree on Snow Valley Peak.

I slowed my pace a little for my ascent of Snow Valley Peak to avoid getting too dehydrated. I didn't want to risk cramping up again like I almost did on my last run. If there is one thing I am learning it is that the Sierras are very dry and you can get in trouble quickly. Its not like what I am used to in the North Cascades where you cross a creek every couple of miles. From now on when I find a water source I am going to drink until I can't drink any more, because chances are I won't see another drop for miles. Luckily, I had just enough water to get me to the summit of Snow Valley Peak. From there it is a brutal, but easy, downhill cruise for the final 5 miles to the Spooner Summit Trail Head.

Mileage marker at the Spooner Summit Trail Head.

Hitching a ride from Spooner Summit back to Mt. Rose ended up being surprisingly fast and easy. Thanks to Jose for driving me from Spooner to the intersection of Hwy 28. Thanks to Oscar for driving me from there to the bottom of Mt. Rose Hwy. And thanks to Murray for driving me to the top of Mt. Rose. It was a long day on the trail and it was a relief not to have to spend more than a couple minutes on the side of the road!

Segment 2: Brockway Summit to Tahoe Meadows

Trail map at the Brockway Trailhead

Segment Length: 19 Miles

Start Elevation: 6,900 ft.

End Elevation: 8,900 ft.

High Point: 10,338 ft. (Relay Peak)

Mileage sign at the trailhead.

After taking some time to rest my knee and working 7 days a week for 2 months straight, I finally got a morning off to tackle my second segment of the Tahoe Rim. This segment, from Brockway Summit to Tahoe Meadows at the summit of Mt. Rose Highway, turned out to be the most punishing 19 miles I have ever run. Hands down.

9,000 ft. Only the toughest trees and baddest trail runners survive beyond this point.

Starting at 6,900 ft., the trail climbs for 15 straight miles to the summit of Relay Peak, the highest point on the Tahoe Rim Trail at 10,338 ft.  Some parts of the climb are steeper than others and there are a couple brief flat spots, but overall it is a relentless ascent for the entire 15 miles to Relay. The first 7 miles climbs steadily to the head of the Martis Valley at roughly 9,000 ft. At this point the climb mellows out a bit 

Head of the Martis Valley. Still plenty of snow.

and the trail traverses the ridge toward Rose Knob with beautiful meadows and incredible views of Lake Tahoe. The 2-3 miles along the top of this ridge was by far my favorite stretch of the Tahoe Rim that I have run so far.

Steep meadows and amazing views along the ridge near Rose Knob.

Mud Lake

At the 11 mile mark I reached Mud Lake. Mud Lake was my only source of water for 19 miles and its a good thing I didn't blink. Mud Lake is more like a mud puddle, and it is a couple hundred feet below the trail. I scrambled down to the lake and filtered some nice, warm water from the insect larva-infested pond. It was better than nothing though, and I would have been in trouble without it.

Mt. Rose Hwy in the distance. Unfortunately it wouldn't be that easy.

After Mud Lake it gets brutal. The trail is very rugged and exposed, and it dips down a couple hundred feet just to make sure that the final push to Relay Peak thoroughly destroys you. There is one point where you reach the top of the ridge only to turn the corner and realize you still have 400 vertical feet and another mile to go. At this point all you can do is put your head down and keep charging. Despite being pretty exhausted, I stubbornly managed to run every step of the 15 mile climb to Relay Peak. 

Mileage marker near the summit of Relay Peak.

 From the top of Relay it is either 4 miles down the gravel road or 4.7 miles down the trail to Mt. Rose Hwy. Even though both are considered to be the Tahoe Rim Trail, I decided to take the trail and run the extra .7 miles. Unfortunately, taking the trail adds an additional climb and my legs had already decided that they weren't going to climb anymore. I started feeling a twang in my hamstrings as if they were about to explode into severe cramps, so I took a few minutes to sit down and work it out. A couple guys that I had just passed caught back up to me and asked me where I had started running. Astonished that I had run from Brockway they started hooking me up with water and almonds and trail mix and all kinds of good stuff. The older guy was named Hans and apparently he owns a natural foods store in Reno and has bicycled around the world 4 times. He invited me to take a tour of his store the next time I'm in Reno and I might have to take him up on that. The extra calories were a life saver, and after a few minutes of rest I was able to coast the final 2 miles to the trail head at Mt. Rose Highway.

Mileage sign at the Mt. Rose Trailhead.

Thank you, Tori, for giving me a ride back to my car! I don't think I had the energy to hitch after that one.