Tahoe Trekkin'

There are some lovely trails around Lake Tahoe and we know we won't be able to do even a fraction of them so we settle for two on our first full day here — the 1.5 mile trail to Cascade Falls and the 2 mile trail to Eagle Lake.

But first....Tahoe's streets are being ripped up by construction crews. Couple that with it being a weekend, a clearly popular OctoberFest celebration AND a Kokanee Salmon Run festival and you have some very busy roads around the Lake.

We do stop off to see the salmon running in Taylor Creek. Their bodies turn an eye catching shade of red and the males develop a hook jaw signifying the start of their journey upstream from Lake Tahoe to spawn.




Further along the road, we stop to gaze out over Emerald Bay. This is also the start of the trail to Cascade Falls. We pack a light snack and end up snacking with our legs dangling over the edge of the now-lightly running falls gazing out to Cascade Lake below...and Lake Tahoe below that.


















We luck into a parking spot at the trailhead to Eagle Lake. This trail travels up one steep mile before depositing us on the edge of a very becoming lake just inside the Desolation Wilderness. With snow still smattering the peaks overhead and a breeze blowing, we are reminded yet again that winter is none to far off for these parts!












Being that it is later in the day, we enjoy the scenery without all the crowds.

We make camp at the William Kent Campground where we later learn a bear gets caught while we are there and where we end up chatting the evening away with fellow campers Glen and Shelley from Nevada.

What starts off our conversation is the charming little teardrop trailer that Glen and Shelley are towing behind their truck. Turns out that Glen designs and makes them himself. They are the perfect size (weighing about 700 pounds) and can therefore be towed by nearly any vehicle. Given the dropping nightly temperatures, their cosy abode is looking mighty inviting!

Glen and Shelley graciously invite us to join their campfire (alright, allow us to stay, most likely because we continually pester them with questions thus not allowing them an opportunity to ask us to leave!!!). We all have much in common though — a love of outdoor pursuits and a keen interest in personal development in communication. We pass the evening most enjoyably together until the last log stops glowing in the fire.