- This time on "Wild Nevada," we're on the Tahoe Rim Trail.

- There's something for everyone here, from a short hike, to a stunning view.

- Or an epic hike through an incredible wilderness.

- It's a trail for everyone, and anyone can help keep it looking good.

- And all that coming up right now on "Wild Nevada."

- [Presenter] Support for PBS Reno and "Wild Nevada" comes, in part, from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer, who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

- [Advertiser] Travel Nevada helps provide travel inspiration and experiences for those interested in creating their own wild Nevada adventures.

(uplifting music) For more information, visit TravelNevada.com.

And by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed, Charles and Margaret Burback, Sande Family Foundation, Kristine Perry, Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation, June S. Wisham Trust, the Hall Family, Dillard and Meg Myers, Sara and Leonard Lafrance, in memory of Sue McDowell, and by individual members.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music) - So this time, we're starting in Tahoe City, which is about 10 miles west of the California-Nevada border, and about halfway between our two adventures.

- We wanna show you some examples of the wide range of experiences that you can have all around the Tahoe Rim Trail.

And we are up early because one of those experiences means that Chris is gonna have a long day.

- Actually, a couple of long days, because I'm headed up to the Desolation Wilderness for an overnight, and a bit of a through-hike, on what's one of my favorite parts of trail.

- Well, I'm gonna make it much easier on myself, and I'm trying one of the many beautiful day hikes that you can find at various points all around the lake.

- Well, I'm headed this way.

- Well, mine is this way, so, I will leave you to it.

- I'll see you on the other side.

- Bye.

- From Tahoe City, I drive Highway 89 to Barker Pass, where, at the Tahoe Rim Trail trailhead, I meet Lindsey Schultz and Jim McNamara.

Well, hi.

- Hey Chris!

- Hello.

- I think we have an adventure ahead of us.

- Absolutely, we were thinking about taking you guys to Middle Velma today, a beautiful alpine lake about 15 miles south of here.

- We'll be able to go down to the lake, perhaps swim out to the Sydney Opera House, that's just offshore there, and have a nice meal, and a beautiful sunset.

- First, we'll come across Richardson Lake, another beautiful alpine lake, just before we enter into Desolation Wilderness.

(uplifting music) - Gotta use the legs.

(chuckles) (uplifting music) So, we are actually on part of the PCT right here, right?

- [Jim] That is correct.

We're about 49 miles from Meiss Meadows, up to Granite Chief Wilderness up here at Twin Peaks.

We're co-trail with the PCT.

- [Chris] So, Tahoe Rim Trail is about 200 miles.

How long is the PCT?

- [Jim] 2,653 is what I showed on my GPS.

- [Chris] Have you hiked the whole PCT?

- [Jim] Yes, two years and two months was the elapsed time, but I was only on trail 138 days.

- [Chris] Only 138 days.

- [Lindsey] A lot of people use the Rim Trail as a warmup for longer through-hikes.

Some PCT hikers, as they travel northbound, they'll go ahead and just do the loop of the Rim Trail, and add that into their whole PCT trek.

For someone to take the time out of their goal of hiking the PCT to do our loop, I think it means it's pretty special.

- [Chris] Yeah, with more than 20 miles planned for the next two days, it's important that we keep moving.

When through-hiking, pacing and planning is crucial.

And so is setting goals and destinations appropriate for everyone in your group.

- [Lindsey] The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit are the primary stewards of the Tahoe National Forest, Eldorado National Forest.

So, we have a trail management plan with the Forest Service, which tells us the grade, how wide the trail needs to be, how narrow it can be.

Some folks like to keep the rocks in because the trail can feel too sanitized with no protrusions in it, with no rocks in it, and kinda take away from that rugged experience.

(uplifting music) - [Chris] The pack really affects your balance when you go to cross, doesn't it?

(chuckles) - [Lindsey] Oh yeah.

- [Chris] You can tell I don't cross creeks with this much weight on my back very often.

(Chris and Lindsey chuckle) - [Lindsey] That's where the trekking poles come into play.

- [Chris] It takes a lot of effort, hours, and manpower to maintain the beauty of this hiking experience.

(uplifting music) A few hours into our hike, we arrive at Richardson Lake.

(uplifting music) Even though it's just a rest spot for us today, the lake can make a great camping location, with tons of features to explore, including the Sierra Club Ludlow Hut.

This rustic, but scenic, hut is left unlocked and available year-round for those that may need shelter in a storm, or just to get out of the elements.

(uplifting music) When through-hiking, proper rest, hydration, and nutrition is vital.

Richardson Lake is a beautiful spot to take a break from the weight of the packs, enjoy lunch, and filter some water for the miles ahead.

(uplifting music) - Meanwhile, down at Lake Tahoe level, I go northeast from Tahoe City, on Highways 28 and 267, to the Brockway Summit.

There's a parking area just off the road, and all you have to do is cross to get to the trailhead.

Remember what you learned as a kid.

Look both ways before you cross that street.

I meet Kristine Koran, who manages these trails.

She's going to lead us today.

But first, an introduction.

Because Chris took both of the camera guys with her, that would normally shoot this show, we have, today, Rebecca and Enrique, who are doing their first camera work on "Wild Nevada," and I think it's gonna be a fun day.

- Yeah!

- So, where are we heading?

- We are headed up to Picnic Rock, and it's about a mile and a half from here.

A really beautiful view spot, and have a snack up there, enjoy the views around the Tahoe Rim Trail.

- You had me at snack.

(Kristine chuckles) Really nice to arrive, pull over on the side of the road, and immediately be able to start a hike.

That's one of the appeals of this location, I think, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

It's a very popular location 'cause of that.

- This is the kinda hike that I think a lot of people would like to do.

- Yeah, yeah, it's short, I brought my small backpack.

- Yeah.

- I'm excited!

- Yeah, right.

You don't have to take as much water.

- Right.

- All that stuff.

Well, and it's got the word picnic in the name.

- Yeah!

- So, immediately, I'm on board.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) What I notice about this is, it's not very long, but it's a lot of back and forth.

- Back and forth.

- [Dave] So, you're going up, but you're not going up too steeply.

- Right, and that's for erosion control and sustainability.

If we were to go up, straight up a hill, and follow the fall line, the water would just run straight down that fall line.

So although it seems longer, it's actually protecting the ecosystem and erosion.

- Here I thought you were just protecting my knees and back.

- It is better for your knees and back too.

When the trail was first built, years ago, we used a lot of old Forest Service roads to just connect the whole lake.

And a part of our mission is to remove all of the trail that's on old forest road prisms.

- Okay, okay.

- And make it a better user experience.

And honestly, it will probably continue to get longer, because when we reroute the trail, it's usually because it's too steep, or badly eroded, or on a road, which is point A to point B directly, where we actually wanna make the user's experience nicer.

- Well, the users appreciate that.

Thank you very much.

So is there any trail like this anywhere else in the world?

It seems like this is unique, to me.

- I mean, Lake Tahoe is pretty unique, and people travel all over the world to come visit the Tahoe Rim Trail.

(uplifting music) - I realize, as I look out, that as long as I can see the lake, I have energy to hike.

(uplifting music) So it gets a little rocky here.

- Yeah!

- We gotta watch our step.

(uplifting music) - [Kristine] It's kinda just like it, Four Seasons.

(uplifting music) So, here we are at the Picnic Rock junction.

- Okay.

- We had a volunteer trail crew working out here a couple weeks ago, put in this rock wall.

So with this sign here, and then this rock structure, it's a little more appealing.

You're like, "Oh, I'm gonna go that way, up the hill."

- [Dave] Yeah, it's very clear that this is a spur.

- [Kristine] Yeah!

(uplifting music) - [Dave] Look at those rock formations.

That's really cool.

- [Kristine] Yeah, that's Picnic Rock!

We're almost there!

(uplifting music) - [Dave] Is this the last of the switchbacks?

- [Kristine] Yes, this is the last switchback.

We're almost there.

- [Dave] Exciting!

- [Kristine] Yep, this is our last sign we'll see, and we are there.

- [Dave] This is actually already quite beautiful, - Yeah.

- just approaching.

- [Kristine] These rocks, they almost look like pancakes smushed together.

- [Dave] They do.

Or stacks of coins.

- [Kristine] Oh, oh, yes.

- Usually I'm the one who thinks of food, but this time I thought of money.

(uplifting music) Woo, look at this!

This is exactly what I hoped it was gonna be.

- We made it!

- It's beautiful.

- We're finally here.

- What a view.

So, does this encompass the entire trail within our viewpoint here?

- Yeah, I mean, we can see all around Lake Tahoe.

So pretty much every, the whole trail.

- It's incredible, so, Chris and her team are way over there.

Right there, across and over.

- Yeah, yeah.

They started at Barker Pass, right there, and then we have Twin Peaks, and then they hiked about 15 to 20-ish miles, and then we have Desolation Wilderness, and the Crystal Range right in front of them.

It's a really beautiful hike.

- That looks like a long way.

- It is a long way.

I did it last year, and it's a long way.

- We made the right choice today.

- Full pack.

We did!

- We made the right choice today.

(uplifting music) - [Chris] From Richardson Lake, we still have another eight miles to go.

So we get back into our packs, and head out to see what the next segment of the trail has in store for us.

(uplifting music) - Have you ever heard the term, glacial erratic?

When the glacier is floating along, over the ground or over the ice, and it stops and melts, the debris that's in it, like this, settles on the ground, and it's called a glacial erratic.

This is just one more example of something that happened millions of years ago, and here it is.

(uplifting music) - [Chris] As we continue on, we finally enter Desolation Wilderness area.

This protected wilderness area is open for overnight and day use, but permits are required year-round for those traveling and camping in the wilderness.

- [Lindsey] The Crystal Range, out to our west, McConnell Peak, Red Peak, in the south, but you can hike back there for two days and not see a single person, which is, oftentimes, a goal of mine.

(all chuckle) - I can respect that goal.

- Yeah.

(uplifting music) - [Jim] Oh, hello.

- How's it going?

- [Jim] Groovy.

How are you doing?

- Good.

- [Jim] Best part of hiking the PCT is meeting the people, because some days, you go a whole day without seeing another hiker.

- [Lindsey] We're up to over 500,000 users a year.

- [Chris] Oh, wow.

- [Lindsey] Most of that is between June and October.

We have a visitor-use monitoring program that we started implementing many years ago, using these TRAFx trail counters that have an infrared little laser that comes out.

We'll install it on sides of trees, or inside rocks or bushes.

- [Chris] So you're actually head counting.

- [Lindsey] Yeah, and watching the increase, and watching the trail maintenance increase at the same time.

(uplifting music) This section right here, believe it or not, has received a ton of maintenance lately.

We had to defer maintenance in Desolation for many years because we just didn't have the manpower, but we've really been focusing on getting folks that are comfortable sleeping outside, and wanna go do these four-day backcountry camps, where you backpack in with tools and all your overnight gear.

I spend a lot of time in this little section, placing all these rocks we're stepping over.

And that's what it takes to maintain the trail back here in Desolation.

If these rocks could talk.

- [Chris] Not only does the Tahoe Rim Trail Association have a dedicated volunteer force, who works to build and maintain this beautiful trail, they also provide information to its users, as well as work in a wide variety of guide and education programs.

(uplifting music) - Ha-ha, we made it.

- That was an epic trek, but that's an epic view.

So, well worth it.

- Yeah, it's gorgeous.

Sweet, let's go find camp.

- Yeah, I'm ready to camp.

Ready for rest.

(uplifting music) After a long day in the packs, it's wonderful to reach our destination and make camp.

(uplifting music) Middle Velma is a beautiful place to review our day's journey, and to get some well-deserved rest.

(mellow music begins) Morning comes early on the trail, and as each of us in our small hiking group rise, we meet at the bear canisters that were left a safe distance from our tents.

It's time to get our fireless camp stoves going, to enjoy some coffee and make some breakfast to fuel the day ahead.

(mellow music continues) Why did we camp so far away, when the lake is that pretty?

- [Lindsey] So, studies show, 200 feet is a good amount of distance between you and a body of water while at camp, to not affect that body of water.

Everyone relies on this water, and the composition that it is, the clarity that we come up here to see.

We have to preserve that.

- Whenever we leave any kind of food near our campsites, or even some people attempt to wash their dirty dishes in the lake, all those particles of food end up going into the ecosystem, whether it's the rodents, or the ants, or the birds, or whatever and it habituates them to human contact and human food.

- So, are these camping protocols 'cause this is a wilderness area, or are these just overall good camping practices?

- We do this everywhere.

Everywhere we camp, we abide by leave no trace.

We've seen tremendous changes in, especially long-distance hikers, being much more considerate.

You never see litter on the trail.

People pack out their toilet paper.

Things that didn't seem like it would happen, but it's happened, because people are more aware, at least those that come out here.

(uplifting music) - [Chris] As we head out for our second day of hiking, our first goal is an alpine lake that I visited years ago, and I'm excited to get to enjoy it again.

- [Lindsey] Fontanillis is, it is my favorite lake in Desolation.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

It's about two miles.

There's 120 steps.

I counted 'em one time.

(uplifting music) - [Jim] And you can see the trail, right now, is all duff.

- Yeah.

- Just decomposed, organic, mostly from these trees.

- [Lindsey] There'll be technical areas, where it'll take a crew of three a week or two weeks to build 10 feet of trail.

And if we do it right, at the end of that two weeks, you'll never ever notice the amount of work that goes into it.

- [Dave] Many miles away, Kristine and I set out to find one of those trail crews.

We have a couple of trail miles ahead of us, and the trail is very pleasant, but that's not our purpose today, so, we try to make quick work of it.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) It's only after we get down the trail a bit that we meet up with one of Kristine's trail crews doing repair work.

- [Kristine] They are making a retaining wall to help hold the tread in, 'cause this is really sandy soil, so it erodes pretty quickly, and it's also on a steep side slope.

So, we're bringing some big rocks in here to help hold the tread back.

- [Dave] This crew is made up almost entirely of volunteers who work extremely hard to keep the trail in shape.

- I was a civil engineer for 25 years of my life, and I designed highways.

So, this is fun, 'cause there, I designed, this, we get to build it.

- I was an administrator for all my life, so I was inside, and I always wanted to be outside.

At least this part of my life I can be out here working.

- Instead of just being a user on trails, we'll help make those trails happen, so that others derive that enjoyment.

- [Paul] Without maintenance, you don't have the trail.

- Just like on your house, your car, anything else, you have to routinely go out there, as it gets used, just go out there and maintain it.

So, essentially, that's what we're doing.

- We had people go by and say, "Thank you.

This is great improvement to the trail.

We really appreciate what you do."

And it's like, "Well, wait a minute, I should be thanking you, because if you weren't here hiking, I wouldn't be out here having something to do."

And a lot of the volunteers feel the same way.

- A lot of people pay for Pilates, and you get it right here for free.

I'm probably in better shape than I was when I was working.

- It's a great way to stay in shape, it's a great way to be outside, and you're taking care of something that's pretty special.

- [Dave] Today, the trail crew is teaming up to do a big job, moving large rocks downhill to the trail, and positioning them to support areas that are breaking down.

Jim Crompton has been doing this all morning, so he's the perfect guy to teach me how to do it.

- Legs apart, try to keep a low center of gravity, and you'll keep the rock in front of you, and then kind of ease it down.

- It's all I can do to ease it down.

This thing is heavy!

(uplifting music) Some time later.

This is a real workout.

This isn't just rolling rocks down the hill.

- [Jim] Yeah!

- It's slow-going, and exhausting.

Eventually, I do manage to get the rock to the bottom.

You guys work your butts off.

- Yeah.

- Good man.

- I did one rock, and I'm like, "Where's lunch?"

No lunch yet.

Now, we meet crew leader, Michelle Edmondson.

She is taking those big rocks, and putting them in just the right place.

- Through this section, the rock wall that was originally put in has sloughed off over time.

So we're putting in bigger rocks, and putting in crush, to help stabilize them, and hopefully they will last 100 years, and we won't have to come back and maintain this trail, in my lifetime.

- So you can teach me how to help move this rock in?

- Yes!

So, this is gonna go right here.

- Got it.

- Slowly kinda rock it forward, like this, inch it closer and closer, and as the rock gets closer, sometimes it pushes dirt into the hole.

- Some dirt in, then we have to stop.

- So we end up, yep, moving it.

(uplifting music) Okay.

- I'm feeling suspense right now.

(Michelle and Kristine chuckle) - And just watch your hands.

- Yep.

- No fingers.

- Gotcha, and just, - Okay, watch your fingers.

- is this it?

- There it goes.

- Over the top.

- Okay.

- Watch your fingers.

Fingers here.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- It's hitting right here.

- Yep, yep, that's where - Is that where we want it?

- we want it to be hitting.

- That was beautiful.

- Is it in?

- Yep.

- Is that good?

- Yeah!

- It is really good.

- Nice!

- Woo, we did it!

- I did something helpful!

Next step is to fill in the gaps with crush, which you make by crushing rocks into smaller rocks.

- There you go!

So you just smashed a rock.

How fun is that?

- Did you see that?

I broke a rock!

(uplifting music) Finally, cover everything with dirt.

- Just really nice, and it'll compact really nicely.

See how, as you hammer it down, it kinda flattens out?

- Yeah.

- Awesome.

- So now when people walk here, they will just see dirt, and the rock wall will disappear.

- That is really cool.

- But the trail won't, because the rock is supporting the trail.

- And you don't even know what you're walking on.

It's all this work that people have done that nobody realizes.

You people are amazing!

Even though I'm one of you, for the moment.

(Michelle and Kristine chuckle) I say thank you for being out here.

That was rewarding, and tough.

Now I'm ready for lunch.

- [Chris] Here we are!

- [Lindsey] Ah, that crystal clear, - Yeah.

- cold water.

- [Chris] Any time I hear alpine lake, I think of this place.

(chuckles) (uplifting music) - [Lindsey] Fontanillis is a special treasure.

- So, really, when you protect landscapes like this, and destinations like this, you're preserving it for the next person, or the next trip out.

You're just scratching the edge of it if you just see Tahoe.

I mean, you've got to see more.

- [Lindsey] Absolutely.

(uplifting music) - [Chris] We have our first view of Tahoe in a day.

- Yeah, right below us, we have Upper Velma, and then, of course, Tahoe.

- There is so many views on this trail, and none of them are bad.

- Oh my God.

It's just absolutely breathtaking.

You feel like you're on top of the world.

(uplifting music) - [Jim] Take a look at these trees, how they're all bare on the east side.

The winds come down this pass, across the lake, and they almost deform all these trees, allowing all their branches to all grow to the west, and almost completely bare on the east side.

- Kinda sculpted by the wind.

(uplifting music) So if we were to continue into Desolation today, where would we go?

- Next thing we'd see would be Dick's Lake, and above it, Dick's Pass, and right up there to the right of that patch of snow, Dick's Peak.

The legend of Captain Dick was that he was a sea captain.

He had quite a liking for whiskey.

And he had a rowboat, and he would row 16 miles up to Tahoe City to imbibe.

At one time, in 1870, he capsized the boat, rowing back, probably quite inebriated, lost the oars, and he said he pulled the boat, grabbed it, and swam with it all the way home to Emerald Bay.

In 1873, he was rowing back from South Shore.

It was a real stormy night in October.

He didn't make it back.

So they did find his boat, Nancy.

They found a bottle of whiskey.

They did not find Captain Dick.

So the legend is, Captain Dick still resides in the lake somewhere.

And around 1899, he started appearing on all these geographic points, the pass, the peak, and the lake.

- People paying tribute to a great Tahoe legend, right?

- Exactly.

- And so he can forever look over his precious Emerald Bay.

(uplifting music) - [Jim] Up here is a nice view of Lake Tahoe.

- [Lindsey] There she is, Emerald Bay.

- [Chris] You never get tired of a Lake Tahoe view.

- Never.

- Absolutely.

I hope Captain Dick Barter doesn't either.

(Chris chuckles) - Thank you so much for taking me out to Desolation Wilderness, and showing me how to really properly enjoy it, and, too, thank you for all the work you guys do to protect it.

It's been an amazing two days.

- Chris, it's been a pleasure for both of us.

- [Chris] Any time you guys wanna share a view like this, I'll be there to enjoy it.

(uplifting music) - Well, we have retired to the Char-Pit at Kings Beach, just a few miles away from the Tahoe Rim Trail.

This is a wonderful place to relax after a day out.

I'm wondering, Chris, how did your hike turn out?

- It was an exhilarating trip.

It really pushed and tested our stamina, but learning how to responsibly protect and visit that kind of beautiful country made it all worth it.

- Well, congratulations on navigating the Desolation Wilderness.

I toast to your adventure.

- I toast to yours.

For more on this episode, or to watch any of the "Wild Nevada" shows, you can visit us at PBSReno.org, or you can stream us with the PBS video app.

- And until our next trip, here's hoping you can enjoy a "Wild Nevada" adventure of your own.

See ya next time.

Mm.

What I'm doing is showing the world that Michelle does not need my help in putting her rock in.

- This is the part where you realize that the way down seems a lot longer than the way up.

- [Rebecca] It's really not.

(uplifting music) - I'm sweaty, and I'm dirty, and I've got this big heavy pack on, and it makes me really happy.

(chuckling) So, I'm having a good day.

(uplifting music) - [Presenter] Support for PBS Reno and "Wild Nevada" comes, in part, from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer, who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

- [Advertiser] Travel Nevada helps provide travel inspiration and experiences for those interested in creating their own wild Nevada adventures.

(uplifting music) For more information, visit TravelNevada.com.

And by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed, Charles and Margaret Burback, Sande Family Foundation, Kristine Perry, Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation, June S. Wisham Trust, the Hall Family, Dillard and Meg Myers, Sara and Leonard Lafrance, in memory of Sue McDowell, and by individual members.

(uplifting music)