I had a great time in my first week on the Tahoe Rim Trail. I was surprised by the beauty of its contrast.

The hardest part was to get on the trail! On Day 1, I had to walk 10 extra km and pass by 9 private bridges with “No Trepassing” signs before being able to cross the Truckee River.

Then, I didn’t see a house or a gate for the next 130 km. The trail followed the East side of the lake rim along the Carson Range in Nevada, mostly between 2100 m and 2700 m and without much slope.

The dry and sparce forests on white decomposed granite contrasted with the lush meadows full of life at the lower passes and the highland chaparral full of wild flowers and Mountain Pennyroyal mint.

No bears in sight, but super cute chipmunks and birds ranging from big hawks to the stunning Mountain Bluebird and even a Calliope Hummingbird.

That’s the dry side of the Sierra with stretches of up to 26 km without reliable water source on the trail. I hit the sweet spot in terms of calendar and had some extra sources (including snow patches), which made this water game fun and tactical. A few weeks later, it would have been painful. Lots of sun, but lots of shade too, and mild temperatures.

The trail was really not crowded except near highways. There was good gender parity among backpackers (17 men and 14 women), even though women traveled more in pairs than alone. Most people traveled in pairs anyway (65%).