First of September I drove up to Tahoe with several goals in mind: one was to do several day and overnight hikes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and two, was there help my friend Candice Burt with her inaugural Tahoe 200 mile endurance Trail Run. Stopped off in Truckee, as usual, to get some fresh ground coffee at Wild Cherries for the Tahoe200 race crew to burn the midnight oil with. Bought some IPA brews too, because it seems that’s all they run on is beer and coffee.
The weather was flawless the entire time I was up there, actually becoming pretty warm by mid morning. Since I was staying with Candice and her Trail animal organizers, we all stayed up a little too late and I didn’t get an early morning start on the trail. Helped with what I could, (not being a Ultra trail runner myself) then set out for a couple of day hikes on the west side near Homewood, their base-camp. I know the Blackwood Canyon Barker Pass and Ward Canyon area very well so I thought I would take a hike to Barker Peak for some great panoramas since the weather was so nice.
The drive up Blackwood Canyon on Barker Pass Road brought me over Blackwood Creek which was completely dry, unlike my trip in June in which the stream was still flowing quite strong. The 7½ mile drive up to Barker Pass went by quickly, putting me on the trail in good time.
About one mile up the trail brings me to an overlook that I love the most for a chance to watch the sun rise over the Carson Range on the east shore of the lake. Pitching my one man tent in between several trees, and facing the opening to the east, I can assure myself of a beautiful unobstructed sunrise over the lake.
From here, it is just a few short miles to Barker Peak, with some spectacular rock formations as it is all brightly colored red and brown lava rock.
The trail conditions from my first overlook are quite normal, just plain dirt with occasional rocks. Then you approach the ridge that goes out to Barker Peak, which becomes a more volcanic soil which does not seem to support any vegetation. I scrambled out as far as I could without falling off the edge to get some pictures. I enjoyed the sights and solitude without falling off a cliff so I’ll call it a day.
Quite the view
Back to the Tahoe200 Animal House in Homewood for the night, which is always abuzz with activity at least 18 hours a day – A great meal prepared by Candice’s mom and step-dad, and always great company.
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- My buddy Candice and I
See ya on my next adventure…in the Tahoe Wilderness
tahoemarmot 