Tahoe Trail Guide

Your Online Resource for Hiking, Backpacking, Cross-Country Skiing, and Snowshoeing at Lake Tahoe

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Tag: trip documenting

Overnight Cross-Country Ski Tour to Little Round Top Mountain (Carson Pass)

November 17, 2019
| 4 Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Copyright © 2017 Jared Manninen

Winter at Lake Tahoe is great for choose-your-own adventures in the backcountry. There are additional considerations to take into account during winter travel. However, your options are plentiful when the snowpack is stable, you know your gear and its capabilities, and you’re willing to embrace your inner pioneer spirit. For this article, I outline one…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged advanced, backcountry xc skiing, carson pass, ski tour, trail journal, trip documenting 4 Comments

Beginner’s Mind: Becoming a Student of Sport

November 15, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Snow banks along a river running through a snowy forest

“Beginner’s mind” is a phrase that was used often during my dozen years of active training in the Japanese martial art of Aikido. The phrase originated with Zen Buddhism and denotes an approach to learning or, in a broad sense, experiencing life with an open mind and a willingness to embrace the new, unknown, and…

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Posted in Blog, East Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged trail journal, trip documenting

Backcountry Skiing on the Pacific Crest Trail

November 15, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails
Cross-country skiers traveling along the Pacific Crest Trail past trees

My grin morphed into a grimace the moment I saw the tips of my skis torpedo beneath a three-inch layer of wind-scoured crust and disappear. A split second later, the inevitable happened. My lower body came to a halt while my upper body continued to move. I pitched forward, landing face first in the snow….

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Posted in Blog, North Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, South Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, West Lake Tahoe Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing, Winter Trails Tagged backcountry xc skiing, trail journal, trip documenting

Companionship in Desolation Wilderness (6-Page Comic)

November 11, 2019
| 2 Comments
| Backcountry Skills, Blog, West Lake Tahoe Hiking
Copyright © 2012 Jared Manninen

Presented here is a short black and white comic I created about an overnight backpacking trip I took into Desolation Wilderness with a former girlfriend back in 2012. Although our relationship did not last and the backpacking trip was only two days, the experience was rewarding. One of the reasons I enjoyed the trip was…

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Posted in Backcountry Skills, Blog, West Lake Tahoe Hiking Tagged desolation wilderness, trail journal, trip documenting, west tahoe 2 Comments

Unexpected Refuge: A Lesson in Humor and Humility (8-Page Zine about Backpacking)

November 11, 2019
| No Comments
| Blog, South Lake Tahoe Hiking, Summer Trails
Copyright © 2015 Jared Manninen

A humorous lesson in humility presented to you in a comic book format. I created this zine based on a backpacking trip I took in October of 2015 along the Tahoe Yosemite Trail. Needless to say, the trip was cut short due to heavy rains (and me not being prepared to deal with it!). A full…

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Posted in Blog, South Lake Tahoe Hiking, Summer Trails Tagged trail journal, trip documenting

“Hiking with the Dude” or “A Lesson Learned in Takin’ ‘Er Easy”

November 11, 2019
| 4 Comments
| Backcountry Skills, Blog
Copyright © 2011 Jared Manninen

In 2011, one of my Lake Tahoe friends and I resupplied two of his friends who were thru-hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT). They needed one last food drop to get them through the Whitney Portal, which is the southern terminus of the JMT. Our plan was simple, but our execution of it was not….

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Posted in Backcountry Skills, Blog Tagged trail journal, trip documenting 4 Comments
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Top Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

Hiking the Historic Donner Pass Train Tunnels in Truckee, CA
Short and Easy Hikes in South Lake Tahoe
Hiking Mount Rose (via Mount Rose HWY/SR 431 near Incline Village, NV)
Hiking Winnemucca Lake (via Carson Pass in South Tahoe)
Behind-the-Scenes Action Photos of Tom Cruise Filming Top Gun: Maverick (aka Top Gun 2) in South Lake Tahoe
Hiking Freel Peak (via Forest Service RD 051 near Luther Pass in South Tahoe)
Hiking Rubicon Trail (via Emerald Bay in South Tahoe)
Buying Cross-Country Ski Gear, for Beginners (Part 1): Intention, Types of XC Skis, and Whether to Buy New or Used
Hiking Castle Rock (via Kingsbury Grade/SR 207 near Stateline, NV)
Hiking Meeks Creek Falls (via SR 89 at Meeks Creek in West Tahoe)

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Recent Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

  • Considerations and Reasons for Doing a Big Year
  • Behind-the-Scenes Action Photos of Tom Cruise Filming Top Gun: Maverick (aka Top Gun 2) in South Lake Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Big Yellow Wildflowers with Big Green Leaves called Woolly Mule’s Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Considerations for Spring Hiking and Backpacking at Lake Tahoe
  • Tips for Spring Hiking in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe
Mosquitoes be damned, I'm finding all the wildflow Mosquitoes be damned, I'm finding all the wildflowers after work 🤣
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Four of the species I uploaded today (from last week's excursion to Round Top/Carson Pass) for the 2022 Tahoe Wildflower Big Year didn't count as they aren't included in the project list (because they're too rare, I guess). Regardless, I still managed to officially log my 500th plant species for the year. That said, there's always the chance that I've incorrectly ID'd something (i.e. it ends up being a duplicate of one I already have). But I still have a number of unknown species to ID and upload (my photo backlog is getting bigger!). And there are plenty more wildflowers left to find this summer. So I'm feeling confident that I'll retain (and actually surpass) my 500 species goal for 2022 😊
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Not too shabby out there today 😊 . But now I ha Not too shabby out there today 😊
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But now I have 1,000 more photos and well over a dozen new wildflower species to sort through and upload to iNaturalist. And that doesn't include the 100s of photos that I took during the past few days. So, yeah, I might get to them in the next week or two. Fortunately, it doesn't really matter when I upload them so long as they get submitted before December 31, 2022 😂 
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The bottom line is that these Big Years are big time sucks 🤣
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Felt a little like hiking on Mars last night 😗 Felt a little like hiking on Mars last night 😗
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View from the other day's high altitude wildflower View from the other day's high altitude wildflower hunt (Freel Peak - 10,881ft).
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Pacific Hulsea (Hulsea algida) near the summit 🤗
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Self-portrait of Jared Manninen
Jared Manninen has been a Tahoe local since 2005. He began building Tahoe Trail Guide (c. 2017) in order to inspire people to embrace the outdoors as a place in which to learn and play.

Popular Tahoe Trail Guide Posts

  • Considerations and Reasons for Doing a Big Year
  • Behind-the-Scenes Action Photos of Tom Cruise Filming Top Gun: Maverick (aka Top Gun 2) in South Lake Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Big Yellow Wildflowers with Big Green Leaves called Woolly Mule’s Ears and Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Considerations for Spring Hiking and Backpacking at Lake Tahoe
  • Tips for Spring Hiking in the Mountains at Lake Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Tips for Finding Wildflowers at Tahoe
  • Lake Tahoe Wildflowers: Two Major Factors that Determine Peak Bloom Times for Wildflowers at Tahoe

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Although I encourage you to venture out of your comfort zone, you need to know your limits and when to turn back. Tahoe Trail Guide and its contributors are not liable for property loss or damage, personal injury, or death. Always consult multiple sources when venturing into the backcountry. Always be prepared for the worst case scenario. Your safety is your responsibility. Tahoe Trail Guide copyright © 2016-2021 by Jared Manninen. All rights reserved.  This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Per the Associates Program Operating Agreement I must disclose the following statement: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” when you buy something via an Amazon.com advertisement.