Tahoe!

For the last few weeks, I've been riding in Tahoe as often as possible and it has been absolutely amazing!

First up was Silver Lake to Horse Thief. Well, in all honesty, I'm not sure I would recommend this ride. Last year, my dad and I did this one and we got turned around by a snow bank. And in the end, riding down the way we came up was more fun because although there was some hike-a-biking on the way up, it was nearly all rideable on the way down. But this time we didn't get turned around and that basically meant we got to do a lot more walking and walking has a way of zapping your rhythm and then your motivation.

Halfway up.

My dad.

Emigrant Trail. Clearly no one told the immigrants about switchbacks.

Still climbing/walking.

We rode down the side of the mountain to the right.

The snow bank that turned us around last summer.

Me.

9,000+ feet.

Horse Thief. Pretty destroyed by motorcycles up top.

After this ride, I decided to head to a known entity to guarantee I wouldn't be walking so I put in a few loops at Hole-in-the-Ground.

Anthracite Ridge, I think they call it.

Ditto.

Ditto.

I didn't get too many pictures of the trail because my camera fell out on the first loop, and by the time I got back to it on the second one, the battery was dead. Super fun, though, and a nice 5 hour ride.

On the hunt for another 5 hour ride with some technical riding, I planned a ride that started at Big Meadow TH off 89, climbed along the Tahoe Rim Trail to Freel Peak (at 9,300 feet), and dropped to Star Lake. It was epic.

Aspens :)

Lake Tahoe!

Freel Meadow.

More prettiness.

Tahoe's sandy singletrack.

More of it.

And more.

Getting closer to Freel Peak.

And closer . . .

View from Freel Peak.

Another view.

And another one.

Star Lake.

Me at Star Lake.

Back down.

Back down.

In fact, this ride was so fun, my dad and I went back and did it on Saturday and added a few more miles out to Monument Pass.

In the end, with intervals on the days between trips to Tahoe, I rode for 6 days straight and 20+ hours. And though I'm sure I ate more calories than I burned, I appear to be down another couple of pounds. Hope it helps this weekend at the Tahoe 59er. Next up, Flume Trail tomorrow with the hubster and pups.