Running to Donner Pass

Yesterday featured our biggest-yet Tahoe adventure, a point-to-point run/hike ending at Donner Pass.  The boys ran 20 miles, starting out on the Western State trail, then merging onto the Pacific Crest trail for the second half.  They stuck together for the whole run, and from what I hear the primary points of excitement were that it took longer than expected (just under 6 hours), and considerable chafage occurred.

The girl’s run started in Squaw Valley, up the Granite Chief trail before turning onto the Pacific Crest trail for the remainder of the run.  Our run was a bit more rife with (mis)adventures though, with nearly all of us getting off-trail at one point or another.  Ida took the cake with a 30+ minute detour somewhere before Tinker Knob.  I rolled my ankle at about 2.5 hours and spent the rest of run stuffing snow in my sock and running gingerly.  But we all made it, and it was one of the prettiest runs I’ve been on.  Scenery-wise, it had a little bit of everything–rocky alpine canyons, shady forests of huge old Ponderosa pines with neon green lichen, open slopes covered with some sort of leafy dry alpine plant, high ridgelines with 360 degree views and outcroppings of funky volcanic rock.   Not a bad day’s training!

Content No Longer Available

Landscape with Chelsea

Content No Longer Available

Hannah approaching Tinker Knob

Content No Longer Available

The boys posing

Content No Longer Available

Matt and Ollie