I took three weeks off to hike the Tahoe Rim Trail. It’s a 165 mile trail around Lake Tahoe. Here’s a map.

I was really excited about my first thru-hike. I spent a ton of time working on my gear list, doing research, and planning the details of my trip.

The trip didn’t go as planned though. After only 40 miles, I decided to head home. It started snowing really hard on the 4th day, and I wasn’t really prepared for snow or very cold temperatures.

On the last day I was hiking, my down jacket got wet and I was cold while I was moving. (Down doesn’t keep you warm when it’s wet.) I figured if I was cold while moving, I’d be extremely cold at night. The night before I wore all of the clothes I had (including my jacket) in my sleeping bag and was still really cold. It seemed unsafe to continue.

I shot a little vlog on my phone each day.

The trail was really beautiful. I definitely hope to do all of it next year.