South Camp Peak
This week some of us from the hood rode up to South Camp Peak from Kingsbury Grade along the Tahoe Rim Trail. It was sunny and hot on the valley floor when we left at 9:00am. By the time we got up to the top of Kingsbury Grade the air was pretty chilly, I bet about 10 degrees cooler. The beginning of this portion of the Kingsbury to Spooner on the TRT is a combination of steep climbs, switchbacks and rocky steps. It's very similar to the South portion of the Kingbury section of the TRT but it's a lot more rideable terrain on this section and a lot less hike-a-bike.
Lake Tahoe from the Tahoe Rim Trail
About two miles up the trail you start to break out of the thick forest and you start to get glimpses of Lake Tahoe below. The trail starts to roll a bit at this point and you get little bursts of descents followed by technical litte climbs. There are a lot of rideable steps and rock challenges. It's up to you to decide what you should ride and what you should walk. I completely lost two teeth on the big ring due to taking the wrong line around a big rock. So, it might be beneficial to switch the big ring out for a bash guard on this ride, something I'll probably do in the future. Regardless of the bike damage, this part of the ride was really fun and took some thought when choosing the right way to negotiate obstacles.
Brent negotiating with rocks
Scott Climbing a chute
Climbing out of this area brings you to the intersection with the road to Genoa Peak (9150'). After this the trail slowly climbs it's way up to South Camp Peak (8866'). Toward the top the trail gets really loose and turns into a mixture of shale and fist sized boulders. It goes quick though because before you know it you are coming out of the trees and the wind starts to pick up. The top of South Camp Peak offers a 180° view of the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Kona Big Kahuna on South Camp Peak
The Bench
The ride back to the parking lot at Kingsbury Grade is a lot of fun. You can negotiate almost all of the stuff that you had to hike up in the other direction. It's a quick blast down from the summit back to the intersection. It's through an extremely dry stand of trees and the trail snakes all the way down to the road. There are little rocks everywhere to jump off of which makes it a blast. You really get to use your brakes through that section on all of the little S curves. It really gave me a chance to get the most out of my American Classic wheelset. They have so much response it's absurd. It was a good investment for sure.
Look, it's a Warhol exhibit! - Climbing out of a ravine
After you get back to the technical section your legs start telling you you're climbing again. That's because you are climbing again. It's not constant but the short uphill bursts remind you that you've been riding for a few hours already. Some of the short uphills also remind you that there were some step drops on the way up, meaning your fatigued body is forced to climb some steps. I think this is the reason my body is so fatigued and sore today (especially my arms and shoulders). Eventually when you end up within a mile of the parking lot the steps get larger and larger. A lot of these I didn't try just due to the fact that I was tired and afraid I'd go ass over end trying to drop into some of the steps. It's hard to get a lot of speed on the majority of this trail because there is always something hiding around the corner to grab your tire and send you on your way. We all beat the hell out ourselves and our bikes on the way back. The trail finished with a long swooping drop that felt like it was faster than any other part of the whole trail.
Brent at the truck
Rodeo having himself a brew
We sat in that parking lot for over an hour having a cold brew and talking like a bunch of 7th grade boys in gym class. This section of trail takes a couple of hours or more to climb up to the peak and about an hour back to the parking lot. It's good to have a 29er, a lot of clearance or both. Full suspension is a plus on this trail too! You might consider a bash guard. Don't forget your camera because these are some of the most stunning views of Lake Tahoe. The trail is mostly shaded until you get within a mile of the summit and you can continue on to Spooner Summit and beyond if you have a lot of time. Go here for more pics of the ride.
