Does anybody have experience on TRT in early summer? I'm wondering when I can expect at least the majority of snow to melt this year, etc.
Plus any recommendations on which TH to start, resupply or trail conditions, etc would be helpful.

thanks.

I would expect snow both north of Echo Lake toward Lake Aloha and south of Echo Summit. Probably other places as well. The Tahoerimtrail.org web site updates trail conditions on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, at least during hiking season. Sierra snowpack was at 73% of normal before this latest set of April storms this week, and the storms have been pretty heavy. So not as light a snow year as it appeared only six weeks ago.

Susan, Like James mentioned, you probably will have some snow north of Echo Lakes and around Mt. Rose but the snow pack that I see reported for the Lake Tahoe area is closer to the %50 - %60 range, ( http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snowsurvey_sno/PAGE6 ) and having been working around the Heavenly Ski area the last few weeks, the recent storms really aren't piling on any significant snow pack. And when it does snow, it warms up for a few days and melts it off pretty quick. If we get some warm weather in May, you may be mostly snow-free by Early June, but that depends on if we get into a warming trend. This was the first winter in my 30 + years of living in the Reno/Tahoe area that I have had to water my lawn in the middle of winter.

Robert, James,

Thannks you both so much. I love it when I can get firt hand inof beyond what's posted on the TRTA website.

BTW, is 2.5 weeks reasonable to complete a thru-hike at a moderate pace?

Two and a half weeks is more than enough time to do the TRT. You may find yourself 'pushing' a few more miles than you are comfortable with at times to make it to reliable water sources. The eastern section of the TRT is pretty dry and has only selected spots to tank up. I'm not sure what your 'moderate' pace is considered though. Some peoples moderate pace makes me look slow ; ). One of my hiking partners is shooting for a TRT record again this summer, and I am pretty slow by his pace.

There are a few really convenient stops for food along the way. Tahoe City has Save Mart, Kingsbury Summit has a mini-market, it is fairly easy to hitch a ride into South Lake Tahoe from Hwy 50 at Echo Summit as well.

A far as starting points go...do you want to save the best scenery for last? Or would you like it up front? In my opinion, the section in Desolation Wilderness Area is the prettiest. Maybe you can start at Echo Summit and get a good sense of the trail there.

Edited by rp3957 on 04/14/2012 11:59:58 MDT.

Thanks Robert,

I guess my average pac is 15 miles per day. but would like the option to spend more time hanging out in cool places i happen upon for this trip.