Another day on the side trails

A beautiful fall day on the side trails around the Tahoe side of the Rubicon Trail.

My first time up the Noonchesteer Mine Road in probably a decade. This is actually coming back down after the small loop at the end. There is a gate at the end of the public trail. Please respect the private property.

The first surprise was the tree trunk blocking the Buck Lake Trail.

It seems to have come down from the hole in the upper left corner of this picture.

It was a bit of a task to make the trail passable. My winch line wasn’t long enough to go to the far tree. And I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of hooking my winch to it and pulling it off a cliff, maybe taking my front bumper with it.

I ended up pulling it down the trail and pushing it a bit with my bumper. It was a little tight getting around it. I’ll try and go back out with a better plan.

Hunting season might have started. I saw a guy on a quad with a rifle. I assume this is his camp at the intersection of 03-04 and 16E79. That tells you how easy 03-04 is from Barker Pass to that area.

I’m working on a new feature for the website, videos. I’m not looking to be a Lucas or Spielberg but maybe a John Ford, referring to his classic westerns with breath taking backdrops.

The goal is to video (and edit/shorten) each side trail.

Here’s one from the top of Ellis Peak.

This should keep me busy this winter.

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Rubicon Ronin