7/27 

Saturday was an excellent day to conquer the fifth peak of the Lake Tahoe 6 Peak Challenge. Our small group of dedicated hikers took the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) out and back from the Donner Train Tunnels to Tinker Knob. This trek covered approximately 15.3 miles, with an elevation gain of over 2700 feet, and took us about six hours to complete. 

I recommend arriving at the trailhead as early as possible to secure parking, as the Donner Train Tunnels are a popular hiking destination, especially at certain times of the year. 

We hit the trail at 7:30 am. The weather was clear and cool, with a light breeze. For the first two miles, we were sheltered under the forest canopy as we headed towards Mt. Judah, passing through the Sugar Bowl ski resort. The trail was green and lush at this point, with the sun occasionally peeking through the trees. 

As we passed the trail to Mt. Judah, the wind began to pick up with gusts, though fortunately, it wasn’t cold. From this point on, the trail involved a lot of ridge walking and was mostly exposed with little cover. The trail featured a gradual climb with a few steep sections. 

We had the trail mostly to ourselves, encountering only a few other hikers, including some through-hikers completing the PCT from Mexico to Canada. One young lady was on her 86th day of the hike! 

The scenery along the trail was stunning, prompting us to take many pictures of the views and nature. We could see Donner Lake, Truckee, NorthStar, Palisades, Sugar Bowl, and many other peaks from the trail. 

Around 10:30 am, as we were hiking, we looked back northwest and saw smoke billowing from the Park fire. The wind began to shift to a southeast direction, bringing the smoke over us. It was high above and started to filter the sunlight, eventually gathering over Lake Tahoe. 

The last ¼ mile to the top was a mix of broken rocky trails and a bit of scrambling. Taking our time, we made it to the summit of Tinker Knob at around 10:50 am. The wind blew hard intermittently, so we only spent about 15 minutes at the top, taking many pictures and sharing high-fives. The summit register was an old ammo box containing a book to sign, a tube of weed, and a bottle of Jack Daniels! No, we did not partake in the offerings of the box.   

We then headed back down and found a sheltered spot among the trees for a quick lunch. Our lunch location also seemed to be a good camping spot on the PCT. 

After lunch, it was a straightforward trek back to the cars. We encountered a few more hikers along the way, but the last two miles were busier with more casual tourists making their way up to Mt. Judah. We arrived back at the cars a little after 2 pm. 

Thanks to everyone who joined me today from the Bay Area hikers to bag the 5th peak in the Lake Tahoe 6 Peak Challenge! I have posted all the pictures and videos here, along with a link to the AllTrails route we took. If you have any questions about my hikes, feel free to message me, and I'll share all my info. If you're interested in following my hikes, you can find me on my Facebook page, Jason’s Hiking Adventures, Bay Area Hikers, Instagram @jasonshikingadventures, Social Hiker, and AllTrails. Thanks for reading! 

All Trails Map: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-196f564-497