Welcome to the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), a 170-mile long-distance hiking trail that forms a loop around the Lake Tahoe Basin... and we're here to count down the miles by collecting cache finds all along the way. Tahoe Adventures are all about getting out and ejoying the freedom of our open space... so what better way to celebrate circumnavigating the lake than by remembering those who have orbited the earth?! This endeavor combines a few of my interests and passions into one massive project... Hiking, Geocaching, and Space! As this series progresses, we will be counting down the miles by counting up the history of American crewed missions to space. Yes, I know there are cosmonauts and taikonauts... but the TRT is ultimately an American Trail system, so I'm focusing on the history of Astronauts and America going to Space. That's a lot of history and a lot of hiking, two of my favorite things!
We're working on a full orbital series following the TRT with a cache roughly every half-mile all the way around the Basin. For the sake of standardization, we're using the official Tahoe Rim Trail Mile Marker system (not posted on the trails, but visible on their official maps), which has Mile 0/170 in Tahoe City and counts up in a clockwise direction. However, being from the South Shore, I'm launching this series at the Echo Lakes Chalet, one of the easier access points to the southern portion of the TRT, and counting up missions in a counter-clockwise direction toward Big Meadow and beyond... There's no need to go in order, though. You can tackle any part of the series at any time, in any direction! All containers shiould look the same (or at least very similar)... and I'll work to add spoiler pics to make them easier to find. Stay tuned as the series grows!
About the Mile:
Mile 122-121 climbs uphill from Echo Lakes Chalet over the hill towards Johnson Pass Road, as you make your way to Echo Summit. Above Echo Lakes you'll pass through the Caldor Fire burn zone and catch glimpses of Berkeley Camp before heading back into the trees on your way to the Highway 50 crossing.
About the Tahoe Rim Trail Segment: Big Meadow to Echo Lakes (18.3 Miles) "Enter the Lakes Region"
Between Big Meadow and Echo Summit, the trail wanders from meadows to lakes to creeks, and through dense stands of pine, fir and aspen. The trail heads south from Big Meadow trailhead across a gently rolling landscape of grassy meadows and fragrant conifer stands. The shaded shores of Round Lake is nestled beneath high cliffs. Further on, the TRT merges with the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT) and swings north through flower filled Meiss Meadows and alongside the cool head waters of the Upper Truckee River. The trail then climbs past granite lined shores of Showers Lake and through a rocky bowl where seasonal creeks tumble down steep ridges into lush meadows. Further north the landscape becomes more rugged and much drier, and opens into occasional views of Lake Tahoe. The trail drops over a granite ridge in a long steep downhill traverse before leveling off. A small stream outlined with ferns and flowers provides a refreshing respite before the short ascent to the Echo Summit Trailhead.
About the Mission:
Mercury-Redstone 3, or Freedom 7, was the first United States human spaceflight, on May 5, 1961, piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard. It was the first crewed flight of Project Mercury. The project had the ultimate objective of putting an astronaut into orbit around the Earth and returning him safely. Shepard's mission was a 15-minute suborbital flight with the primary objective of demonstrating his ability to withstand the high g-forces of launch and atmospheric re-entry
Shepard named his space capsule Freedom 7, setting a precedent for the remaining six Mercury astronauts naming their spacecraft and the format of their names, the number 7 later included in all the crewed Mercury spacecraft names not to honor NASA's first group of seven astronauts but it stood for the McDonnell Model #7 space capsule used in the Mercury Program. His spacecraft reached an altitude of 101.2 nautical miles (116.5 statute miles, 187.5 km) and traveled a downrange distance of 263.1 nautical miles (302.8 statute miles, 487.3 km). It was the fourth Mercury flight launched with the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, close to the Atlantic Ocean.
During the flight, Shepard observed the Earth and tested the capsule's attitude control system, turning the capsule around to face its blunt heat shield forward for atmospheric re-entry. He also tested the retrorockets which would return later missions from orbit, though the capsule did not have enough energy to remain in orbit. After re-entry, the capsule landed by parachute on the North Atlantic Ocean off the Bahamas. Shepard and the capsule were picked up by helicopter and brought to U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain.
The mission was a technical success, though American pride in the accomplishment was dampened by the fact that just three weeks before, the Soviet Union had launched the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, who completed one orbit on Vostok 1. In 2017 the first National Astronaut Day was held on May 5 to pay tribute to this first U.S. flight.
About the Insignia:
The mission patch, though not created at the time of the flight, was designed retroactively to commemorate the event. The patch is round, with a stylized depiction of the Freedom 7 capsule, the Earth, and stars, with the words "MERCURY 3" and "FREEDOM 7". The mission's primary goal was to demonstrate the ability of humans to function in space and return safely to Earth.