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 should 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.
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 4 was the second United States human spaceflight, on July 21, 1961. The suborbital Project Mercury flight was launched with a Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, MRLV-8. The spacecraft, Mercury capsule #11, was nicknamed Liberty Bell 7. It was piloted by astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom.
The spaceflight lasted 15 minutes 30 seconds, reached an altitude of more than 102.8 nautical miles (190.4 km), and flew 262.5 nautical miles (486.2 km) downrange, landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The flight went as expected until just after splashdown, when the hatch cover, designed to release explosively in the event of an emergency, accidentally blew. Grissom was at risk of drowning, but was recovered safely via a U.S. Navy helicopter. The spacecraft sank into the Atlantic and was not recovered until 1999.
Captain Grissom dubbed his capsule "Liberty Bell 7", the seven in honor of the seven original astronauts selected for Mercury, a tradition inadvertently started by prior Mercury pilot, Alan Shepard, who incorporated the seven in "Freedom 7" as his spacecraft was factory model no. 7. The other astronauts liked the symbolism, and so each appended 7 to their spacecraft names as well. Grissom chose "Liberty Bell" due to the capsule's resemblance to a bell, and because it evoked the iconic Liberty Bell. Grissom went as far as having the Liberty Bell on the spacecraft complete with the crack that characterizes the real bell. This detail motivated a degree of teasing of Grissom after the spacecraft sank in the ocean at the end of its mission.