13.5 mile, 4800ft gain clockwise loop outing from the TRT Armstrong Pass secondary trailhead along Willow Creek Road (FR51).
Last years (thunderstorm dodging) counter-clockwise loop on a similar route can be found here.
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At the Armstrong pass TRT trailhead for a relatively late 10am start. Have no idea how that Prius parked next to me managed to get up FR51. (Or what would possess someone to attempt it)
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Across the footbridge crossing Willow Creek and then following an old forest roadbed up to the trailhead proper.
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The Tahoe Rim Trail secondary Armstrong Pass trailhead. No formal signage- just the blue TRT tree tag marking the route.
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10 minutes of steady uphill to get the heart going before topping out at Armstrong Pass and the TRT proper. There were a pair of mountain bikers at the trail junction resting before heading back to Hwy 89.
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The TRT headed north skirting the side of the canyon containing Fountain Place/Trout Creek. This canyon was one of the original settler era routes into Tahoe- but fell out of favor when the road over Kingsbury was built.
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A look back revealed Hawkins Peak poking up above Armstrong Pass.
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An initial view of the Desolation Wilderness, where there was still a substantial amount of snow. Jacks/Dicks are the peaks on the center horizon. Tallac off to the right and snowbound Aggasiz/Price on the left
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I had thought this was the ridge to Trimmer looming to the north- but the southern highpoint on that ridge is unnamed Peak 9841. Trimmer is out of sight to the north. (Both of these peaks are very prominent from the Y area of SLT)