Editor’s Note: Truckee locals Alicia and Andy Barr, along with friend Gia White, just finished a three-day journey on stand-up paddleboards around the shoreline of Lake Tahoe. Three self-proclaimed amateurs, they decided to make the trip in three days. The trio threw some gear on their boards and set out from Kings Beach. They camped along the way and paddled through conditions of both extremes, from water as glassy as a mirror to swells that pushed the paddlers overboard. Upon returning, Alicia wrote about their adventure in a log. Read on for inspiration for your own stay-cation on Lake Tahoe.
DAY 1: Thursday Aug. 25
10:30 a.m.
Launched from Kings Beach, across the street from Safeway, after fueling up on eggs, bacon, and donuts at Gia’s house. Some nice tourists took a picture of us. We started taking bets on who will be the first to fall off. Unanimously, we picked Andy. The reasoning: he’ll get bored and start messing around (me), because he’s bigger (Andy), and just because (Gia). Sure enough, not 10 minutes later, while turning around to tell us something about how he’s super competitive, Andy took a tumble. Good laughs to start off the trip.
Noon
Snack and water break at Dollar Point. It had been pretty smooth so far, but the wind was starting to pick up. We had a late lunch date with Steve Casey and Janet Wees, so onward we charged.
3 p.m.
West Shore Cafe! Some pretty strong headwind and chop during that last stretch, but we were greeted by good friends and were eager for some serious food. Our ‘support crew’ ended up being the highlight of each day, and was an unplanned morale booster. They were awesome.
4:30 p.m.
After a big lunch and a couple of beers, we set sail again. I was a little tipsy for the first half-hour or so, but recovered well. Our goal was to get to Camp Richardson for a late dinner and see how we felt from there in regards to camping for the night. However, we hit brutal headwinds across Rubicon Bay with two- to three-foot swells, and Gia was getting pushed out to sea. So we wouldn’t get separated, Andy and I went out after her for moral support. After some board swapping, the three of us trudged our way, slowly but surely, across the bay. We had to paddle from our knees or while sitting just to reduce the wind factor. I was the second to take a tumble when a three-foot swell came and knocked me over while I was sitting on my board. Sitting! (Andy had taken two or three falls by then, just to be clear). It was vicious, but we persevered.
7:30 p.m.
We finally made it across Rubicon Bay and were at a decision point. Try to get to the campground on the other side of Emerald Bay, or pull in now? The sun was pretty much down, and light was at a minimum. While we had headlamps and taillights for the boards, we were all exhausted and I realized that I was on the verge of hypothermia. Some rather entertaining discussion ensued from there. Gia, calmly yet sardonically, stated, ‘Alicia, hypothermia is a real thing’. At that point, I decided to stop being a stubborn dumbass, and we all paddled into Lester Beach to camp for the night.
7:45 p.m.
Shore! We pulled into Lester Beach at D.L. Bliss State Park. Since we were technically not supposed to be camping on the beach, we tried to be as subtle as possible. We pulled our boards all the way in and tucked our gear in neatly. After throwing down a handful of trail mix and putting on all of our warm clothes, we crawled into our sleeping bags and passed out for the night. Day one was officially in the books — eight hours of actual paddling!
DAY 2: Friday Aug. 26
5:45 a.m.
We ‘woke up’ to see the moon still lit up and the crimson beginnings of the sunrise — absolutely gorgeous. I use quotes because I think we each managed perhaps three hours of sleep at best throughout the night. Note to self, next time pack a Therm-a-Rest.
6:15 a.m.
We were packed up, left no trace, and set off for day two of paddling. The water was calm and gorgeous. So different from last night! We skipped across Emerald Bay and took in all of the gorgeous sights. Not another soul to be seen out on the water.
8:15 a.m.
Breakfast and coffee at Camp Richardson! We scarfed down some pastries, oatmeal, and enjoyed some tasty coffee, and were feeling good to go. We also got a text from our awesome support crew asking what kind of sandwiches we wanted. They planned on meeting us on the East Shore by boat to bring nourishment. Did I mention how awesome our friends are?
9:15 a.m.
Launch from Camp Richardson. The water was still smooth and calm. We were relishing the easy paddling. For now. We stopped for a brief water and snack break, and realized we were at Stateline. Time for a beer? Why, yes! Then onward we went. After passing South Lake Tahoe, the wind picked up, and again, a headwind. WTF? It’s the exact opposite of yesterday’s wind! Not cool.
11:20 a.m.
We pulled into Nevada Beach to regroup. The headwind was vicious, and while the swells weren’t bad this time, we were daunted by the idea of a headwind the entire way up the East Shore, especially after yesterday’s Rubicon experience. I asked the lifeguard at the beach if these winds were typical, and if it would be like this all they way up the East Shore. He was pretty much no help.
11:45 a.m.
Andy and Gia swapped boards, and we plowed onward, launching from Nevada Beach. We were hoping this would have been an isolated wind scenario, and that it would change once we get around the next point. Sure enough, as soon as we got around Elk Point, the wind shifted and got much calmer. Hooray! We cruised through Marla Bay and Zephyr Cove, and were feeling much better about our progress.
1:30 p.m.
Lunch near Cave Rock with the world’s greatest support crew. They met up with us by boa. We tied up the boards and jumped on deck. Sandwiches, chips, and water refills. Just what we needed. They also sent us off with more beer, chips, salsa, and avocado for dinner, and a bottle of wine. These guys are the best.
2:50 p.m.
We set off on the next leg of our journey, feeling quite refreshed. Our goal was to make it to at least Dead Man’s Point and meet up with our friend Scott Williams. The water was glass and the scenery gorgeous. I started to bonk a bit in Glenbrook Bay, but after a dip in the lake and some food and water, I felt revitalized.
5 p.m.
We were past Deadman’s Point and on our way towards the target destination, Secret Beach. The wind was still calm, however we were now experiencing the afternoon swells that are typical of the East Shore. By swells, I mean four- to five-foot swells. At first, it was entertaining because the swells were at least pushing us towards shore. But that lasted about 10 minutes. We had been paddling since 6 a.m. and were exhausted. The swells got bigger and more convoluted. Andy’s entire board flipped and we lost the beer. I guess we were lucky that was all we lost, but it was tragic at the time. Andy endured like a champ. Then we caught sight of Scott and our final destination.
6:10 p.m.
Secret Beach. Finally! We were beyond tired but were thrilled to be done before the sun set. We actually had time to relax, hang out, and take a dip. We also made friends with some very friendly boaters. They took pity on our sob story of losing the beer and donated a bottle of wine to our cause. Chips, salsa, trail mix, wine, and whiskey (courtesy of Scott). Dinner of champions. Day two went down in the books — nine hours of actual paddling!
DAY 3: Saturday Aug. 27
5:45 a.m.
Wake up call! Similar sleeping (meaning not much at all) as the night before. It also rained during the night, which was entertaining. Dawn was beautiful with the sky fairly cloudy.
6:15 a.m.
We launched from Secret Beach and were headed home. Our first planned stop was the Hyatt in Incline Village with hopes of coffee and breakfast. However, we got a text from the amazing Janet Wees that said she had coffee and donuts for us at Chimney Beach. Are you kidding me?
7 a.m.
Coffee, donuts, bananas, and water with Janet. Perfect! Just the kick-start we needed to our last day on the water.
7:30 a.m.
We gave Janet big hugs, and went off on our way. The water was glass, and rain showers were sprinkling on and off. It was absolutely gorgeous out and the coffee helped us make good time.
9 a.m.
We pulled into the Hyatt in search of more coffee. No luck, and apparently the Lone Eagle is not open for breakfast. Oh well, off we go again after a brief bathroom break.
11 a.m.
Kings Beach! Holy crap, we made it! While passing through Kings Beach, we noticed some kind of paddleboard race was about to start. We all joked that we should jump in and race. Just kidding. Not a chance. Pulling into the spot that we launched from felt amazing. It was hard to believe what we had just accomplished — truly an epic journey with some amazing friends. Would I do it again? You bet! Probably not tomorrow, or even next week, but give me a couple of months and I’d be all over it.
THANK YOU’s
This trip couldn’t have happened without the help of quite a few people.
Steve Casey and Janet Wees: our unbelievable support crew and morale boost. You guys are awesome!
Our families: Without you guys to take care of the kids, this certainly wouldn’t have happened. Can you imagine a 5-year-old stuck on a paddleboard for eight hours? Yikes!
Ronnie, Jay, and Anik from Waterman’s Landing: Thanks for all of the tips, advice, equipment, and map. That waterproof map was like gold out there for us.
