Instead of guiding travelers through the arduous task of hiking the entire PCT, the goal of this book is to help plan trips that incorporate hiking on the PCT in Northern California, whether hikers have just an afternoon to spare or want to escape for the entire weekend. The author's hike choices most often include the opportunity for a wilderness swim or a summit hike to take in outstanding views. Maps and elevation graphs were carefully produced using GPS data collected by the author while out on the trail. At around the turn of the century, Wendy Lautner was a recovering pre-med major at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Having just recently returned from a study-abroad program in Central America, the idea of sitting in one place for too long seemed hard to fathom. Discussing this dilemma with her father via email he suggested she try journalism because, "then you can travel and do all kinds of fun things and get paid well for it." While she still hasn't quite mastered the "getting paid well" part, Wendy took her dad's advice and signed up for the school newspaper. Since then she has worked at "Paddler Magazine," wrote sports coverage in the adrenaline hub of Lake Tahoe area for the "North Lake Tahoe Bonanza," had a stint as the newspaper editor at the "Lincoln News Messenger" serving Sacramento's up-and-coming bedroom community to the north, and has written for heaps of other publications, Web sites and the like on topics ranging from recreation and travel to environmental issues. Echo Summit to Meiss Meadows Overlook Scenery: *** - Trail Condition: **** - Children: **** - Difficulty: * - Solitude: * (depending on season) - Distance: 4.3 miles round-trip - Hiking Time: 2 hours - Map: Lake Tahoe Basin Trail Map by Adventure Maps - Outstanding Features: Wildlife, fall colors, alpine meadows This short trip gets the heart pumping with a nice climb to a beautiful overlook, but for an extremely mellow, short hike go no farther than Benwood Meadow. The trail starts at the west end of the Pacific Crest Trailhead parking lot at the top of Echo Summit. Most foot traffic takes a right at the trailhead and crosses US 50 toward stunning Echo Lakes. Heading left at the trailhead instead takes you toward beautiful mountain meadows. Both hikes are outstanding, but for slightly less traffic and a shorter hike, head left toward the meadows. Approximately 100 yards from the start, make a hairpin right turn to continue on the PCT and Tahoe Rim Trail. The trail parallels the Echo Summit Cross Country Ski Center parking lot and weaves in and out of cross-country ski trails. The trail turns into a doublewide track for a short while before a small singletrack trail marked with the PCT emblem veers off to the right. Go right. The trail ascends through a rocky Christmas-tree forest popular with mountain bikers, so beware. The trail intersects with another doubletrack and continues uphill before making a left onto a small singletrack trail marked with the PCT emblem. It might seem confusing, but it’s actually pretty intuitive when you’re there. The trail continues to ramble (though less aimlessly) through large granite boulders and tight trees before reaching Benwood Meadow after 1 mile of hiking. A little spur trail connects to the meadows, visible from the PCT. A nice spot to sit quietly and watch for wildlife, it makes a good destination for hikers interested in a short, easy, and pretty hike. Past Benwood Meadow the trail hugs the bottom end of blocky, granite cliffs to the right and low-lying meadows to the left. Autumn is a particularly nice time to take this hike, when summer crowds dwindle and the aspen leaves turn a golden hue. At mile 1.4 a newer footbridge crosses a seasonal stream, signaling the impending climb. Granite boulder stairs lead the way up to the Bryan and Meiss meadows overlook at just over 8,000 feet. In the next mile, the trail climbs approximately 800 feet while eagles screech and chipmunks scurry in this incredibly wild-looking area. When the trail comes to its crest you’ll be rewarded with splendid views into Bryan and Meiss meadows, but the views are better up on the left. Pick a point off-trail and walk along the sturdy boulders to find the crest of the hillside for a breathtaking perch over the meadows. From here, turn around and go back the way you came in. For a longer trip, Bryan Meadows is approximately 2 miles ahead. Directions: From Meyers (near South Lake Tahoe), look for the left turnoff to the Pacific Crest Trailhead just after cresting Echo Summit. GPS TRAILHEAD COORDINATES UTM Zone (WGS 84) 10S - Easting 0757525 - Northing 4300370 - Latitude N38 ̊ 48.8690' - Longitude W120 ̊ 02.0400' DAY HIKE PAC CREST TRAIL NO CA