Introduction: From the 11-21st June 2025, a team of 12 students and 2 instructors embarked on Ex Crystal Traverse, completing the Tahoe Rim Trail in Nevada and California, USA. This was a journey of 275km and over 8000m of elevation gain which was covered over 11 days. The group was entirely self-sufficient, carrying all food and equipment for the duration of the expedition and 8 students and both instructors successfully completed the trail.
Background: The Tahoe Rim Trail Expedition was planned by the Officer Cadets of Northern Ireland University Air Squadron as a unique opportunity to take themselves out of their comfort zone and to develop qualities such as resilience, leadership, teamwork, physical fitness and organisation. Two years ago, NIUAS completed a similar expedition to Greenland to complete the Arctic circle trail; this expedition was designed to be even more challenging with new difficulties such as elevation, heat and a completely new environment.
A significant amount of preparation was required prior to the expedition, with each student required to complete eight practice walks and two overnight camps with the required weight and distance. Emergency action plans also had to be completed for encounters with black bears and rattlesnakes.
Expedition: Day 1 began at Tahoe City, our start and end point for the trail. We woke up at 6:30am for last minute packing and made sure to hydrate as we were walking over 17 miles with no water sources. The day was mostly uphill, made more difficult by our heavy bags which were 20kg+ and we arrived at our campsite in the early evening. The site had bear boxes which meant we did not require bear hangs or canisters and, after a quick wash in the lake, we had the first of our dehydrated meals and set up camp for the first evening.
Day 2 was a challenging day with over 32.5km of walking, the last 16km of this uphill. Our initial plan was to camp at Grey’s Lake however this was inaccessible due to deep snow, so we had to walk further to reach Mud Lake and it was a rush to set up camp as nightfall was fast approaching and, as it was a wild camp, we needed to set up bear hangs for the food that did not fit in our bear cannisters.
Day 3 began with a 2.5km climb to Relay Peak, the highest point on the trail (3150m). The summit offered breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada before the 14km descent down to Mount Rose Campground, where we met Jim and Deborah. They are a couple who run ‘Magic Camp’, supporting backpackers by cooking hot meals. They treated us to burgers, hotdogs and Oreos and welcomed us around their campfire. It was a brilliant boost for morale, and all slept well with full stomachs.
Day 4 began with a walk through the protected area of Tahoe Meadows. It was an easier day than those previous however the strain of constant walking began to take a toll on people’s bodies. We walked to Marlette peak which had brilliant views, followed by Marlette campsite where we settled down for the evening, with one group member deciding to sleep on the picnic table under the stars.
Day 5 began with a 16km walk to Spooner Lake; this was a beautiful area with a visitors’ centre with running water and ice cream!! It was here that two students had to be medically evacuated due to injuries sustained on the trail the previous day. We had our dinner here at lunch time since our campsite for that evening had no water source and then finished the day with a 12km climb to South Camp Peak where we watched the sunset over Lake Tahoe before going to sleep in a much windier campsite.
On Day 6 we began the day with a 15km descent before another two members of the group had to be medically evacuated due to the challenging nature of the expedition, both having real problems with their feet from the challenging terrain and weight of their bags. The rest of the day consisted of a 20km uphill climb to Star Lake, passed the state line into California on the way. The day was one of the most physically challenging with 36km in total but was worth it when we reached the beautiful campsite at Star Lake.
Day 7 was another challenging day and group morale suffered from losing 4 members, however the trail that day was beautiful despite the difficult terrain. After 31km we reached Round Lake, where we were met with swarms of mosquitos. Fortunately our instructor had brought a travel fishing rod and managed to catch some trout which we cooked on a hot pan, providing another boost for morale.
Day 8 began with an early start, rising at 0615hrs with an easier 16km to Echo Lake at the beginning. It was here we found a chalet with a small shop inside and took a long break to avoid the midday sun and heat on what was the hottest day so far. Everyone grabbed some food whilst they rested their legs, providing much needed boosts to morale. After that, we pushed on another 15km to Aloha Lake, the most beautiful campsite of the expedition which was in a protected wilderness area. The scenery was stunning, and the lake was bearable enough for a swim and wash whilst we were surrounded by snow-capped mountains, a brilliant end to a long day.
Day 9 was the beginning of our journey through desolation wilderness, and early in the day we summitted Dicks Pass, then traversed through patches of snow whilst descending the other side, and the rest of the day was fairly flat and downhill passing through some beautiful areas. However when we reached our campsite, it was boggy and unsuitable for pitching tents, so we pushed on for another 5km to Phipps Creek to set up camp for the evening.
Day 10 began with very quick progress, completing 8km before 1000hrs, and we stopped at Richardson Lake for a break but had to be careful due to recent rattlesnake sightings. We then pushed on to Barkers Pass Trailhead, however due to snow conditions, rather than continuing the TRT, we had to take an alternative route down an ‘escape road’ for 14km until we reached our campsite for the evening, where we slept well with only one day left.
Day 11 consisted of only 11km; we had a later start and re-joined the TRT for our final few kilometres, then, once we got back into Tahoe City, we walked to the trailhead, finishing the complete Tahoe Rim Trail. We arrived at 1300 allowing us to get a well-deserved celebratory lunch and congratulated each other on this immense achievement.
Conclusion: Ex Crystal Traverse was a once in a lifetime opportunity for all involved and we are all extremely grateful to the Ulysses Trust for their support of £7000, which helped to make this expedition possible. Every single person on this expedition experienced a large amount of personal development and created lifelong memories.
