Crossing the Rubicon

Signpost about three-quarters of the way down to Emerald Bay

We did a small hike in Tahoe and when we started out, we were not really sure what this route was called. The signs during our hike stated that we were on the Rubicon Trail and this is what we will go with. The Rubicon trail, if you look it up, is a 22-mile long trail that covers a bit of the Gold Country, the El Dorado National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest.

We planned to hike just a two-mile stretch, which ended up becoming about 3.25 miles with a detour that we added. We began our hike at the Emerald Bay State Park parking lot. It is an achievement in and of itself to get a parking spot here. Our son was asleep in his car seat when we arrived, and we circled the lot a couple of times trying to decide "Should I stay or should I go". My husband suggested that my daughter and I get off and walk over to the viewpoint while he searched for parking. About 20 minutes later as we were returning, he was lucky enough to find a parking spot.

And we hike

We started our hike there and went down to the Vikingsholm, also known as Tahoe’s Hidden Castle. This was constructed in 1929 by a lady called Lora Josephine Knight to serve as her summer mansion. She had travelled to Scandinavia with her architect to get ideas for the building. The hike down to the Vikingsholm is about a mile long along an unpaved path, and is completely downhill. This is where you descend from the top of the overlook point of Emerald Bay, down to the water level. The route down is very picturesque with lots of little waterfalls and kept us entertained, not to mention the gorgeous views of Emerald Bay along the way.

Picturesque view

One of the many gushing waterfalls along the way

Our daughter marched on, quite the trooper, and our son was in the Ergo baby carrier with my husband. We have a hiking baby carrier that is more comfortable for back-carry, but did not bring it with us to Tahoe since it is rather bulky to carry and we did not have the space for it in our car. So the Ergo it was, and he was quite happy to be snug and close to his dad. When we reached Emerald Bay, we stopped for snacks (packed in the backpack I was carrying) and spent some time by the water. So beautiful.

The crystal clear waters of Lake Tahoe at Emerald Bay

The Vikingsholm mansion

How idyllic is this location?!

We did a quick tour of the Vikingsholm. It was not open for tours in this season, but we were able to walk around the building and courtyard inside. After we enjoyed Emerald Bay for a while, we decided to hike on up to Lower Eagle Falls instead of heading back. This was a bit of a risk since we did not know if our daughter would be able to do it. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the hike up to the waterfalls and the beautiful views in all directions. My daughter needed a few breaks for water and snacks, but we were amazed that she did it. Our return was a bit difficult since it was mostly uphill, and we had to motivate her to keep going. The elevation change from the parking lot (which stood at 6645 feet) down to the bay was 566 feet, with an additional 100 feet or so up and down to the falls. But all in all, the kids were great and we had a wonderful hiking experience.

Emerald Bay in its shimmering hues of green

Lower Eagle Falls

The hiking route

Elevation change down to the Bay, with the little peak in the middle for the hike to the waterfalls

The word Rubicon may ring a bell to some of you. There is a river by that name in Italy, and the more well-known reference to it is from Julius Caesar’s ‘crossing the Rubicon’ in 49 BC which led to the Roman civil war and Caesar’s subsequent rise to power.

Metaphorically, crossing the Rubicon refers to a point of no return. Isn’t that interesting! Maybe we’re on to something here: the trip we took to Tahoe heralds a new beginning for my husband’s career. I have also been working on re-inventing myself by changing course in my career and lifestyle. We hope that in our case, crossing the Rubicon was a move towards positive changes.

On the lyrical side, the only references to “crossing the Rubicon” I could find were in the metal category, and even something called ‘power metal’ and ‘death metal’. No, thank you. Oh wait, there is one reference to a Swedish new wave band called The Sounds. They have an album titled “Crossing the Rubicon” and a song with the same name on it. Over to YouTube to check it out, but first:

Crossing the Rubicon by The Sounds

There's a hole in the ground

Where a key can be found

To a place where they hide

All their secrets inside

There's a room with no sound

There's a force all around

There's no time and no space

No mistakes to erase

Crossing the Rubicon

Crossing the Rubicon

Crossing the Rubicon...