I used to live about 20 minutes away from Pollock Pines. It’s a very small town and quite lovely.
When I taught live prepping classes, I cannot tell you how many people from Sacramento had the brilliant plan to take this exact route, Highway 50, up through the mountains to Lake Tahoe if the SHTF. They intended to go there because, of course, there was water.
But although they call it a highway, it’s really more like a street. It’s one lane each way, with an occasional turnout so people can pass someone who can’t get up the mountain very fast. As is evident by this story, it doesn’t take long for the road to get totally backed up. So people would tell me their Plan B was to walk to Tahoe.
That’s right. WALK.
Keep in mind this is an area less than 100 miles from Donner Pass, where the unfortunate Donner Party ended up cannibalizing one another after being stranded for months. Walking to Lake Tahoe is a recipe for death for most people.