Mt. Rose with Friends (Washoe County, Nevada)

Somewhat surprisingly, my legs and feet were ready for another hike just a few days after my Ruby Mountain Adventure. It was a good thing too. My friend Nate and I are participating in a fitness contest at work, in which we have to do various activities throughout the week for seven weeks. Hiking to the summit of Mt. Rose should knock out a couple of those. Joining us for the hike were Nate's friend Jen, her young son, Casen, and her friend Wendy.

Getting a 8:30ish start at the Mt. Rose trail head, we finished off some fantastic tri-tip breakfast burritos that Jen had made for the trip. Jen loaded her son into a well designed pack and we were off. The day had a lot of cloud cover, but I suspected that would be beneficial during the last half of the hike, which has no shade at all, and can get extremely hot during a sunny summer day.

We made pretty good time heading up the mountain. I admit, I was a little concerned with Jen carrying such a load, but she is an experienced backpacker and made an impressive showing all the way to the top. So much so, that many other hikers along the trail were commenting that if she could do it with a toddler on her back, then they themselves had no excuse for not making the summit.

Once we reached the summit, we stopped for some snacks and to rest. Nate made a fantastic fruit salad that he shared with everyone. We took a few pictures, and then Nate and I used his hiking poles to stage a 'light-saber' fight for one shot. As the contest is centered around the upcoming Star Wars movie, it seemed appropriate. In the distance, Nate asked what a tall peak to the northwest was, and I explained that it was Lassen Peak, which he, I and another friend are intending to hike up next weekend.

We packed our packs, cleaned our mess, and started the long trek back to the cars. Downhill on Mt. Rose is always so much easier, due to it's steady but gentle incline. Arriving back at the trail head, we said our good byes and went our separate ways. While we didn't set any speed records, it was a very enjoyable day hike with some good company.