Day two of the new year and while it is still a frigid 9 degrees as I walk out of the house this morning, that is no reason to not get on the trail. I'm meeting up with a number of hikers from the Reno Hiking Meetup Group to hike or snowshoe up to Frazier Falls. I had assumed that this waterfall, which I had not heard of before this trip, was near Reno. In fact, it is all the way up by Graeagle, which is about an hour and fifteen minutes away. The group is friendly though and we arrange some carpooling before making our way to the trail head.
Once we arrive, all 17 members of our party, we begin putting on snowshoes and packs. After my experience yesterday, I choose to forgo mine for the time being, but I have the foresight to strap them to my pack, at least. The trail we follow is actually a road, at least in the summer, but for now, we'll call it a trail. The snow up here is fresh and after about a mile, I decide that it is time to slip into my snowshoes. As I put strap them on, a couple of the other faster members catch up to me. I had actually built a large lead, but not really because I was trying to. I just wanted to maintain a good pace and get a good workout today.
The virgin snow on these hills and mountains is so white and pure. It is a thing of beauty to see untouched snow like this. The trail itself is easy, with just a slight uphill grade. As we meander around the curves we are offered magnificent views of the surrounding snow-covered area.
Eventually, we reach Frazier Creek and must cross a small wooden bridge, with the cold water flowing beneath. Normally, this would not be much of a challenge, but as there is about three feet of snow, which has blown unevenly across the length of the bridge, I'm forced to maneuver across very carefully in my snowshoes. Falling into this frigid water would be a pleasant experience.
Standing still in this 'arctic' wind is making me get very cold and so, I decide to start heading back. The return trip is uneventful, though the conversation is good. Arriving back at the trail head a while later, I get into some more comfortable shoes and the group discusses stopping by a local bar and grill, Coyote Inn, for some adult refreshments and food. I agree to join them and we spend the next hour or so sharing stories over beer and pub grub. All in all, it was great experience with some really terrific people. We covered 9.6 miles in total, which is pretty good in the freezing cold and snow. I look forward to visiting this waterfall (via a much shorter version of the trail, lol) when the snows melt.
No comments:
Post a Comment