Continuing the push to maintain a healthy hiking schedule throughout the winter, I met up with my friend Nate this morning for a quick jaunt up to Hunter Creek Falls, which is just west of Reno. While I've been on this trail many times over the years, I've never tried it in the winter.
We hit the trail just after 8:00 AM. Luckily, it's just a few degrees above freezing, making the torn-up trail pretty solid, but on the way back, after the sun has warmed it even further, I suspect we will have a muddy mess on our hands (or feet, as the case may be). We make good time up the easy trail, but as we get further in elevation, we start slippery patches of snow and ice, which slows us down slightly.
The creek is flowing well, thanks to the wettest winter we have had in several years. It makes for a nice hike, but as we approach the falls, we have to carefully traverse the fallen log bridge, which has thin sheet of ice over it, making it fairly treacherous. We both make it across without incident and then stop to admire the frozen water fall. For several years, a fallen log has been lodged vertically against the falls, and while it generally detracts from the splendor of the falls, it now serves as a catch for ice and gives the waterfall an amazing three dimensional effect. The water flows behind the frozen log and ice, and flows out below, feeding Hunter Creek.
We take a few minutes to consume as snack and talk about memories of past visits to this magical place, before heading back to the trail head. The trip back is a little more treacherous as the slippery ice and snow makes for a few areas that must be carefully maneuvered, but we make it past without too much trouble. The final mile and half though, as we feared, has become a sea of mud. With every step, each of our boots picks up an additional half-pound of mud to add to that from previous steps.
Eventually, we arrive back at the trail head. We try our best to scrape the mud from our boots before heading over one of the local bars for some breakfast (yes, that kind of breakfast). While I didn't map today's hike, I know it clocks in between six and seven miles - not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.
Spending the weekend in Austin, TX with some friends, I wanted to check out a few of the local attractions. The weather wasn't as favorable as we had hoped on Saturday and so, we had to skip some of the sites, but Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day in the downtown area.
Among the skyscrapers in this beautiful and incredibly fast-growing cityscape, a small park commemorates a single ancient oak tree. The Treaty Oak is the sole survivor of a ring of oaks known as the Council Oaks. Many legends and historical events are said to have taken place under the shade of this mighty tree and it's fallen brethren. It is said that this tree was a centurion when Columbus arrived in the new world and that the Comanche and Tonkawa nations would meet at this ring of oak trees to hold both war and peace councils. Sam Houston, father of Texas, is said to have rested under the expansive branches of this tree after his expulsion from Governor's Office at the start of Texas involvement in the Civil War.
The tree itself is fine specimen of a southern live oak, with a magnificent network of branches reaching for the sky and some then bending all the way down to scrap the earth. Perhaps, this is a metaphor for reaching for our dreams. From my reading, the tree was intentionally poisoned in 1989 and nearly died, but with significant efforts by local organizations and arborists the tree was nursed back to health. While sections of the tree died off from this malicious attack, the tree proper survived and nearly a decade later produced a new crop of acorns, providing the seed for a new generation of hope.
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.
A couple more bends and we arrive at a small observation deck overlooking Frazier Falls. The water is flowing, but has frozen into some amazing ice formations on the cliff side. We take a few minutes to relax and eat some snacks, while waiting for the rest of the party to catch up.
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.
It is New Year's Day and while there is snow on the ground and frigid temperatures lingering over Reno, those are not good enough excuses to keep me from starting the year off the right way. A week or two ago, I got an email from the Reno Hiking Meetup Group concerning a hike today. While I have only done a couple of hikes with the group since joining a couple of years ago, it seemed like a good way to meet some fellow enthusiasts and visit some new trails. Early in the week, Dan, the organizer of this particular event, had contacted me to ensure I was up for what he was calling a 'difficult peak-bagging' adventure, which I appreciated, but I assured him that was in good shape and fully capable of keeping up. As I understand it, he has had difficulties in the past with individuals signing up, but not truly being ready for what he was wanting to accomplish, even though he labeled the hikes as 'difficult' on the event site.
The six of us met at the park-and-ride area of the Sierra Summit shopping center at 9:00 AM, with a balmy 12 degree temperature in the air. Carpooling down to the south side of Washoe Lake (or the dry, wind-swept sand dunes formerly known as Washoe Lake), we hit the trail almost immediately. The pace was good and all but one hiker was keeping up. After the first couple of peaks, she excused herself and returned to her car. I guess she wasn't really ready for this. I certainly was though. I wanted a good workout and climbing these 5 (actually six in the end) peaks seemed like a great way to get it.
We bagged Sugar Loaf Peak, Duck Hill, and six other peaks ranging from about 5600' to 6200'. Nothing overly impressive, but there was one that was extremely steep and with the snow on the ground, we all found it difficult to find good footing. Coming down that on was a lot of fun though, as you might imagine. What was impressive were the views from the top fo the various peaks. Overlooking Carson City, Washoe Lake, and Washoe City, with the Sierra Nevadas, Slide Mountain, and Mt. Rose to the west and some of the higher peaks of the Carson Range to the East. A cold fog was visible to the west, but as the sun came out, we warmed up a bit.
Overall, we put in about 8.3 miles and with the snow, frigid temperatures, and somewhat rocky terrain to trail blaze through, I think we made pretty good time. It was a great experience and it's always nice to meet new friends.
