Hunter Creek Falls in Winter (Washoe County, Nevada)

 

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.