Early winter in the Reno area is often problematic when it comes to planning hikes or snowshoes. Often one turns into the other and so it always best to prepare for both on any given trip. Today, I went with the local Sierra Club Meetup group for the first time. I've been a member of the meetup group for a couple of years, but until today, I've never actually hiked with them. I've always been under the impression their hikes are quite a bit tighter and regulated than is my preference, but I decided to finally check one out.
The trip today was along the beautiful Sagehen Creek, which feeds the large Stampede Reservoir. Meeting at IHOP in northwest Reno, the fifteen members of our group carpooled to the trailhead just a few miles north of Truckee. It's about a 30 minute drive, but the time went by pretty fast.
Once we arrived at the trailhead, we were undecided on how much snow was going to be present. Some hikers strapped on their snowshoes and others, like myself, opted to leave them behind. It turns out I made the correct choice. While there are a few inches of snow along the well worn trail in some areas, it was compressed enough to not require snowshoes. Most of the trail was a combination of snow, slush, and mud, but it was easily manageable with just boots.
The creek itself is a beautiful vein of frigid water and ice flowing through a virgin snowfield. I always find this type of view incredibly gorgeous, especially with the sunbeams reflecting off of the water's surface.
Finally reaching the large body of water that is the reservoir, we took a break and enjoyed some lunch in grassy area along the shoreline. We discussed varied topics from other hikes, to politics, and finally Burning Man. One hiker in particular was extremely interested in my experience, as she became a burner this past year for the first time as well.
Our conversation continue most of the way back to the cars. Though a few years my senior, she spoke incredibly highly of the experience, just as I do. I think everyone should take in the event at least once in their lifetimes. Finally reaching the cars, my GPS tracking app indicates we hiked about 4.9 miles. It was an extremely easy hike with very little elevation gain, but it was fun to find a new trail and meet some new hikers.
Winter in the Lake Tahoe basin is without a doubt one of the most magical sites on the face of the earth. Any chance I get to explore this winter wonderland, I jump on. The meetup group decided to snowshoe to the summit of Incline Peak this morning. I've only been to the top of this 9,500 foot mountain once before, and it was this past summer to watch the Independence Day fireworks all around Tahoe from above. I remember it being a steep climb, which should make it a very interesting on snowshoes.
After meeting at Sierra Summit, we carpooled to the Incline Lake pull-off just beyond Tahoe Meadows. This early in the season, there is only a couple of feet of snow, but in a couple of months, the Mt. Rose Highway will seem more like a tunnel through snow piled up on either side 6-10 feet high.
We meet up with a couple of others that chose to join us a the trailhead and then set off into the snow-covered forest. The first part of the trail is well-worn and drops down to the Incline Lake basin. It's easy going at first, but soon, the trail disappears and we are forced to cut our own path down a steep incline. Luckily, it's only a few yards through snow-covered rocks and trees before we drop down to what we believe is the trail.
I have vague memories of the trail and as we cross a bridge over a slow-flowing stream, I'm confident we are on the right path. I always love the site of running water carving a channel through the white blanket. While snow fields can seem hopelessly permanent in their desolation and void, the running water brings hope to the scene and forces one to realize the impermanence of everything.
Pushing on, the trail begins the steep climb. As it swings out west of the summit, we approach a beautiful ridge that overlooks Lake Tahoe to the south. Patches of low-hanging clouds linger over the frigid lake waters, but the overall view is stunning. To the west, Rose's Knob juts out of the landscape like a spear through the blanket of snow. It's a magnificent view and I wish I could see this every day of my life.
Finally reaching the summit, the panoramic in all directions is something out of an art gallery. Slide Mountain and Tahoe Meadows below it span the entire breadth of our view to the northeast. To the south, an even more divine view of the mighty lake Tahoe fills us with awe. This is the same view I had for the fireworks five or so months ago, but as different as night and day. Instead of fireworks to draw my eyes, the blue waters of the lake and the white snow caps of the surrounding mountains grab my attention.
We take some time to absorb the church-like quality of this place while eating some lunch. I recently acquired a small double-walled thermos and I've found that it is ideal for keeping a lunch-sized serving of vegetable soup just hot enough for a winter hike. While it's a pretty nice day and warmer than expected, it's still later December and there is a chill in the air. Warm soup is just what the doctor ordered to keep the body and soul warm.
The trip down the mountain is much easier, but prone to tumbles by many in our group. The loose powdery snow can be difficult. I note that I am one of only two people on this trip not using poles, and yet, I haven't fallen once, while many of my comrades have taken a few falls. I do see the value in poles for snowshoeing, but so far, I haven't really needed them. As we reach the cars, I note the distance. We've hiked just short of 4 miles. It's shorter than some of our recent treks, but the elevation gain was much greater. As always, it's a great group of people and I'm honored to have gone on another adventure with them.
Winter in the Sierra Nevada is always about snow. The highest peaks in the range surpass 14,000 feet in elevation. Those peaks are far to the south of me, but even here near Reno, several peaks exceed 10,000 feet, which means the trails are all snow-covered in mid-December. Hiking becomes Snowshoeing. When the Meetup group scheduled a trek to Summit Lake from the Donner Pass PCT trailhead, I was excited to join the adventure. While I've hiked to many of the lakes north of Summit Lake, I've never been to this particular lake.
We met on the west side of Reno and carpooled to the trailhead. Ten of us in total, strapped on our snowshoes and made hit the trail. This area is very popular for many outdoor sports and so the trail is well worn, even covered with three or so feet of snow.
The trail heads east out of the SNO-PARK for about three-quarters of a mile before it actually intersects the PCT. From here, we take a quick left turn and begin heading towards Interstate 80. A pair of steel reinforced tunnels allow hikers to pass through each of the highway sections (westbound and eastbound)
Emerging on the other side of the highway, we begin making our push towards the lake. The trail here is less used and some route-finding is required. We pass by large snow-covered granite boulders. Some of them have large icicles hanging from them. The largest we see has formed more of an ice column about ten inches in diameter and spanning about five feet from the top of the boulder to the ground.
Further on, we loose the trail and are forced to cut a little our route over a small ridge. It's a bit challenging, but the view from the top of the ridge is totally worth it. Looking south out over the peaks and valleys of the mighty mountains is a breathtaking sight.
Leading the group and having completely lost the trail at this point, I head due east. From my last check of the map, I knew were just a short distance to the west of the Summit Lake and so, I simply headed in the proper direction. After just a couple of hundred years, the large unmistakable treeless areas comes into view.
We follow the rim of the small frozen lake around a short distance before stopping for a snack and some pictures. While the surface of the lake is frozen, it's obvious that the ice is not very solid. A simple misstep in the snow and one of my group has broken through and submerged a foot in a few inches of frigid water. We laugh and begin to pack up for the trek back to the cars.
The return trip is much easier since we now know the proper route. We make the return trip in just about an hour, which is probably a good thing. Overhead, the fast moving clouds and winds whipping through the trees tell of threatening weather on its way. Once we reach the cars, I check my GPS and see that we've covered about 5.1 miles. It was a great little snowshoe. I may have to return and do this trail again in the summer.
It's been quite a while since I've been snowshoeing, but when the Meetup group posted a trek to Galena Falls via the Mt. Rose Trail, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back out there. Thirteen of us met at the Park and Ride and then carpooled up to the Mt. Rose Trailhead. Luckily, the parking lot has been plowed in the last day or two. This area has received about three feet of snow over the last two weeks from the first storms of winter.
After putting on our snow shoes and some introductions for the newer members, we headed out. I took the lead at first, but we had already discussed the need to trade out leaders throughout the hike. It seems we are the first to hit the trail since the most recent snow and trail-breaking will be required, which is always a substantial workout. Rotating leaders in and out is the best method for spreading the work, as those behind get the luxury of moving across pre-compacted powder, while the person(s) at the front has to do the compressing with each step. The system works pretty well and after just a couple of hundred yards, I'm spent and allow someone else to take the lead, while I rotate to the back of the line.
The other difficulty in snowshoeing in fresh powder is navigation. All of us have hiked to Galena Falls multiple times over the years and know the way pretty well, but without the ability to see the trail, we found ourselves deviating slightly from time to time. Luckily, we also know the landscape pretty well and with the falls at the head of a large meadow carved by Galena Creek, there was little chance of us actually getting lost.
Having expected it to be extremely cold at these elevations (the trailhead sits at 9k+), everyone wore multiple layers and some of us, myself included, even decided to experiment with some chemical toe warmers. However, the with the sun shining on us brightly, we quickly need to remove some layers. In fact, the only time we actually got cold was when we stopped for a quick lunch at the falls. Amazing how warm physical activity can keep us.
The waterfall itself is covered with ice and snow, but we can still hear the frigid liquid water flow underneath the ice. After a short break, we decide to head back. Fortunately, with the trail already cut by our trip into the backcountry, the way back is significantly easier and we move at a much quicker pace. Along the way, we take a few moments here and there to spectate some skiers taking some runs off of the fresh powder on the side of Tamarack Peak. Returning to the cars, I note that we covered about 5.7 miles. However, for some reason, my GPS app had a starting point several hundred feet from where we actually started. I corrected the topo map, but I suspect the hike was probably more like 5.2 miles. Now, I'm a bit cold and a bit damp. It's time to head home, warm up, and get a shower.
