Galena Falls in Winter (Washoe County, Nevada)

 

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.