There is a lot of climbing around Lake Tahoe, but we hear that it’s mostly still snowed in. Dinosaur Rock is a crag that’s not too far away and has some easy routes for us. I’m curious about Carson City too, the state capital, and closer to Tahoe than Reno.

We find the rock south of town, looking pretty trashed.

Dinosaur Rock

There’s a lot of graffiti on the rock, and bags of trash dumped by the parking area. Despite this, we enjoy the routes. It’s been a long time since we climbed on granite, and it feels new and fun. There are some long (100′) routes, and some moves that challenge us. I feel good after a few routes.

The good feeling comes to an abrupt end when I pick up a big trash bag on a slope and tweak my lower back. We do manage to remove a bunch of the trash, but I’m now moving gingerly. Good deed duly punished!

Carson city has a nice coffeehouse where I find a vegan sandwich. We drive by a bunch of the historic homes built in the late 1800’s before heading back.

Routes: The Gash 5.7, Evolution of Man 5.7, Color Me Gone 5.9, Green Hell 5.11b TR/cheat, The Left Seam 5.10a TR