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Top ropes at Book of the Red
The high crags are still snowed under, so Ann and I try a little cliff along the the east Carson river called Book of the Red. We find a warm and peaceful 40-foot corner to enjoy while listening to the river amble by. Until hordes of drunken partying teens show up. Their yells, especially “angry…
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Hunter lake road – Alum creek loop
Ann and I scout out a bit more of the area near her office, and also possible linkages for our summer pack trip. We get bouts of sun, wind, rain, and snow for variety. A track that looks a lot like a mountain lion track catches my eye, we pass some recent wreckage of a…
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Here comes the sun
Our first really warm hiking day of the year (over 70°F) tempts Ann and I to explore the northern reaches of the Mount Rose wilderness. We’re thinking of possible routes to reach the Tahoe Rim Trail from our house. This trailhead is about five miles up the Truckee river from us. We do some nice…
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A little moonlight on Ann’s birthday
Ann’s birthday, good Friday, and the full moon all coincide this year. After work we celebrate with a nice dinner at Soule Domain, then go for a moonlight snowshoe near Tamarack peak. It’s a great night for it. We make tea in the snow and get home after 1am, feeling young and rebellious. Good pictures…
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Nice Snow on Incline Peak
The sierras are finally looking more like I imagined them, buried in a good layer of snow. Ann was hesitant to try snow play today, but we returned to the now familiar Incline peak and the weather smiled on us once again. Ann snowshoeing Peek on the ridge Lake View Us Ann has tea on…
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Sage Grouse Spying
I’ve hiked through hundreds of miles of sage grouse habitat (aka sagebrush) without seeing many of them, and I’d never seen the elaborate male strutting during mating season. I vaguely knew that sage grouse were considered by some to be a threatened species. So a Friends of Nevada Wilderness announcement about a Nevada Department of…
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Happy Vernal Equinox from Mt Rose
My colleague Jason at Vernal Creative made sure to wish me a happy vernal equinox. It took me a minute to realize how much this first day of spring symbolizes so many things that I enjoy and try to promote in life. Thanks to Jason for that, and happy vernal to you. In another good…
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Ann finally hits a nice day for a snow outing
It’s been years since Ann enjoyed an outing in the snow. After the tropical weather I got last weekend, a similar forecast encouraged her to try a snowshoe in the same area. Our friend Susan joins us, and Ann gets her wish for really pleasant weather. Ann and Susan on snowshoes Ann and Susan on…
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Warm Run on Incline Peak
The day is so warm and the sky so blue, it kind of feels like virtual reality. I join Mike and his sisters Callie and Carrie for a pleasant trip up Incline Peak. The white ground enables us to travel on skis, but today there is no inconvenient cold or wind – we just soak…
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Hidden Valley Loop
Ann and I are joined by Grace to extend our last exploration of the hills east of Reno. These trails are great for getting right to the climbing. Once on the ridge we encounter a few wild horses. Wild Horses Wild Horse A smaller trail leads us up the ridge to a small peak. Ann…