First Hike of the 2013 Season

Well, since I sort of promised (no one in particular, except maybe myself) that I would share photos when we went for a hike, I’m posting what I have.

Earlier this week, DW and I met up with a friend from the Reno Ski & Recreation Club to go with him on an exploratory hike in Lakes Basin Recreation Area, in the Plumas National Forest in northern California. He will be leading a hike in June, and wanted to see how much snow was left, and where. We met at his house, near the University, and he drove. Before we left, he stopped to refuel his vehicle.

Good thing his car uses Regular.

He told us the weather report called for increasing cloudiness with some possible rain around 2pm. We were leaving at 8:30 am, and expected to be there by 10:00, so we figured to be done by then, but we took some light rain gear just in case.

As we got closer to Lakes Basin, though, the clouds got heavier and heavier, and around Portola it started to drizzle. By the time we reached the road off the Gold Lake Highway to the trailhead, it was a nice steady rain.

Undaunted, we put our boots and hats on, grabbed our day packs, and set off down (or should I say up) the trail. This was the trail between the Bear Lakes and Gold Lake, a former mining road. Our destination for the best vantage was near Round Lake, which has a historical marker explaining some mining ruins. It starts out pretty easy, and there’s only one section that is anywhere near steep, which switches back but once. After that section, as we rounded the face of the mountain that holds Round Lake in on the south side, I snapped this photo of, I believe, Little Bear Lake.

 On around the mountain, and up to the mining mill ruins we went. Since the main focus of the exploration was how much snow was left, we were all looking up toward the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), rather than down at the ruins and the lake.

Not enough snow to build a fort.

After we got back to the trailhead, our friend happened to mention the weather forecast again, and this time he said it was for Reno. No wonder it turned out so differently!

So, I guess if you want to see what’s left of the mill and shaft, and read all about the gold mining around Round Lake, you’ll just have to come visit Plumas County! Even if that isn’t your thing, the Lakes Basin is filled with many lakes, large and small, and criss-crossed with hiking trails, including access to the PCT. It’s certainly worth a visit. When you do, be sure to stop in and see me.

Post Script: On the way back to Hwy 70, Hwy 89 passes just west of the little settlement of Blairsden, CA. A short side trip will take you to the Village Baker, where they have the flakiest pastries and best espresso–not to mention the cutest kids–in Plumas County. Don’t miss this gem!

Some Recent Photos to Share

I’ve shared most of these on TwitPic, but I wanted to put them in a post. I’ve decided to do this occasionally, as I take the odd photo here and there while not strictly on an outing.

On the evening of 13 August, smoke from a forest fire began pouring in to the Truckee Meadows. As DW pulled out of the driveway the next morning, she called me and said, “Look at this sun!” So I grabbed the camera and walked out on the patio in my boxers–hey, it was not even 6:30 am, and nobody was out jogging in that smoke! Anyway, this is the resulting photo.

On Friday, 14 September, the Reno Ski & Recreation Club had our weekly TGIF gathering at Idlewild Park in Reno, where the food trucks were selling all kinds of goodies. I got there a bit early and, not seeing any other members yet, I decided to walk around the park. I came to a nice quiet spot by the river and snapped this shot.

Early in October I was driving home, and we happened to have some clouds in the sky–very rare through the summer. Suddenly the sky lit up with the orange glow of the setting sun, and I had to pull over to take a photo or two, the second one a panoramic experiment.

Finally, also in early October, I had occasion to visit the Grand Sierra Resort here in Reno. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the hotel tower was lit up, not brightly in white as usual, but in a nice rosy shade of pink.

I expect this will be one of many posts like this, unless you, gentle viewers, tell me to stick to the narratives. There will be more of those as well, to be sure. Please leave a comment with your opinion either way.

Dry Pond, Mt. Rose Wilderness

On the 27th of August, I took the day off and met a few friends for a local hike. We gathered at the trailhead for the Thomas Creek trail that is on Timberline Road, at the foot of Mount Rose. We started briskly up the trail; I had to shed my long-sleeved Henley pretty quickly. We were hiking the Thomas Creek-Whites Creek loop, using the connecting trail through the Dry Pond area.

I didn’t take any photos until we were nearly to the flat area that is Dry Pond. We paused at the first spot you can see the Truckee Meadows (as the valley that Reno lies in is called).

We stopped at Dry Pond for a snack before we headed down the other side to Whites Creek.

Coming down the south side of the Dry Pond trail there’s a nice view of Washoe Valley. If you look carefully, you may even see part of the new I-580 freeway that goes to Carson City. (I think it’s hidden behind that green ridge, though.)

This is a moderately strenuous 6.5 to 7 mile hike, easy to do in a half-day. Come see me in Reno and we’ll go!

Bryce Canyon National Park May 28, 2011

After we left Zion, DW and I drove the short distance to Bryce Canyon N.P. Actually, we drove to the top of the mesa that Bryce Canyon is cut into—we had a room reserved at a little motel there. The attached restaurant was quite good, which was encouraging, because it was basically the only restaurant for miles.

The next morning we drove over to the Bryce Canyon road, UT-63, and through the little town that has grown up outside the park entrance (named, appropriately enough, Bryce Canyon City). We spied one other restaurant that we planned to check out later. Not for lunch—we expected to be hiking all day, and brought food for that.

Although Bryce is close to Zion, the entrance fee for one does not cover both (like Yellowstone and Grand Tetons do). Using the map provided to us on entry, we chose a parking spot near the North Campground, with easy access to the Rim Trail. We planned to take the Fairyland Loop Trail, part of which follows the Rim Trail.

We started northerly along the Rim Trail, and had to cross a couple of saddles and a part of the mesa before we got to Fairyland Point, the nominal start of the Fairyland Loop Trail. It was pleasant enough, but unremarkable as far as high desert woodland hiking goes, so I have no photos from that part of the trail.

Once the trail leaves Fairyland Point, though, the real scenery begins. Hoodoos, spires, walls, arches, and all the gorgeous colors associated with Navajo sandstone stretch on for miles. Without further ado, some photos:

Heading down into the canyon

Looking north down the canyon

Looking south along the west rim

Views of the canyon walls from the Fairyland Loop Trail

The Pink Cliffs

Erosion is a funny thing

One of the canyon’s residents

Coming up out of the canyon

Our hike was done for the day, and we still had a few hours of daylight left. After refreshing ourselves and checking out the lodge, we drove out to Sunset Point. Since it’s very close to the lodge, it was quite crowded. We took a couple of pictures and moved on.

Looking north

Looking south

The next stop was Inspiration Point, because a name like that generally indicates nice views. It wasn’t nearly as crowded, but there was still a fair amount of foot traffic. We stayed a bit longer and took more pictures, but only a few are worth posting.

On the way out we stopped by the lodge again to consider eating dinner there. Between the highway and the parking area, we spied another park resident of note:

We ultimately decided to go back out to Bryce Canyon City, to the restaurant we saw on the way in, for dinner—the Canyon Diner inside Ruby’s Inn. It was good food, with very friendly service.

The next day, we decided to take an extra day to get back home rather than go back to Bryce Canyon. We made our way back up to US 50 near the Utah-Nevada border, passing by Great Basin N.P. east of Ely, NV. If you like caves, the Lehman Caves in that park are a great visit—which I may write about some other time. We didn’t stop there this trip. In the dusky twilight we saw plenty more pronghorn antelope, some deer, and of course thousands of head of open-range cattle, some with calves munching on the tender new growth in the barrow ditch alongside the roadway. US 50 in eastern Nevada is really a beautiful road to drive.