It seems wrong to leave the Black Rock desert without hiking on the playa, so we chart a loop with a leg on the surface. Distances here are always longer than they appear at first, and our simple little loop keeps us busy for a few hours. The cyclical bursts of wind continue, but the…

Rain and cold wind oscillate through the night, but the morning brings some serenity. Playa Sunrise Snow on the Granite Range The weather is still not exactly balmy, but the hardy conservation project leaders are undaunted. I sign up with Sandy from the BLM to do some road rehabilitation in the Calico wilderness area. Here’s…

I go against my usual behavior and sign up for a group outing. It sounds like a group that suits me: Friends of Nevada Wilderness and Friends of Black Rock. The area is famous as the site of Burning Man. A huge dry lake bed, called “the Playa”, stretches out in an area where the…

This is a good Reno discovery: a little 10-minute drive takes us to a trailhead with almost immediate access to the Mount Rose Wilderness. An after work jaunt takes us through bunches of Mule’s Ear and Western Peony into ponderosa and cedar forest, and finally into the waterlogged zone just below snow line. Not bad!…

I find out about Leslie Gulch because the colorful volcanic tuff rock towers here once inspired the development of some sport climbs. New bolting is now banned, and the little bit of information I find on existing climbs makes me think they’ll be too hard for us, so we explore the area on foot rather…

I’m in the mood to find a new trail, and end up at this small trail system outside a Boise suburb. The big houses and yards here represent a lifestyle I no longer desire or respect, yet resemble some of my childhood residences so closely that I can’t help feeling almost at home. What has…