hobolog

Near Reno, NV

Mike, a friend from the Reno Collective, proposes a ski up Mount Rose. With our one snow dump melting away in warm temps, we give it a try. The first climb faces south, so we figure we have it made when hit our first view.

Up higher the snow is totally frozen and we bust out the ice axes. Photo time!

The last few hundred feet are rocky and wind scoured, but we have fine summit weather today.

If I weren’t standing here looking fabulous I’d push me off.

The crust was just melted enough to punch through on the way down. We both eat corn repeatedly, but are making turns by the end. Then we descend too early into Galena Creek and whack our way through aspen thickets back to the road. Woohoo!

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (rose-20120129)

Near Virginia City, NV

Virginia City is interesting as an authentic-looking silver rush mining town and site of the Comstock lode. We breeze through looking for a hike, and find an unusual one.

It’s not too surprising to find an unsafe mine here.

Or a steep power line road to a ridge with a nice view of the Washoe Valley.

The 9/11 memorial on the summit of Mount Davidson is pretty unusual.

But the strangest sight of the day is a lone house burning down below. It seems fortunate the day isn’t too windy. Later a woman at the coffee house in town tells us a dog was rescued from the house and resuscitated.

We see many piñon pines and junipers, but just one tiny Jeffrey pine.

A nice guy on an ATV tells us about the Jumbo Grade from Washoe valley to Virginia City, and takes our picture.

On the descent the town is dominated by two big churches – much different than the strip of saloons, museums, and gaming parlours you see driving through.

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (davidson-20120128)

Near Norden, CA

It seems so clever to take advantage of dry, warm January weather to hike an easy peak with Ann and our friend Nick. At the trailhead we see only a few dozen other parties had the same idea. It turns out not to be that easy either, with much of the trail packed and slick. The staccato chirps of bodies hitting the ice becomes a common sound.

Nick and his border collie Chip make good use of the outing.

We converge on the summit with a gaggle of teenagers and other groups.

It’s windy and cold, but we hang out long enough to get our summit shots in.

The chirps commence once more on the descent, but we seem to have improved our slippage technique and there are no serious tumbles. Before we know it we’re bidding the peak farewell and anticipating coffee.

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (castle-20120114)

Twenty eleven was a “should we stay or should we go” year for Ann and I. The debate raged, and we settled on Reno, Nevada as a potential place to stay awhile. It was right between the mountains and the desert, and fairly central in the current distribution of Ann’s family. We came in May, Ann quickly got a job, and we settled in. While it doesn’t quite feel like home yet, I like Reno. Under the casinos that dominate the skyline there’s a lot of innovation and enthusiasm to be found here. I’ve tapped into that largely through the Reno Collective and Friends of Nevada Wilderness. I anticipate another year of new experiences as part of those groups.

Part of me misses living on the road, but mostly it’s a relief to have time to take care of my many projects without always scrambling for the next internet connection. I’d like to have a little more breathing room before I do that again.

Again I’ve kept some outdoor stats for the year (each bar is a week):

Hours Tracked (by GPS): 397.45

Outdoor Nights: 23|6

Miles on Foot: 731.5

Elevation Gain on Foot (ft): 170885

Rock Climbing Elevation Gain (ft): 2505

Miles by Bike: 170.8

Bike Elevation Gain (ft): 10082

Books Read: 192

Movies Watched: 42

Differences from last year: a little less of everything, but more evenly spread through the year. I definitely worked more, and I think my freelance productivity went up about the same amount as the outdoor numbers went down. It’s all been by choice, which I’m very thankful for, and hopeful that 2012 will be the same. Happy New Year!

Near Cascade, ID

Another day of rain nearly saps our motivation, but we manage one more walk in the slush up some old logging roads on Cabarton ranch. I don’t even take photos today, but I feel better for the slog afterwards.

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (cabarton-20111230)

We don’t get the snow I hoped for overnight, but reports from the ski area sound pretty good so I head to the hill again with Jock and Becky MacGregor. Ann’s parents offer to buy me a lift ticket as a Christmas gift, so I even play by the rules today! To reward this good deed we encounter a wet, semi-frozen crust on the lower mountain that’s like nothing I’ve ever tried to snowboard on. I go down three times on the first run, but then I start to get the feel of it. The conditions are so horrendous it’s funny, and it’s even kind of fun just to see if I can keep my head above my backside.

When they open the upper mountain we find great conditions in comparison, and Jock spends the remainder of the day showing me the lines up there. We even find a few pockets of powder.

Near Cascade, ID

It rains all night and shows no sign of letting up during the day, so Ann, her dad, and I get out the rain gear and slush through the slop down to the Payette river. The hard part is getting started.

We pass the cute cabin down the hill a ways.

By the river is the picnic area. Alas we have no picnic with us.

On the way back we try walking on the railroad tracks. More direct, but harder walking!

When we get back the rain continues, and we even hear some thunder! I hope maybe it will turn to snow overnight, and plan another day at the ski area tomorrow.

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (payette-20111228)

Near Donnelly, ID

The Payette valley is full of Ann’s MacGregor cousins. Jock MacGregor is an insatiable skier, and I have a feeling that he’s the reason a staff member at Tamarack gives me his okay to skin up a closed run. I’m ready for a good uphill workout, and go for it. Before leaving the open part of the ski area I’m stopped by a ski patroller who informs me that uphill traffic is usually prohibited, but lets me go when I say who cleared me. The same thing happens at the top.

I have a good run, and have time to do another partial lap back to where I sniffed out a pocket of nice snow. Not bad given the scarce snowfall this year!

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (tamarack-20111227)

Near Cascade, ID

Cabarton Ranch on the North Fork Payette River is owned by Ann’s Dad’s cousin David MacGregor, who invited us up to spend the Christmas/New Year week. I’m hoping for snow at the nearby Tamarack ski area, but so far it’s pretty bare up here, so Ann and I walk up Cabarton Road to the town of Cascade. It’s a cold 7 mile romp.

In Cascade Ann’s parents pick us up and we all go to Gold Fork Hot Springs. It’s a very nice place, but today it’s MOBBED. Maybe all the others vacationers in the area have also come here instead of the ski hill. We join the crowd. The water is great, everyone’s in good spirits, and we all manage to relax and enjoy a good soak.

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (cascade-20111226)

Near Reno, NV

It’s early December, cold, and we’re looking for some winter hikes close to Reno. This area in the hills east of town seems to have a big network of trails that climb up right from the trailhead – possibly good for workout hikes. We make our way up one rocky little trail and down another. Piñon pines and dry grass cover crumbly slate hills. Not bad for city limits hiking…

• GPX Viewer Track Map and Graphs (hidden-20111210)