Monday, August 29, 2016

Hiking Around Reno/Tahoe #8 Near Marlette Lake



Variety is the spice of life.  Just as this saying holds true, variety in hiking, for me, is the key to continue onward and upward.  I can't tell you how many times we have driven past this trailhead over the course of 40+ years.   There's so much interesting history in the hills and woods of Reno/Tahoe so I'm almost embarrassed to say it took so long to begin hiking these trails!

This special hike was in preparation for our RV trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  We knew we'd encounter high altitudes, mosquitoes and probably bear!  So, we armed ourselves with our bear spray and repellent for bugs.  Okay, so we didn't see any bear on this trail to Marlette Lake, but the bug spray sure came in handy.  In fact, the mosquitoes were so bad we didn't complete the trail to the Lake.  The mosquitoes even bit through clothing!

All in all  the trail was a steady climb once you made the turn off away from the creek.   There's a lot of dappled shade along the trail which made it pleasurable instead of strenuous even though we climbed in elevation and were drenched in sweat from the steamy morning.  I'd love to revisit this trail in the Fall when the trees turn colors, the mosquitoes die off and when the temperatures are in the mild 60's or 70's.  I'm not asking for much, huh?

Now for some pictures!  The one above is called Spencer's Cabin (keeper of the cattle on the ranch).


 The easy part of the trail before elevation and switchbacks.


The branding symbol for the cattle ranch.


 Beautiful hidden meadows filled with mosquitoes!




Spooner Lake


Thursday, August 4, 2016

#7 Hiking Around Reno/Tahoe


July 3rd

Because it was the July 4th Holidays,  the planned trip to the Mount Rose summit trail was once again postponed!  By the time we arrived at the summit parking lot (before 8am) it was jam packed. We opted to take the easy trail less traveled...The Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Loop Trail, a meandering 1.2 mile loop.  To increase the mileage we continued on the North end to the campsites and also veered off the trail in some spots (but you didn't hear that from me) where you could get a bit of heart pumping climbs.

The trail is filled with wild flowers.  It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but this year the flowers in the forest and meadows are especially abundant!  I would almost classify this as a WALK instead of a hike....a beautiful walk in the woods and so close to home.  This Tahoe trail is educational and one of the best starting points for a high altitude jaunt at over 8800ft.

We've hiked this trail many times however, with the change of the seasons and the ever changing snow pack amount totals from year to year, the scenery never disappoints.










Stay tunes for the next hike to Marlette Lake area and in a later post
our hiking adventures in Yellowstone and Jackson Hole, Wyoming!