Duke and I hiked with the Sierra Canyon hiking group on Monday for the first time in over a month. The group has done quite a bit of hiking east of Reno but this was our first hike in that area. It was also the first time I have been the only woman on a hike. Usually the women outnumber the men but on this hike there were six men and me. We started just a little bit north of the Mustang exit off of Interstate highway 80 (exit 23). and hiked about 2.5 miles up a dirt road to some towers with a great view of Reno. It was a cool and rainy day, really a perfect day for hiking. The elevation gain was 1100 feet so it was a good workout. If you would like to see all of the pictures from the hike you can see them on Flickr here.
Category: Sierra Canyon Hiking Group
Hiking the Stevens Trail with the Sierra Canyon Hiking Group
Spring is here and tax season is over. That means that the Sierra Canyon hiking and snowshoeing group just switched from snow shoeing to hiking for our Monday activities. It also means that since Duke is done working as a tax preparer he can hike with me during the week. Yesterday we hiked the Stevens Trail, a nine mile out and back hike that starts just of of Interstate 80 in the town of Colfax at an elevation of 2352 ft and descends to the North Fork of the American River at an elevation of 1360 ft.
According to the BLM description of the trail "The Stevens Trail is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places." It was built during the gold rush and was used from 1870-1895.
The trail is fairly easy and the views are stunning.
It was a cool clear day. The trail was lush and green and the wildflowers were out in abundance. I’m trying to learn the names of a few of the wild flowers we saw. I think this is Bush Lupine.
I’m not sure what this is but we saw quite a lot of it along the trail.
Our lunch spot was right next to the river.
If you would like to see all of my pictures of the hike you can see them on Flickr here.
I really enjoyed snowshoeing but it was great to be hiking again and it was great to be hiking with Duke again.
Sierra Canyon snowshoeing hike to Andesite Peak
Duke and I live in an over 55 community in Reno, Nevada called Sierra Canyon. A lot of people in our community love to hike , ski, and snowshoe. Many of the skiers have skied 50 or more days this year. Although I don’t ski I learned to snowshoe and I love it.
Monday was our last snowshoeing hike of the year. We went to the same place that we went on New Year’s Eve last year – Andesite Peak. The snow was a bit slushy but there was still lots of it. The hike starts just across from Boreal Ski Resort (Boreal is now closed for the season) at the summit of Donner Pass off of interstate 80.
Last time there were no rocks to be seen on top but this time we could see the sign at the top. 
The wind was blowing at the top but the views are breathtaking.
We had a lunch this time on an exposed log.
Next Monday we are going to the American River canyon, at least 6000 feet lower elevation.
If you would like to see all of my pictures from the Andesite Peak hike you can see them here.
Sierra Canyon Snow Shoe Hike to Eagle Lakes
Yesterday seven of us (Walt and six ladies) from the Sierra Canyon hiking and snowshoeing group did a snowshoe hike to Eagle Lakes. Round trip distance for the hike was just under five miles. The trail head was just off Interstate 80 west of Truckee, California at exit 164, Eagle Lakes Road. The elevation was around 5400 so much of the snow was melting and there was a lot of running water. A few times we were walking on dirt and fording creeks. Although we have had a lot of very windy days lately we were lucky to get a really nice day. The trail had some ups and downs. It was a good work out and a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures. If you would like to see the rest you can see them on Flickr here.
As you can see we had to cross water several times.
This is one of the Eagle Lakes. You can see that he ice is starting to break up.
Here is our lunch stop overlooking the lake
Sierra Canyon Snow Shoeing trip to Donner Pass Lakes
Last week’s Sierra Canyon snowshoe hike was a killer. So this past Monday we did a much easier snowshoe hike. Twelve of us went to the Donner Pass Lakes (Azalea, Flora and Angle lakes).
The whole trip was a little over 4 miles starting from Donner Summit Sno-Pak.
The sun was shining and the snow was crunchy and sparkling. It was a great trip.
If you would like to see the rest of the pictures form the hike you can see them on Flickr here.
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