PCT sideways: Paradise Lake

Paradise Lake

Backpackers hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) often look out for little extras and diversions. The scenery of Paradise Lake offers such a side adventure. It is a great place for camping and swimming.

Paradise Lake is located north of Sierra Nevada's Basin Peak, which is located north of Castle Peak; all north of Boreal at Donner Summit. Day hikers typically start their Paradise Lake round trip from next to Interstate 80: either from the Pacific Crest Trail parking area (south of I-80) or from wherever they may get to on Castle Valley Road (a dirt-road trail north of I-80); for example, from the shaded parking area at the trailhead of the Hole in the Ground (HITG) Trail.

Once you have managed Castle Pass and have arrived at the Peter Grubb Hut, you want to continue northbound on the PCT until you will arrive at its junction with the Paradise Lake Trail in Paradise Valley. North of the hut you will cross Lower Castle Creek and then pass the junction with Sand Ridge Trail, a connector trail linking the PCT with the HITG Trail and Sand Ridge Lake. The PCT traverses the eastern slopes below the crest between Castle Peak and Basin Peak with spectacular views of the western Sierra, including Sierra Butte further north.  There is an unmarked Y-junction, from where a trail ascends to the top of Basin Peak.

Unconformity Spring

After getting over the openly forested crest of Basin Peak's shoulder, Paradise Valley is coming into view. The descend into the valley takes you into thicker forest. In spring and summer, Unconfirmity Spring next to the trail is edged with a lush display of greens and wildflowers. Switchback after switchback, the PCT will lead you down to the valley floor, where a bridge (built in 1994) is crossing North Creek, the westward flowing water coming down from Paradise Lake.

From there, with Mike White's words [1]:

A mild, winding ascent leads past a pond surrounded by meadow to a junction with an old road, 6.6 miles from the trailhead [PCT parking area (south of I-80)]. Nailed to a lodgepole pine just before the road is an old wooden sign marked PARADISE LK, with an arrow to the right.

Exactly. The sign is still there. The tall lodgepole pine is getting to old age. Resin is dripping from a wound in the bark.

Resin of a lodgepole pine

Turning right at the junction and following the double-track trail between forest and meadowland, you will enjoy the views of the interestingly structured, northfacing walls of Basin Peak. As soon as the tracks of Paradise Trail get lost between trees, shrubs and granite boulders, you will know you are almost there. Just keep ascending eastbound over gravel and bedrock until you see the lake—beautifully tucked into a granite cirque basin.

Paradise Lake is surrounded by granite slabs and cliffs. Tiny granite boulder islands seem to float in the lake, some with bonsai-like and some with surprisingly tall conifer trees. On a hot day, you may want to make a water-surrounded granite floor your resting spot, from where you can easily walk or slide into the refreshing lake water. 

[1] Mike White: Afoot & Afield. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, California, 2nd printing November 2008.

Walking—actually, marching—along Riverside Drive to kick off Reno's 20th Artown

MarchFourth! opening Artown next to McKinley Arts and Culture Center on Riverside Drive, Reno, Nevada

July is Artown month in Reno, Nevada. The “20th Anniversary Opening Night Celebration” took place yesterday. In the evening, children, parents and other Artowners—friends of Artown—watched and followed the unique marching band MarchFourth! on their opening parade from the McKinley Arts and Culture Center along Riverside Drive to Reno's downtown stage at the west end of Wingfield Park. 

MarchFourth! at Wingfield Park Amphitheater

MarchFourth! artisans and musicians with their motto “This Band Is Your Band” are no newcomers to Reno. I have seen them opening Artown years ago on the sky roof of the Nevada Museum of Art. Walking or marching with MarchFourth! feels like taking part in a kaleidoscopic Cirque du Soleil road-show performance. Leading the marching route were stilt walkers, followed by Vaudeville-style dancers and musicians delivering the explosive sonic stomps & rhythm.

Stilt-walk dancer on stage

The marching band and the following crowd moved alongside the Truckee River, while passing the Hub coffee hangout, the Lear Theater, the Bicentennial Park and then gathering at the Wingfield Park Amphitheater, where more Artown fans where already waiting or picnicking on the lawn in front of the stage—or floating in the river pools surrounding the venue island.

Later in the evening, the Glen David Andrews Band from New Orleans was playing jazz, gospel and soul music. Everyone celebrated the first 2015 Artown sunset. At late night, MarchFourth! continued their spectacle at the Cargo at Whitney Peak Hotel in downton Reno.

Reno is Artown!

Glen David Andrews Band all the way from New Orleans

Keywords: Reno Artown, open-air events, fun, entertainment, music, jazz.

More about MarchFourth! and Artown
• MarchFourth!: www.marchfourthband.com,
• Reno is Artown: renoisartown.com,
• Artown parade in Reno's Wingfield Park: www.rgj.com/picture-gallery/news/2015/07/01/artown-parade-in-renos-wingfield-park/29601903.

2015: A good year for prickly pears in northwest Nevada

Prickly pear cactus with a view: from a Hidden Valley slope over Huffaker Hills to Mt. Rose Wilderness/Carson Range

May storms have brought late-season snowfall to the Sierra Nevada and rainfall to northwest Nevada. The Reno-Tahoe area has seen some substantial precipitation during late spring—unusual for the season. This different weather pattern resulted in a flamboyant display of flowering plants. The pictures herein show prickly pear cacti (Opuntia ficus) seen next to trails in Reno's Huffaker Hills and in Hidden Valley Regional Park; southeast of the metropolitan Reno/Sparks area.

The local low-growing variety starts its bloom with pinkish flower buds that open to yellow flowers. The typically paddle-shaped pads are green with medium to long spines.

Prickly pear cactus flower and flower buds

As a frost- and drought-tolerant plant, opuntias make excellent contributions to xeroscaped gardens and parks designed for climate conditions in northern Nevada. The prickly pear cactus is a food plant. Culinary opuntia species have been a staple of the American southwest and Mexican diet for thousands of years. The vegetable-like pads, the salad-enhancing flower petals and the mature fruits—the eponymous prickly pears, also known as tuna—are harvested and eaten. Also, prickly pear species such as Opuntia ficus-indica are plants of many constituents—ingredients—with various pharmacological uses [1].

Spiny pads: prickly pear nopals with spine work

Besides enriching gardens, kitchen tables and apothecary cabinets, productive prickly pear cacti are of interest for bioenergy production. So far in small amounts, Opuntia is used for anaerobic biogas production [2]. If the metabolism of prickly pear plants can be directed to produce lipids or oils rather than mostly carbohydrates, than they have a bioenergy potential for arid regions such as Nevada. Prickly pears require only 20 percent of the water required by traditional crops. Respective research in biochemistry and plant molecular genetics is performed in The Cushman Lab at the University of Nevada-Reno [3,4].

In future, you may encounter prickly pears not only as indivual plants next to your favorite desert trail, but in cultivated communities across an agriculturally expanding desert.  

Keywords: wild opuntia, cultivated opuntia, food source, pharmacology, agronomy, renewable energy, biodiesel, bioengineering.

References  and more to research
[1] Sigma-Aldrich: Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) [http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/life-science/nutrition-research/learning-center/plant-profiler/opuntia-ficus-indica.html]
[2] Bruce Dorminey: Prickley Pear Cactus: Nuisance of Bioenergy Opportunity? Renewable Energy World.Com, Tuesday, June 30, 2015 [www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2014/01/prickly-pear-cactus-nuisance-or-bioenergy-opportunity.html]
[3]  UNR Reserches Sustainable Alternatives to Fossil Fuels. The Nevada Sagebrush. Tuesday, February 4, 2014; page A1.
[4] Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station: Development Of Prickly Pear Cactus As A Low-Water Biofuel/Biomass Feedstock [www.cabnr.unr.edu/research/research_project.aspx?GrantID=705].

Wind-driven smoke and growth of the Washington Fire

Washington Fire: a cloud of thick smoke seen from above Red Lake near Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada

On Sunday, June 21, 2015, I was heading with friends toward Carson Pass. We were wondering, if this was the right day for a Pacific-Crest-Trail hike to Showers Lake, since strong winds blew over the Sierra. While driving south from Minden, Nevada, toward California, we saw a train of smoke moving eastward from the Markleeville area (Alpine County) toward the Pine Nut Mountains: the Washington Fire, as we later found out. An electronic highway sign announced that California State Highway 4 to Ebbett's Pass—another Pacific Crest Trail access location—was closed.

We continued on Highway 88 to Carson Pass and had a pleasant hike to Showers Lake via Meiss Meadows. The dry air granted crisp views of the volcanic rock formations and lava domes within the Carson Pass area. Driving home, we saw the further evolving Washington Fire by scanning the eastern mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada from Highway 88 above Red Lake. The thick red-gray smoke could have been taken as the result of an volcanic eruption. But we already knew from emergency alerts on the radio that this was a blaze.

It was ignited by a lightning strike and stoked by strong erratic winds. By Tuesday, the fire was contained by less than 10 percent. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal it has increased to 16,500 acres:  Residential areas, historic cabins and campgrounds near Markleeville as well as local sight-seeing landmarks are currently off limits:

Highway 89 over Monitor Pass remain closed at U.S. 395. California Highway 4 is closed, and Turtle Rock and Indian Creek campgrounds are shut down. All visitors and campers from Wolfcreek to the top of Ebbitts Pass [? new spelling of Ebbett's Pass or Ebbetts Pass] have been evacuated. Markleeville remained on standby for possible evacuation.

I am not able to figure out why this fire is called Washington Fire. The little town of Washington, California, is located in Nevada County.  So, what is the little something in Alpine County after which this fire has been named? Or am I on the wrong track?

Keywords: wildfire, fire growth, severe drought conditions, evacuation, fire nomenclature.

Reference
Staff and wire reports: Little containment as fire chars 16,500 acres. Reno Gazette Journal, Wednesday, June 24, 2015, pages 1A and 5A.

To Showers Lake via PCT from Meiss Meadows Trailhead

Showers Lake with hanging meadows and cliff-castle

Showers Lake belongs to a group of subalpine lakes and lakelets between Carson Pass and Echo Summit in the Upper Truckee River drainage area of the Sierra Nevada south of Lake Tahoe. These lakes are visited for trout angling, swimming or simply for the panoramic views from the lake sites as well as the meadows and paths between and beyond. Numerous campsites can be found between boulders and conifers around the lakes. On warm summer days, the more accessible lakes, including Showers Lake, can be crowded with both day-visitors and campers. Everyone seems to enjoy this inspiring Sierra lake district and its trails in Meiss County, California [1-3].

From the Meiss Meadows Trailhead northwest of the Carson Pass Information Center (Highway 88), the northbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)—open for hiking and horseback riding—ascends through a forest of pines, junipers, aspens and scattered boulders. Once the single-track trail leaves the forest, it further ascends across an open slope upward to a scenic saddle, iris-covered during early summer. Here, you will have southward views of The Sisters, Round Top and the Elephants Back.lava dome. Continuing north, Lake Tahoe comes into view. Then, the PCT winds down into Meiss Meadows and towards the historic Meiss Cabin, where once the Meiss family spent the summer months fishing, cattle ranching and enjoying snow-bank-frozen ice cream. 

Distances from PCT/TRT junction

At the trail junction near this historic cabin & stable site, where the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), coming from Round Lake, merges with the PCT, a sign shows the distances for northbound travelers: 2 miles to Showers Lake, 6 miles to Bryan Meadow and 10 miles to Echo Summit. For a while, the level PCT continues between stands of light forest and meadows. Seasonal trickles or low streams have to be crossed.

PCT between Meiss Cabin and Showers Lake: stepping stones in front, the volcanic rock formations east of Round Lake in the background

The trail then ascends toward a forested crest, from which Showers Lake comes into view. After a short descend you will reach the south corner of the lake, where deep mud and dense willows may keep you away from the shore. Most areas around the lake, however, feature needle-covered ground in the shade of pine trees and mountain hemlocks. Tim Hauserman puts it this way [4]:

Showers Lake itself is beautiful (although often crowded with campers). The south side is marshy but the northern side provides great swimming opportunities enhanced by flat granite rocks that reach down to the water. Several camping spots surrounded by hemlock, lodgepole pines, and before summer, mosquitoes, can be found above the north and east sides of the lake.

When we were there on June 21, 2015, a strong wind was blowing, keeping the mosquitoes away.

In topographic maps, the Showers Lake basin is given an elevation of above 8,500 feet. There are various paths crisscrossing the half-bowl-shaped basin landscape. The PCT itself passes alongside the northern shore. It continues down below the lake's outlet and then heads up and out of the forest to higher points from where Dardanelles Lake, Lake Tahoe and Freel Peak can be seen.  

References and more to explore
[1] Carson Pass to Showers Lake: sites.google.com/site/zbjohnsonadventures/hikes/california-nevada/showers-lake.
[2] Flowers create colorful path to Showers Lake: tahoesouth.com/blog/showers_lake_hike/.
[3] Showers Lake 2003: www.avidbackpackers.com/htm/trips/show.htm.
[4] Tim Hauserman: The Tahoe Rim Trail. Wilderness Press, Berkeley, California, 2002.

Valley View Loop Trail with Carson Valley vistas

Valley View Loophead of Fay-Luther/Jobs trail network

A Fay-Luther/Jobs Peak Ranch Trail sideways trip

Looking at the above picture, you may conclude that the Valley View Loop closes its loop just behind the trees. This is not the case. The Valley View Loop is a one-mile-and-a-half-long round-trip trail through open pine forest and foothill steppe. It is connected with the bi-state Fay-Luther Trail System in the Carson Range foothills southwest of Minden/Gardnerville, Douglas County, Nevada.

Multi-trail-junction post

The loop trail itself is also located in Nevada; just so. As you are starting your trip from the Fay-Luther Trailhead next to the Foothill Road (Nevada State Route 206), 1.7 miles west of Highway 88 and a few miles south of Genoa and the base of Kingsbury Grade, you soon will cross the clearly marked California-Nevada state line—about half-way between the trailhead and the multi-trail junction (see shown trailpost) 0.3 miles southwest of the trailhead. From this junction, a 0.3-miles-long trail section of the Fay-Luther/Jobs Peak Ranch Trail takes you to the junction with the Lonesome Trail, followed by a 0.4-miles-long section that gets you to the beginning of the Valley View Loop Trail. After about a quarter mile you will arrive at the Valley View Loophead shown above.

Deer “trapped” in the loop through sagebrush steppe

Most of the loop travels through sagebrush/bitterbrush steppe, similar to the landscape experienced further north alongside sections of the Clear Creek Trail. Big sagebrush, bitterbrush and rabbitbrush dominates the gentle slopes below timberline at the bottom of the Carson Range. Deer likes to browse these areas. One creek is intersecting the loop. Alongside the creek you will find riparian vegetation, including white alder and black cottonwood, sharply contrasting the steppe zonation through which the water flows downhill into the Carson Valley marshlands. Various points along the loop trail offer views of the marshlands, ranches, and private properties in the park neighborhood. More distant, the Pine Nut Mountains and the Flowery and Virginia Ranges define the horizon.

View of  Carson Valley's Minden/Gardnerville area 

The Fay-Luther Trailhead/Valley View Loop round trip is about four miles long. Alternatively, there is the two-miles-longer alternative from the Jobs Peak Ranch Trailhead. Either way you will not find much shade except for the upper trail sections with Jeffrey pines, singleleaf pinyon and mountain mahagony. The north-side part of the Jobs Peak Ranch Trail leads mostly through private land, while most other trail sections lay in forest-service land.

Map inset showing Valley View Loop Trail

Both trail options are open for pedestrian use and dogs, but only the Fay-Luther side of the Jobs Peak Ranch Trail allows also equestrian and bicycle use. The Fay-Luther and Jobs Peak Ranch Trailheads are 3.5 miles apart [1,2]. The bicycle-open sections of the foothill trails do not feature steep tracks, but the sandy trail conditions can be a challenge to mountain-bike riders.

Note: You may also find the spelling Faye-Luther instead of Fay-Luther.

Trail map and selected references
[1] Fay-Luther/Jobs Peak Ranch Trail Map: www.carsonvalleytrails.org/docs/JobsPeakRanch/JPR_Panel_MapSMALL.pdf.
[2] Fay-Luther/Jobs Peak Ranch Trail System: http://www.carsonvalleytrails.org/Trails-FayLuther.html.
[3] Sierra Nevada Geotourism. Fay-Luther Trail System: www.sierranevadageotourism.org/content/fay-luther-trail-system/sie8834323FEC7ABDD85.
[4] Jobs Peak Ranch Trail near Minden/Gardnerville: trailingahead.blogspot.com/2009/09/jobs-peak-ranch-trail-near.html.

Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding near Carson City: Clear Creek Trail

A switchback of Clear Creek Trail near Jacks Valley

Desert peach and bitterbrush

Clear Creek Trail is a scenic multi-use trail through sagebrush-bitterbrush steppe and pine forest between Jacks Valley and Clear Creek Valley—southwest of Carson City, Nevada. This 10.5-mile-long path is open to hikers, mountain-bike riders, equestrians and dogs [1]. There are great view points along the trail: Knob Point being one of the highlights. Don't expect any short-cuts, circular round-trip options or escape routes. Various trail sections go through private land. At intersections with private roads, signs are asking you to please keep on trail. Clear Creek Trail is clearly marked and well maintained.

Some visitors don't get very far beyond the sandy slopes of the Habitat Mangement Area just north of Jacks Valley Road. This area is dominated by rabbitbrush, bitterbrush and sagebrush covering hillsides and surrounding granite boulders. Almost everywhere, you can enjoy the magnificient views of Jacks Valley and the distant peaks of the Carson Range. In mid-spring, fragrance-rich yellow-blooming bitterbrush and pink-blooming desert peach turns this brush desert into a flower garden.

To Knob Point

The trail distance from the trailhead at Jacks Valley Elementary School to Knob Point is seven miles. Once you are entering the open pine forest after about three miles from the trailhead, you may find some shade next to a manzanita shrub under some pine trees. Watch out for rattlesnakes during the hot season, especially in the late afternoon and evening.

To Clear Creek Valley View Point

Clear Creek Trail gently winds its way uphill between Jeffrey pines and white firs. Occasionally, you might spot an incense cedar, most likely between Knob Point and Clear Creek Valley View Point further north. Hikers often make Knob Point their destination and turning point. I have never met hikers, but frequently pairs or groups of mountain bikers along the view-point-to-view-point section of the trail. From the junction of the main trail and the short side path to the view point, Clear Creek Trail continues ascending alongside the slopes of the Carson Range until it reaches its highest point of 6200 feet at the south fork crossing of Clear Creek. The north fork crossing follows soon.

The two creek crossings differ from what you experience elsewhere along the trail. These small riparian zones feature stands of aspen, willows and horsetail next to the flowing—or trickling—water. Over the final stretch, the trail coincidences with  the Old Clear Creek Road for 0.8 miles. The singletrack trail then continues for half a mile on the left side of this road, now with traffic noise from Highway 50, which can be seen further uphill. From the End of Trail sign, it is only a short distance to the  Highway 50/Tahoe Golf Club Drive interchange.

Make the end your beginning
In case you are planning to discover Clear Creek Trail from the Highway 50 side, notice that parking space is very limited. Traverse the dirt road south of the small reservoir and head forward toward the little, red Hot Voltage hut with the sign Confined Space Do Not Enter. Continue on the right side of this facility along the narrowing dirt road and you will encounter a post with a Welcome Trail Users... note. This is the End of Trail trailhead—a trailhead that, due to landownership realities, seems randomly placed. Trail distances are given: 3.5 miles to Knob Point and 10.5 miles to the other-end Jacks Valley Trailhead. The Knob Point round trip from this north trailhead is only seven miles, about half of what it takes when starting from Jacks Valley.

References and other resources
[1] Clear Creek Trail Information: www.carsonvalleytrails.org/docs/ClearCreek/ClearCreekTrailOverview.pdf.
[2] Bike Carson - Clear Creek Trail: http://bikecarson.com/2014/03/26/clear-creek-trail/.
[3] Ride Report: Clear Creek Trail - Carson City, Nevada: dirtyteeth.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/ride-report-clear-creek-trail-carson-city-nevada/.
[4] Clear Creek Trail Map: www.carsonvalleytrails.org/docs/ClearCreek/ClearCreekTrailMap.pdf.
[5] Carson Valley Trails Association - Clear Creek Trail: www.carsonvalleytrails.org/Trails-ClearCreek.html.

Explore some other trails established by the Carson Valley Trails Association (CVTA):

• Discovery Trail
• Sierra Canyon Trail
• Genoa Waterfall Trail
• River Fork Ranch's West Fork Trail
• River Fork Ranch's Brockliss Loop Trail
• Bentley Kirman Ranch Trail
• Jobs Peak Ranch Trail
• Pinyon Trail