9 miles of hiking • 4750' elevation gain •
Ventured 45 minutes south of Reno and had most of the day to explore in the Mt. Rose Wilderness and climb two peaks within it doing a creative loop. One peak rarely climbed (Chocolate) and another frequently so (Rose). Thunderstorms threatened throughout the day. Had to time the summit climbs accordingly, which included having to hunker in stands of pine in between cells. Was nice to be rained on! Had great fun exploring old abandoned trail, cross country sub-alpine travel (except for all the mountain mahogany), and scrambling exposed seams of good rock! The normally very busy summit of Mt. Rose was devoid of any hikers. Probably due to a weekday and the storms and I was the only fool willing to go to the summit in such conditions! Loved going through the ponderosa/jeffrey pine forests and the wide vistas along the ridges and summits!
