Thursday September 26, 20.4mi/32.8km

Mt Rose campground NV (150.8/8894ft) to Brockway Trailhead /Hwy 267 CA (171.2/7005ft)

I had an nice relaxing morning in the deserted campground, and hiked out at 7:30am. I crossed the Mt Rose highway, after waiting awhile for traffic.

This was a ridiculous sign at the trailhead.

Then, I hiked uphill for five miles, mostly thru meadows.

I passed Galena Falls and refilled both my water bottles, as this is a dry section of trail.

The final climb up to the summit of Relay Peak was steep.

In the far distance, about 100 miles northwest, I could see Mt Lassen.

The ridge walk to the summit was windy and exposed, but at least it was warm weather.

The summit of Relay Peak had a bunch of cellular equipment on it.

Immediately after the summit, the trail entered the Mt Rose wilderness. I saw no one else all morning!

On the descent from the summit, there were constant views of Lake Tahoe.

And also views to the north, in the Truckee River Valley.

The views just kept coming, and I was so distracted, that by the time I stopped for lunch I had covered 12 miles.

The ridgeline was a little rocky, and I kept hearing marmots, but I couldn’t see them.

The fields are covered in “Mules Ear”, which has amazing flowers in the summertime.

I crossed back into California, but I didn’t see a sign, or have anyone ask me if I was bringing any fruits/vegetables into the state. 🙂

Soon after, I met up with my friend Kim, and along with four-legged Lola, we hiked the final couple hours to the trailhead.

It was great to have someone to talk to during hiking, and two days in a row now!

We finished just after 4pm, and drove down the hill to civilization.

What a great trail! It had one of the best effort/reward ratios of any hike I’ve done. Highly recommended!

-Recon