North Tahoe Rim Relay

Hiked: 7/18/2023
Distance: 18.6 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: Incline (9561'), Relay (10336'), Houghton (10490'), Rose Knob Peak (9710'), Rose Knob (9600')
Prominence: 759' (Houghton)
Elevation Gain: 4400'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.5
Round trip time: 9 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 132 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Incline Drive parking lot
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined)

My wife and I were in Incline Village on the north shore of Lake Tahoe for one of her work conferences. She had work events all day, so I planned a tour of five peaks around the north rim. This was the itinerary:

1. Incline Peak, NV (9561')
2. Relay Peak, NV (10336')
3. Mount Houghton, NV (10490')
4. Rose Knob Peak, NV (9710')
5. Rose Knob, NV (9600')

My start on Incline Road led me down a gentle slope to a junction with a solitary path that ascended the rim of North Tahoe. A wooden bridge crossed a lively stream, overfull and gurgling loudly. After crossing the bridge, I became aware of the mosquitos. Like tiny, buzzing specters, they would descend upon me in a swarm if I dared to rest for a moment. I had sought the protection of bug spray the day before, but to no avail. My only shield against the relentless onslaught was to don gloves and a bug net. The mosquitos, as persistent as they were, ceased their attack when I reached the 9300'. It was not the sun that deterred them, but the gradual retreat of the tree line. Before I reached the use trail to Incline Peak, I found my way barred by fields of snow, blanketing the trail like a white quilt. In the shade, these fields began as low as 8800', but they were easily circumvented. To reach the summit of Incline, I had to cross a larger snow field. But the snow was firm underfoot in the early morning, and the field was flat, so it posed no threat. None of the peaks I visited had registers or marks. The view from the high point of Incline was partially obscured by trees, but a short walk towards the lake revealed a panorama of beauty. Lake Tahoe, in all its grandeur, was a sight to behold. It was more precious in the moment, as my first visit two years prior had been obscured by a veil of heavy smoke so thick we could not see across. But now, the lake lay before me in all its glory.

Approaching Incline Peak

Descending from the heights of Incline, I set my course northward along the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), bound for Relay. The trail was carved into the north-facing slopes where I anticipated snow's lingering touch. Indeed, past Peak 9773, numerous snowfields had claimed the trail as their own. Tracks of those who had come before me guided my steps. Rock formations lined the trail, a siren's call to adventure. At the foot of Relay, two deep snowfields had swallowed the trail, but they were easily circumvented. The path to the summit was a series of long switchbacks, leading to a modest summit area crowned with a cairn of rocks. At the summit, my gaze wandered over the peaks that surrounded me. Mount Houghton stood in the distance, its prominence was a lure I could not ignore. It was but 1.3 miles away as the crow flies, or 1.75 miles by the winding trail. The snowfield on the northern side of Relay was unavoidable, but it was a gentle slope adorned with sun cups. The descent to the radio towers at the saddle, likely the namesake of Relay, was painless. Upon closer inspection, a lookout tower that once stood as part of the main structure had collapsed. I continued toward Houghton, dropping my pack about a half mile below the summit. Houghton sported the same modest summit cairn as Relay, which looked more pointed from this side. I had great views of Mount Rose and Church Peak, two summits Leisa and I completed on our previous visit. By the time I got back over Relay, it was nearing noon and the snow was getting soft. I put on microspikes for one snow crossing where the runout led 100' below to a thicket of trees. Back at the junction, I turned east for two more peaks along the rim.

The one potentially dangerous slope

Nearing Relay

Heading for Houghton

Houghton Summit

Looking back at Relay
My next destination was Rose Knob Peak. From my study of the topo, I anticipated a brief departure from the path. As I drew near, the peak revealed itself as a towering mound of large, reddish talus, rising hundreds of feet above the trail that cut across its midsection. I began my climb up the eastern ridge. The talus, for the most part, held firm beneath my feet, though I found myself using my hands for balance and support. I marked my arrival at the summit, then carefully made my way back down to the Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT), with the shimmering expanse of the lake now a constant companion. My final peak, Rose Knob, bore a name similar to its predecessor but was a tamer beast. Another mile along the trail, this peak offered an easy off-trail ascent. I made my way through a sea of soft, flowering plants to reach a nondescript summit, mostly encircled by trees. Here, I took my final rest, with only a single bottle of water remaining. Despite being over 9000 feet, the day had warmed, necessitating rationing of my water on the descent. I stuck to the trail, circling around Rose Knob Peak and passing Incline once more. Along the way, I met a fellow traveler, a through-hiker on the TRT on the fourth day of his expedition. From him, I learned that the TRT spanned a staggering 170 miles, more than twice the distance I had imagined. For the final stretch, I donned my bug net and gloves once more, my armor against the ever-present mosquitos.

Approaching Rose Knob Peak

Approaching Rose Knob

Mud Lake

A snow cave carved by a stream

Wright Mountain

Hiked: 7/14/2023
Distance: 7.2 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 8505'
Elevation Gain: 2396'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.8
Round trip time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Acorn Ave (or $10 donation)
Difficulty: Moderate

Wright Mountain (HPS #47) was one I missed when I was last in the area for the North Backbone trip. I approached this hike as a trainer so I chose the Acorn Trail from Wrightwood instead of driving up most of the way to Guffy Campground. I parked in one of 5 spots at the St. Edwards Retreat Center. We were under an extreme heat warning, so I wanted to get up and down quickly. It was 72F when I started around 8:00 AM. The first half mile was a paved road, then the trail became a dirt road, then a single track. The trail was well shaded most of the way which helped keep the heat in check. It was a smooth trail through aromatic pines and cedars. The northern part of the range is generally much nicer than the southern side. In the first hour, I took one short break and made it just below the PCT. Once I started east on the PCT, I spotted a use trail branching along the ridge. I took the use trail, but it faded out and found myself hiking through mostly open forest covered in pine needles. The summit was less than half a mile directly along the ridge. A moderate sized cairn of rocks surrounded a metal post. I looked through the rocks but didn't find a register. No marks found either. There were no views from the summit, everything was blocked by tall trees. I descended the north slope a little just to get some kind of photo. After taking photos, I decided to return south to catch the PCT, it was closer than the way I had come. I found the north backbone trail first and followed it a little to get some shots of Pine Mountain. Pine looked close, but I knew I didn't have time to bag it with the heat rising. I realized I had passed the PCT, so made a course correction down a steep slope to the PCT. I found the Jodi and Jerry memorial on the way back. These were two hikers who died trying to be the first to complete the PCT in winter. I followed the Acorn trail down, slow jogging the steeper parts of the trail. I made it back the truck in less than 3 hours, about 30 minutes faster than my goal. It was 89F when I finished but it never felt too hot. I was glad I had taken the Acorn Trail, it was beautiful.

Wright Mountain is at the top of the ridge on the left

PCT junction

Followed the use trail on the left going up

Summit

Summit snow plants

The best view I could get to the north

Pine Mountain #1

Memorial

Rose Peak and Mount Deception

Hiked: 7/9/2023
Distance: 6.6 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 5796' (Deception), 5058' (Rose)
Elevation Gain: 2280'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.8
Round trip time: 7 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Bill Reily Trailhead
Difficulty: Moderate

This was another Sean Cucamonga joint investigating the historical reference to Rose Peak (5058'). It was based on a description from Lizzie Miller in her 1895 book called The True Way. The target was the peak at the end of a long ridge running east from Mt. Deception. Sean, Cecilia, Collin, Nate, and I met at the Bill Reily trailhead not far from Red Box. The parking area accommodates 5-6 cars. Although the Bill Reily trail started there, we took the paved road up to the use trail that led to Deception. We were moving at a leisurely pace and the Deception summit arrived without fanfare. We stashed some water for the return trip and started down the opposite ridge. There was a respectable use trail going down the east ridge. We found evidence of cuttings and had mostly clear sailing to the dry lake (Supercloud Hollow). There was no moisture in the dry lake and not much vegetation. A few hardy yucca plants were growing on the south side of the lake. To continue down the ridge, we had to bring out the loppers and tools to start cutting our own trail. Primary obstacles were whitethorn and yucca. I put on my gloves and got to work with new loppers. Brush was not as thick as what we encountered on Black Jack, and with three or four of us working on it, we cleared blockages fairly quickly. We also had stretches of clear ridge as a bonus. When Rose came into view, it looked closer than it was because of unseen twists in the ridge. We took frequent breaks and discussed bits of local mountain history. Sean and Colin were the experts and carried much of the conversation. From the base of Rose, it looked like we might be able to find a path, but that was wishful thinking. Colin trimmed up a cluster of yuccas on the side of Rose and we had a couple more sections to clip.

Looking down on Brown Mountain

Coming off Deception

Supercloud Hollow

Approach to Rose
On the summit, we found a benchmark stamped "Arroyo Seco Fourth Order #21". We thought the fourth order sounded like something from the new Star Wars movies. A register was tucked in a broken tupperware container with a single signature, Chuck Hodi, the person who left it in October, 2017. The baggies protecting the register and pen all had holes in them. I replaced two of the baggies with new ones, but the register container needs to be replaced. An entry for this peak was already in Peakbagger.com, called Bear Canyon Point (it does overlook Bear Canyon). There were three different working names for this peak. Collin had been here in 2014 and took a photo of the benchmark. We debated whether the mark was the same one from his photo. Sean and Nate compared the photo to the benchmark and cement cylinder. They concluded it was the same mark. This relieved us of the burden of descending further down the ridge to look for another mark that probably wasn't there. While the benchmark didn't confirm the name Rose, we felt confident this particular peak, rosy at sunset, matched the historical writings of Lizzy Miller. After a long summit rest, we faced some gain getting back up to Deception, but at least we had a freshly cut trail. From Deception, we took a shortcut back to the road and grabbed the Bill Reily trail for the final descent. A successful outing to a seldom visited local peak. The trail should be good for at least a year. We ended the day with ice cream at Handel's.

Colin, Nate, Cecilia, and Sean

Looking back at Mount Deception

Rose at sunset