Mt Rose Campground to Gray Lake

Mileage: 9.6 miles (+0.8 mile side trail), total 52.8 miles

Campsite elevation: 9,050 ft

We started the day by heading down to Incline Village to do our resupply. Before that, however, it was time to grab breakfast at the Wildflower Cafe. Nice food, although the place was freezing and they forgot Ben’s breakfast. But still expected a 20% tip of course!

Resupply done, we checked out of our motel and it was time to head up to Mt Rose trailhead.

The trail started with a very gradual path up to Galena Falls. There were a lot of day hikers around and patches of snow. The falls themselves were really nice so we stopped to admire the view.

After the falls, the gradient increased and we hit the switchbacks. We were grateful for these as they took us up the steep slope gradually.

The snow got more and more common as we ascended and there were frequent bits when we had to find the trail.

This was nothing as we got further up. It was hard work climbing and we definitely felt the altitude. We started coming across steeper snow banks until eventually we reached some really sketchy ones which had steep drop offs on one side.

These really sapped our energy as we postholed with each step. Our trekking poles would get caught in the snow and at one point the whole lower section of one of my trekking poles came apart which was tricky to retrieve and fix on a 45 degree snow slope with a big drop on one side.

Eventually we reached the summit approach and saw that the whole ridgeline including the summit was under snow.

We attached our microspikes for traction and, taking care to avoid the snow cornices, reached the summit.

There was more patchy snow on the way down but nothing as bad on the way up. Eventually we got out of the snow and hit solid trail.

We headed to our campsite for the night which was a 0.8 mile side trail to Gray Lake. We had dinner 100 metres from camp to avoid attracting bears and turned in for the night, tired but happy.