For me yesterday was one of those low-motivational days, when everything that needs to be done becomes so overwhelming that I wanted to sit around and do nothing. Sander's and my planned late start encouraged a slow morning - and then he called to report low clouds and high winds on our planned objective, so we went with plan B. Suddenly getting going became even less of a priority. I finally made my way to Sander's house an hour late, but also finishing my first cup of coffee. At 11am...
But Sander was the man with the plan. He had me drive us up to a pullout on the Mt. Rose Highway, pointed out the peak we were heading for, and away we went. After the first 1000' of climbing I finally caught on to the energy - with whipping wind and blowing snow it was hard not to be having fun as we teased our way up the SE Ridge of Peak 10120.
The clouds and driving snow that had plagued us throughout the ascent blew away just as we gained the summit. We were stunned with a vista from Carson City to Truckee and light playing on the Lake.
We picked a line out and got to ski a steep, 12" of powder back to the car. Charlie, who was tail-wagging glad to be along during the climb, now was roll-in-the-snow happy with the descent. Who could argue with him? What a fantastic day! I started with my energy levels on empty, and came home recharged.
Statistics: Peak 10120, Mt Rose Highway, Inclince Village, Nevada. 2000 ft elevation climbed and skied.
Photos, top to bottom. The day started out feeling like this - Charlie is there drafting behind me / The clouds blew away just after we reached the summit, giving us this view of the lake / A summit photo / Charlie and I celebrating a great tour at the end of the day, with Peak 10120 in the background.
