A quick climb up Rattlesnake Mountain by Jennifer Sweeney, Outpost contributor It's a sunny Sunday morning and you have a yen to see some great views of Reno. Add to that amateur hiker status, like myself, then Rattlesnake Mountain provides some great views of Reno, without having to work too hard. Now, when I said I was an amateur, I was giving myself too much credit. I apparently took hibernating a little too seriously this winter. My first venture into the great outdoors this season made me realize how inactive I'd become. Reno's skyline lies north of Rattlesnake Mountain. Photo by Jennifer Sweeney. My roommate, Kari, and I planned to hike Rattlesnake Mountain for sunrise on Easter Sunday. We took all the proper precautions: checked out the time for sunrise, packed water for us and the dogs and set our alarms for 5:15. Kari, Darby and Jonas take a break. Photo by Jennifer Sweeney We unfortunately didn't take the bad weather into consideration. As I gleefully sprung from my bed before dawn, I was greeted by a cloud-filled sky. After waiting for about 20 minutes with no sign of clearing, Kari and I opted to postpone our outing until later that afternoon. Rattlesnake Mountain is located between McCarran Blvd., Longley Lane and Rio Poco Road in southeast Reno. The land is owned by the city of Reno. We parked along residential Chirnmore Drive, just off of Rio Poco, roped up the dogs and started our ascent. The path begins between the houses on Chirnmore at Donner Party Marker #253. Here the doomed party stopped for five days in late 1846 to rest after traversing the Humboldt River Valley and before facing the Sierra Nevadas. An impending storm lingers over the Sierras. Photo by Jennifer Sweeney. It's not a difficult climb. A narrow path meanders along the side of the hill and wraps itself up to the top. We let the dogs run off their leashes. I think Jonas and Darby climbed up and down the entire mountain before I had even made it 100 feet. Both Kari and I struggled a little, blaming it on the altitude or the sun in our eyes or something. I shamefully admit to stopping to catch my breath and wait for the sound of my heart rattling my rib cage to die down more than once. The path we chose ended about 5 minutes into the climb, so we navigated our way across small rocks and mud puddles left by the weekend's precipitation. Unfortunately, the hike was not very colorful. We had anticipated an array of wildflowers but everything on Rattlesnake was still brown. At the approximate halfway point we bumped into a wide gravel road which we followed until we reached the top. Here we bumped into the only other hiker we saw that morning. After wishing each other "Happy Easter," we continued on our own ways. Despite the pit stops, we made it all the way up in about 35 minutes. From there we were given a beautiful panoramic view of Reno. The clouds had opened up and it was momentarily clear enough to see miles in all directions. It had to be at least ten degrees colder at the summit - and twice as windy - but we resisted the elements long enough to absorb the vantage point. Darby takes a breather. Photo by Jennifer Sweeney. To the north the view stretches across miles of residential streets and industrial lots to the city skyline. To the south and west the clouds over the Sierras reminded us that it was still winter despite being mid-April. The sun shone on the tops of the Virginia Foothills and the road to Virginia City glimmered far in the distance. Clouds obscure Mount Rose's summit. Photo by Jennifer Sweeney. The dogs found some clear water on the tops of rocks and waited patiently for us to arrive and we all took a well-deserved break to soak in the scenery before heading back down. The entire trip, breaks and all, took a little over an hour. I'd advise bringing along enough water for the dogs and yourself. And, if you're like me, maybe a snack as a reward for your hard work. Kari and I are in training now - in two months we're going to make it to the top in 10 minutes, no stops. Hopefully next time we will be able to catch a sunrise Posted May 5, 1998 Copyright 1998 Nevada Outpost TOP | PREVIOUS Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost