Urban interface

Locations where city meets backcountry have potential to jolt the imagination

It can be tough when outside circumstances force a change in plans.

I’d planned some spring skiing in the Carson Range on a recent weekend and woke up ready to roll.

My gear was packed and loaded into the truck. My turkey and Swiss and spinach sandwich with mustard and Sriacha was made and wrapped and ready in the fridge.

Coffee was hot and in my mug when I stepped outside and looked up at the mountains.

Time to change plans.

The mountains were covered in dark clouds. A quick check of the weather stations on the NOAA website and ski resort webcams confirmed it.

Dark clouds and strong winds were going to keep the snow firm and disrupt the sun and fun vibe I was aiming for.

I texted my ski partner the bad news and started thinking about plan B.

Luckily we were in Northern Nevada where the weather can change mountain-to-mountain and you’re never far from dirt road or trail.

Good bye Carson Range, hello Virginia Range.

We drove over to the East side of the Truckee Meadows for some hiking and light peak bagging.

When it comes to publicity for mountains in the region the Carson Range and Tahoe Basin get most of the attention.

That leaves the Virginia Range to locals, informed visitors and herds of free range horses that roam the area.

It’s kind of a shame. As great as the Carson Range is, in some ways the Virginia provides superior views.

The range runs North to South from the Truckee to the Carson River and tops out at Mount Davidson, 7,864 feet, near Virginia City.

It’s home to coyotes, mountain lions, the aforementioned horses and loads of birds and reptiles.

The rise from the Truckee Meadows up the West side of the range is steep, often loose and provides an interesting contrast between so-called wild areas and the human-built environment.

When you’re hiking uphill West-to-East the views are rugged peaks, Juniper, Pinyon and Jeffrey Pine.

But when you turn around to look down the urban landscape of Reno and Sparks dominate the view.

Those in-between urban interfaces always seem to jolt my imagination. They’re a chance to compare and contrast the environment people have built against the terrain that was there long before humans arrived.

The casinos, airports, factories, roads and bridges support nearly 500,000 people who call the Truckee Meadows home.

Of course, they also hem in the Truckee River, produce air and water pollution and deplete natural resources.

When I’m looking down from the Virginia Range it’s impossible for me to avoid imagining what the Washoe and Paiute people, who have occupied the area for as many as 14,000 years, might have seen prior to all the development.

It’s also impossible to avoid imagining what it could be like if modern people built communities that were more in tune with the terrain and natural resources as they found them.

The Virginia Range is a great place to ponder the past and the possibilities of the future.

If you squint among the wildflowers and horses and lizards and sage you can feel 1,000 miles from nowhere.

And when you open your eyes, you’re close enough to town to go from peak bagging to having a gelato within the span of about an hour.