Don’t go chasing waterfalls is the song that comes to mind when talking about this particular hike? Why might you ask? Well, we actually went chasing after a waterfall!! Genoa Canyon Trailhead is a very nice area located in Genoa, Nevada. This steep and winding Trail provides tons of scenic views to both hikers & mountain bikers alike.
If you haven’t guessed by my initial, Statement. There is a waterfall at the end of this Trail. For which I did go chasing. I hike this Trail with my hiking partner and good friend Jolene, or J as I call her.
Normally during this time of year, the snow is starting to melt, and the trails are starting to open up and so people can walk. This particular year Nevada has been experiencing sporadic weather changes that have not been seen in the last 70 years. We’ve had a lot of Unusual weather, so the snow is hasn’t actually melted fully all the way. Which made this particular hike a little bit challenging in some of the area’s leading up to the waterfall.
Nevertheless, I’m a trooper and I wasn’t going to be deterred by a little bit of snow or at least that’s what I thought, Hahaha. J, on the other hand, she was down for whatever and she was ready to hike up this mountain like it owed her money!
Do get me wrong, I’m was all for it to as well, but I don’t recognize the fact that I am I am still a novice and Hiking this Mountain would be ranked on my skill scale as intermediate.
So, starting at the base of the mountain wasn’t too bad. There was still snow on the ground obviously, but going up and leading into the trail it became more apparent that there was still a lot of snow on the mountain and in some places pretty tricky for foot placement. This could prove to be dangerous if you weren’t paying attention to where you were stepping.
Thankfully on this hike, I decided to bring my hiking spikes. So, I was already set for what was to come ahead.
As we made our way forward up the mountain, you can see the contrast between the snow and the landscape as it was melting in places, very beautiful and the view overlooking the town was phenomenal. I mean really words can’t describe it. Hopefully, the pictures will give you an idea of what I’m talking about.
During this hike, we traveled about six point three miles so that would be three miles in and up, three miles back.
We had elevation gain of roughly 1200 feet. So, if it was 5,000 feet elevation adding that 1200, we’ll put this at 6200 Feet in elevation.
Walking really wasn’t the issue until we got higher in the elevation and obviously the air became a little bit thinner, which made it more difficult to breathe and then on top of that, the air was cold. So, for me, it was pretty much a struggle, but J being the mountain goat that she is made pushing on up the trail look easy. (Note to self, got to do more leg and cardio in the gym! ).
About halfway up the mountain, we stopped to take a break to enjoy the view and scenery and to snack on some food and hydrate. For me, I took advantage of the small pause to catch my breath because yeah, this mountain really kicked my butt, but in a good way. Having replenished my energy now, we were ready to make our way further up to the mountain, to get to the waterfall.
Looking up at the sky, we both noticed that a storm was beginning to make its way towards our location. So, we picked up the pace a little bit, which wasn’t too bad. Still with the thin air and the fact that my legs still aren’t used to hiking that much, it started to become more challenging with each step as we got closer to the waterfall. As I said, there were some places along the trail that were a little bit sketchy. Most notably Coming around one bend. There was about a 45-degree angle wall of hard packed snow that we had to traverse as it was blocking the trail. Thankfully, I had my micro spikes which helped but again it was still a bit difficult, as we literally spider-man crawled to get to the other side.
Literally, one wrong step and WHOOSH!! You would be sledding down the mountain without the sled!! That would not have been fun because most of the mountain side was littered with huge boulders and tress leading to a deep river. Having made it past these obstacles, about another mile and a half in we finally reached the waterfall, Yay!! Now, looking at the waterfall there really wasn’t that much to see at first glance. As we jumped down in the small inlet we could see the icicles dangling down from the rocks above. We actually saw flakes of gold or what look like fools gold actually but still, it was a nice little venture out there.
As I said before, there was some storm clouds rolling in. We stayed just long enough to take some Action selfies and videos before beating feet back down the mountain to beat the storm that was approaching. Heading back, I thought it was going to be a little bit better because it was downhill, and I didn’t have to exert as much energy. I WAS WRONG!! I expended so much energy trying to outrun the storm coming in.
ll in all, I did pretty good. My experience Genoa Canyon Waterfall Trailhead was fun and I’m proud of myself for being able to accomplish it especially since I had a solid hiking partner like J to support me along the way. I’m looking forward to going back after the snow melts. Because, as I understand it. there’s actually another waterfall, just behind the smaller one we visited, so more to follow. You know, by the way as I’m writing this, I realized I forgot to introduce myself. Hi, my name is Barry S. Ricoma, and I am new contributing writer to the “OWN IT” magazine team. It’s a pleasure to be here and I look forward to sharing more of my travel experiences, adventures with you in the coming months.
One last thing I’d like to do is end this article by showcasing a piece of gear that I used during this hike. So, for this adventure, the most valuable piece of gear I had were the micro spikes for my boots. If it wasn’t for this gear I would have had considerably more difficulties and traversing the snow would have been more dangerous in
some areas. I’m thankful that I had them and I recommend that anybody that goes on hikes, especially beginners have a pair handy or is it footsie? If you’re gonna hike during the winter, having a good pair of spikes, will make all the difference. The pair I own are made by Kahtoola. While purchased mine at the REI CO-OP, they are available thru Amazon.
Again, it is my pleasure and honor to be part of the own it magazine team and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you all.
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