The parts of Reno I can see from here are plain industrial and residential. I’ve been wondering if I could see the downtown/casino district from the next hill over. Rather than consult Google Maps I used it as an excuse to hike a bit.
Our target is the saddle in the middle of this pic:
It’s not that far over there but there is no direct path. We had to go about halfway down the highway and across a passable part of a ravine to get to the two-track trails I could see from the campsite. Took about an hour of strenuous hiking to get up there and Muffin and I were breathing pretty hard. We didn’t stop to rest, mainly because there was no shade — it’s more of that odd USFS land with no trees on it.
Turns out downtown was not visible from the saddle, and I didn’t have enough oomph to take the next hill.
Muffin looks tired and concerned in this shot taken there:
Looking back at the highest peak:
The van is visible in this shot:
There’s a Class C about 100yds to the left and slightly off the crest from the van; it’s beige-colored and blends in
By the time we made it back we were both ready for the hike to be over. In the last half hour I noticed I was getting sunburned on my arms — things you forget to prepare for when camping in Oregonian gloom all summer. I suspect spending the last couple of months at sea level also made steep hiking at 5,800′ this week more challenging.
a boondocking retirement 
Good sunny hiking. And the price is right. That’s USFS land?! Good for solar!
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Looks more like BLM, but it’s definitely FS land according to the US Public Lands app and the trail markers. Hard to see, but up top in the shaded area you can see the USFS logo on this marker:
I took the pic because it was amusing that the passenger car icon had a “not recommended” advisory on it; Muffin and I were having a hard time walking it and there’s no way a passenger vehicle would have been able to get anywhere near. Dirt bikes or a UTV would make more sense.
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