Verdant Verdi: Some of the best (sometimes) shaded summer hikes in and near Reno

Verdant Verdi: Some of the best (sometimes) shaded summer hikes in and near Reno

I stopped to catch my breath, looking behind me to justify my effort. The trail yields little sympathy as it rolls (although the descent feels sharp) down a grassy hill, but the view behind it gave me a greater reason to pause.   From this spot, about a mile into the California Trail’s Truckee Route near Verdi, I could see the beginnings of the Truckee Meadows framed by the northern flank of the Carson Range, Crystal Peak and the hills of Peavin…