This year, there were two ICO snowshoe trips to Chickadee Ridge on the flanks of Mount Rose. This popular destination is well named! All year round many Chickadees live there and they come out and entertain and delight visitors. Another piece of this trip is that after hiking a mile visitors are thrilled by a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe. Many people, experienced in the outdoors head out on skis or snowshoes in the winter and spring, or hiking or mountain biking in the summer and fall.  Given the elevation of 9,225 feet, snow is there well into May. 

Venturing to Chickadee Ridge in the winter takes planning, skill, funding, the right gear and clothing, and experience in the area.  Reno ICO and our certified trip leaders have what it takes to lead safe, engaging, and enjoyable trips to this location. Transporting large groups of people in school buses is always a challenge in terms of parking, safety crossing a busy state highway, and the expense. For navigation, trip leaders use a GPS as the snow obscures any marked trails. For gear, ICO provides the snowshoes, waterproof boots, and all specialized clothing to make sure participants are safe and warm.  Clothing and personal gear range from base layers, hats, and gloves, to  “puffy jackets” and Goretex rain/snow shells, and even daypacks and water bottles.

Trip Leader John Arsenault was the pioneer who led 7 students from the Hug High adventure club our first ever snowshoe trip to this location on February 22, 2025. Commenting on the uphill slope to the viewpoint, one Hug High student said,  “Trips like this challenge me to keep going and remember what I can achieve.”

On April 12, the Dean’s Future Scholars (DFS) Program brought 11 high school students, four student mentors from University of Nevada Reno, four DFS staff and five ICO volunteers, for a total of 24 people.  Alberto Garcia Rodriguez, DFS Graduate Assistant led this trip.  For the past two years, Alberto has been the DFS Agency Lead, with Rob being the ICO leader on hiking and rafting trips.  Alberto is now a certified ICO Leader and has taken on leading all DFS trips. Congratulations Alberto!!! Another cool piece of this trip is that John shared his Chickadee Ridge experience with Alberto before the DFS trip to promote a successful DFS trip.

Alberto has developed a post-trip survey for ICO trips. Here are the survey results, which included students, mentors and staff, 

• Most participants rated the hiking trip as "Excellent". One participant rated it as "Good".
• All participants felt safe during the hike.
• Popular activities included feeding the birds and seeing the views
• The quality of meals and snacks (prepared by Alberto and his family) was rated as "Excellent" by most. One participant specifically noted, "Those sandwiches were bomb".
• All participants reported learning about hiking, nature, or the outdoors.
• Participants described their interaction with others on the trip as "Very social and enjoyable".
• All participants indicated they would participate in another DFS hiking trip.
• Participants described their experience as "great", "very good", "so much fun”, "cool place where birds eat from your hand", "very fun and beautiful", and "bonded with students".
• Favorite parts included seeing the birds, looking at the amazing view, meeting new people, interacting with nature, the 1-2-3 game, learning about the hiking app (GPS), connection to ICO, and the food.

Thanks to John and Alberto for developing yet another fine destination for Reno ICO Trips and for providing this unique experience to so many Reno youth!