01-Apr-2001 -- April 1, 2001… With 41x120 having been recently visited, I set out for 41x121. By noon it was obvious the gear I had with me was not suitable for the amount of snow in the area so I turned southeast and headed for 40x120. It was getting late, I was not sure I would be able to drive close enough to hike in and out before dark. I reached Doyle, Ca. about 4:00 p.m. then drove south-east on the Dry Valley Road hopping to find an old ranching or mining access road. I tried a road shown on the 100K Susanville and Kumiva Peak maps only to find it blocked. Continuing southeast I came across a track heading northeast towards the Fort Sage Mtns. After about two kilometers along the track I found a marker for the California-Nevada border at 39°58.84’N x 120°00’ W which left me with a bit over two kilometers to hike. I started out at 5:15 p.m. expecting to make the 500 meter climb in about an hour. The land is covered in grass and sage with juniper trees scattered in small groves. The southern flank of the Fort Sage Mtns. is composed primarily of granite with some andesite and welded tuff. Using a compass, I climbed straight up the 120° line to the 1,800 meter elevation then made two wide switchbacks up the last steep slope. Clouds had been increasing all afternoon and by the time I reached the confluence, light was fading fast. It took about fifteen minutes of moving the GPS unit around before it settled on a spot near a large granite boulder. I took a few pictures, ate a bar and headed down, reaching the truck at 7:20 p.m. By the time I reached the Dry Valley Road, it was dark. All in all, a good first confluence.