Hillside mystery solved as man admits to giving up writing apology to ex-girlfriend after one letter

For weeks people in Reno have been asking: "What does NA mean?" The letters appear on the side of Peavine Mountain near the University of Nevada, Reno. The "N" is made out of white rocks and symbolizes UNR. This year marks one-hundred years of the "N" being on the hill. However, recently an "A" made with chalk appeared next to the "N," and administrators at the university were perplexed why.



"I was trying to write a woman's name, 'Tina,' I started with the 'A' and just ran out of steam," Brent Wilbur of Reno said. Wilbur came forward on Wednesday, claiming he is the one responsible for the mysterious letter being added to the hillside. "I rented a truck, I bought a palette full of marking chalk, actually I bought all they had left, I had to perform experiments with the drop-spreader to see if it would form a 180-foot line and I had to find a road," Wilbur said.

Wilbur said it took five and a half hours of exhausting work to create the "A," and he abandoned plans for the "T" and "I." "I chose a moonlit night on purpose so that no one would see me up there," he said. Wilbur said Tina is someone he dated four years ago for a nine month time period. "I owe her a great many apologies for the way I treated her," he said. When asked if he had any regrets about potential penalties for making the letter, Wilbur said: "none.. I love her."



 Al Rogers of the Washoe County Community Services Department said no charges are expected to be filed. He said the letter does not violate any county park codes. He added there is uncertainty about when the incident took place. He said the material used should "not be harmful to the area and will absorb into the soil or blow away." A spokeswoman for UNR said the university does not plan on pursuing charges because it's more concerned with the hillside being restored than someone being punished. She said rain will likely wash away the chalk soon. Wilbur said he is willing to clean up the chalk.

With news video.