Wheeler Peak (Great Basin National Park, Nevada)

 

The primary reason for my trip to Great Basin National Park rises 13,065 feet above sea level. Wheeler Peak is a behemoth of a mountain, the tallest point in the Snake Range, and the second highest peak in within the borders of Nevada. It also boasts the twelfth spot on the most prominent peaks in the contiguous US list. Today, I will stand on the summit of this mountain.

Rising just before sunrise, I quickly make some breakfast and start breaking down my tent and campsite. One of my favorite treats on any form of camping trip is a serving of oatmeal and re-hydrated blueberries in the morning, and today is no different. It always gives me that much needed little boost to hit the trail.

The trailhead is a twelve-ish mile drive from my campsite, sits at about 10,000 feet, and accommodates a dozen or so cars. On the drive up, a flock of five wild turkeys cross in front me. I guess they are trying to get some breakfast as well. I arrive at the parking lot just before 7 AM and find only two other cars. I sling my pack on and hit the trail.

The first couple of miles are easy going. The well maintained trail passes through groves of quaking aspen and remains relatively flat. While that's a good sign, it's scares me a little, since I know I have nearly 3,000 more feet to gain and only a couple of miles to do it in. There are also deer here, and a lot of them. I discover one crossing the trail just ahead of me. The pretty doe is followed by two others and then two young fawns. They briefly stop to assess the danger I pose, before gracefully walking further into the woods.

Just a bit further, the the trail meets the Stella Lake trail and opens up into a beautiful meadow, complete with another group of deer. With the cirque of peaks formed by Jeff Davis and Wheeler Peaks as a backdrop, it makes for a stunning picture.

Finally, reaching the tree line, the trail conditions abruptly change from a mix of dirt and gravel to loose scree. The wind is blowing here as well, and I start to feel some exertion. I look ahead and see the second steepest ascent I have ever attempted. In my experience, only the cables on half dome were steeper, but they were only a couple of hundred yards, while this is going to be the better part of two miles.

I strengthen my resolve and set out up the challenging trail towards the top of the ridge and the summit beyond. In the distance, I can see a couple of other hikers a half-a-mile or so ahead (or above) me. It looks like slow going for them as well, but I they are pushing forward, just as I must. The loose stones twist and crunch under foot. The sound is a bit disturbing, but only adds to the ambiance of the overall experience.

A number of wind breaks have been piled up by past visitors to give some much needed cover from the howling winds. Today is probably calm by comparison to what this peak is like on some days, but they still provide a nice place to rest and offer the only escape from the sun in this nearly barren landscape. I take advantage of one to catch my breath and take note of elevation.

Returning to the ascent, I note my elevation is about 12,500'. Only a little bit more to go, but I can feel the first signs of altitude sickness coming. I experienced pretty badly a couple of years ago when ascending Mount Whitney, but I didn't let it stop me then and I won't let it stop me now. This mountain is not as tall and I'm almost to the top. I take measure and force myself up the last and steepest part of the trek. 

Finally, I reach the summit to find three fellow adventurers relaxing in more wind shelters. A forth joins us soon and we begin to discuss our love of the great outdoors. A park ranger (from Zion), a world-traveler, a couple on their way to San Francisco, and I discuss some of the trails and adventures we've had. We talk about the dangers to our "church" and how the country seems to be loving the wilderness to death. We consider what we can do to help, and take comfort in the fact that five like-minded adventurers would find themselves on the top of Nevada. It's an awesome sight and in awesome company. I know, from my own experiences, that most people that come to places like this understand the need to protect our wilderness, but it's reassuring to hear those thoughts vocalized and discussed.

Talking to these folks, I don't even notice how quickly the time passes and I suddenly realize that we've been lost in conversation for more than an hour. Knowing that I have a long drive ahead of me, I excuse myself and start to make my way down the mountain, but before I can, leave the young man with his lady, turns to me and thanks me and the others for being caring about what we all love. It was a moment that I won't soon forget. I thank him for being who he is and start the long descent.

It's slow going and my knees remind me of my age. I carefully navigate each step down the loose scree. I slip a couple of times, but I've always been pretty light on my feet and luckily catch myself before falling on my ass. I encounter a number of other hikers making their ascent and I can hear their exhaustion in their voices as we greet each other in passing. Past the steep section, the trail levels out and I soon find myself back at the trailhead. I check my distance to see that I've covered 8.6 miles and looking at the elevation profile, I understand why I'm so tired. Overall, it was a great hike and an even better experience.

Upper and Lower Pictograph Caves (Great Basin National Park, Nevada)

My destination this weekend was Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. While I have been a few times in the past, there are still plenty of adventures to be found within the park's borders. In addition, all other directions out of Reno led to a smothering layer of smoke from numerous large wild fires burning in California and Nevada. 

After getting my camp set up at the Baker Creek campground, I headed to the Grey Cliffs area of the park to examine some ancient Native American pictographs left on the walls in and around a series of small caves. It's a short drive and I find a wide area of the road to park the jeep before scrambling up to the rock art area.

I'm amazed at the amount of specimen on these walls. Painted in red dyes, dozens of figures can be seen. I can discern some of the figures such as humanoid figures and butterflies, but others are much more obscure. Last year, I had the privilege to attend rock art class at the Maturango Museum lead by Dr. Alan Garfinkel, an expert in rock art. During the class, I was introduced to an application called Dstretch, which applies numerous color filter algorithms to faded images in order to enhance the image. It was specifically designed with pictographs in mind and this seemed like the ideal time to use it. Below are some examples of Dstretch enhancements (original photo on the left and enhanced photo on the right).

I was really impressed with how much the color filters make the images pop and even illuminate some that aren't really visible without the enhancement. After exploring around the area a bit more, I decide to head back to my campsite, fix some dinner, and crawl in my tent for some rest. I have a big hike ahead of me tomorrow.

Ward Charcoal Ovens (White Pine County, Nevada)

On my way for a weekend of camping and hiking in Great Basin National Park, I decided to visit the Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park just south of Ely, Nevada. The ovens were built in the mid 1870's and used in the processing of silver ore mined in the nearby hills. Later after mining operations ceased, the large stone structures were used as shelter by those traveling through the region. They even gained a reputation as a hideout for stagecoach bandits. 

The six beehive-shaped stones structures rise 30 or so feet out of the ground and each have a diameter at the base of approximately 30 feet. Forming a perfect line, the structures seem only partially out of place. The stone from which they were constructed seems to have come from the area and so, in that sense, seems at home, but the shape of the structures themselves seems somehow odd. I walk around just a bit before heading off to my next destination. The park is an interesting diversion on a the long drive from Reno.

Galena Falls (Washoe County, Nevada)

Every summer my team at work hosts a picnic to celebrate the accomplishments of the previous twelve months and when you live and work near Lake Tahoe, you picnic at the lake. We rented the group area of Sand Harbor and I helped grill up the food for our ninety-ish attendees and their families. After relaxing a bit and playing some games with my co-workers, I decided to take advantage of the day and do a quick hike to Galena Falls, the trailhead for which is on my way home. I've visited the falls a number of times over the years on my way to the summits of either Mr. Rose or Relay Peak, for which the waterfall area acts as the fork in the trail.

When I drove past early this morning on the way to the picnic the trail head parking lot was filling quickly, but returning about 1:30 PM, there were a few parking spots scattered here and there. I had forgotten the public restrooms were closed due to snow damage last year, which forced me to change out of my swimming trunks and into some shorts in the jeep. Once I had changed clothes, I quickly hit the trail.

While it's warm today, up here at 9,000 feet, the air temperature is very pleasant and a light breeze makes it all the better. The trail, known as the Mt. Rose Trail, is always very well maintained and coupling that with it's proximity to Reno and Lake Tahoe, it's always a popular destination for anyone seeking a few hours in the wilderness. In the distance, I can see the lake. A light haze has settled over the area, mostly due to the Ferguson Fire raging some miles south of here in northern Yosemite. Luckily, it's not bad enough to cause any major issues.

As I make my way around the side of Tamarack Peak, the mighty Mt. Rose comes into view. I have reached the 10,785 foot summit of the mountain a number of times over the years, but with other commitments in town this afternoon, I will be content to reach the waterfall, which serves as the half-way point to the summit.

Dropping down into the large green meadow cut and nourished by Galena Creek, the waterfall comes into site. It's only about 35 feet tall, but somewhat unique due to the coloration of the stones over which the water plummets. The reds and whites of the wet stone adds character to the little waterfall, which is flowing quite well for this late in July.

After taking a few pictures, I turn around and head back the way I came. Reaching my jeep, I see I covered right at 4.9 miles, which seems about right. It's a short little hike and close to home, but always worth it to breathe the fresh mountain air.

Hemlock Bluffs (Wake County, North Carolina)

 

As has become my custom in recent years, I like to find a hike or two to pack into my agenda whenever I travel. Visiting in friends in Raleigh, NC this weekend, I did a little research of local trails and finally decided to hike the trails of the Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve just a few miles outside of the city.

As is always the case when leaving my home in the high desert of northern Nevada, I'm struck by the humidity as soon as I leave the rental car at the trail head. The area is lush and green with numerous different species of deciduous trees and bushes taking over the entire area. A small nature center has been constructed by the parking lot to act as a visitor's center as well as an educational experience for the younger visitors. The three short trails depart from this area and form various loops through the woods. Grabbing a trail map, I decide to tackle all three of them.

The trail itself is extremely well maintained with a surface of chipped wood providing and obvious and easily traveled path through the greenery. It's fairly flat with a only a couple of short gentle inclines. In the trees surrounding me, July flies make their presence known to any visitor or potential mate with the high pitched chattering of their wings and/or legs. It's not a sound that I'm used to, but having grown up in the Midwest, it's not foreign to me and it does bring back memories of exploring my grandparent's farm in western Kentucky when I as a kid.

As I make way through the woods, I find a few sturdily constructed decks hanging over a large ravine cut by Swift Creek. As I arrive on the top of the bluff and the associated viewing deck, the small creek flows fifty or so feet below me. The view however, is dominated by greenery and I suspect that better views are only available in the fall after the leaves have turned and fallen. I am able to pick out a couple of specimen of eastern hemlock, for which the park is named. These trees are generally found in the mountainous western part of the state, but it is believed that this area is enough like Appalachia to allow small population to thrive in and around the bluffs.

After finish the third loop, which follows a board walk a short distance right along the creek, I return to the parking lot. Though I was hiking at a leisurely pace, I'm still soaking wet. Luckily, I planned ahead for this possibility and pull out a fresh shirt for the drive back. The three trails combined only gave me about 2.3 miles of hiking, but it was still a nice taste of what North Carolina has to offer.

Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: Macbeth (Washoe County, Nevada)

Photo courtesy of Google

For the last 46 years, July has marked the start of the annual run the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. Each year, a different masterpiece pinned by the Bard over 400 years ago is brought to life on the stage at Sand Harbor State Park with the Blue Waters of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop. I have been fortunate enough to have attended the last five or six years, and this year I was incredibly pleased to learn "the Scottish Play", otherwise known as Macbeth, had been selected, because I have never seen a performance of this great work.

I've always found seating at the tables to be preferable to any other option. While tickets to the seating for two are a bit more expensive, the leg room, wait service, and leg/elbow room make it easily a bargain. Arriving an hour or so before the curtain, we ordered dinner and enjoyed a light meal while taking in the magnificent scenery of the amphitheater. There can be no better place to see such a meaningful exploration of what it means to be human than the open air of Lake Tahoe. The combination of William Shakespeare's masterfully chosen verse with the eye-candy of one of the most beautiful alpine lakes on Earth is not an easily dismissed experience.

At 7:30 pm on the dot, the actors took the stage and over the next five acts, we witnessed these masters of their craft bring the Bard's work to life before our eyes. Erin Partin, as Lady Macbeth, gave the stand out performance, but all of the actors were outstanding. Seeing Macbeth and his power-hungry wife descend into madness as they lie and murder their way to the Scottish throne was a true look into the mirrors of our human desires and ambition, and the horrible price they may exact. Shakespeare was called the "soul of the age" and his insight into the human condition is unparalleled. As a young man in high school and college, I struggled to find the greatness in his works, but as a middle-aged traveler on the highway of life, I see it and recognize his greatness.

Cave Rock Overlook (Douglas County, Nevada)

Along highway 50 and the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, a large outcropping of volcanic rock riddled with caves and sacred to the Washoe Tribe had two tunnels bored through it in 1931 to allow the roadway access. I've driven through the tunnels countless times over the years and even run through them a few times as part of the Rock Tahoe Half-Marathon.

Only recently, I learned of a short trail that climbs to the top of Cave Rock and offers an outstanding view of Lake Tahoe. On my way home from other stops in the Tahoe area, I decided to hike up the half-mile trail. The trail gently climbs until it reaches the base of the actual rock and then a measure of rock-scrambling is necessary. 

Once at the top, the view does not disappoint. It's a bit precarious with an flat-ish area only 20x20 feet or so. I take some shots of the lake below, before heading back the way I came and heading home for the day.

Glen Alpine Falls (El Dorado County, California)

The Lake Tahoe Basin has so many waterfalls that even after living in the area for over 15 years, I still haven't visited them all. While in the Emerald Bay area, I decided to take the narrow, but popular one-lane road along Fallen Leaf Lake to Glen Alpine Falls.

While the drive is only a few miles, between summer residents, the marina, and the campground, the road is extremely busy this time of year. Which wouldn't be a problem, but as the road twists and turns through the tree-covered hillside it offers just a few wide spots that allow two cars to pass each other. Fortunately, my jeep allows me to go up on a bit rougher stuff than the passenger cars. Though, it takes a while, I finally make it to the falls and find a parking spot. 

Knowing this will only be a quick visit, I hike out a few yards to a rock face overlooking the cascading waterfall. The water is flowing pretty well, but I'm sure it would have been a torrent a month ago. The waterfall is wide and takes several paths across the rock bed before reaching the creek below. It's quite a pretty waterfall, but with only little time to visit, I head back the way I came.

Vikingsholm (El Dorado County, California)

Nearly a century ago, a mansion was built at the base of Emerald Bay in they style of a ancient Viking castle. I've hiked and run past the castle a few times over the years, but today I finally decided to take the official tour offered by the California State Park system.

Parking is always a problem in this part of the lake, as it is the most scenic of the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. With the small lot above Vikingsholm full, I find a wide section of highway 89 just a hundred yards or so up the road and park the jeep. Walking the mile-long trail down to the shoreline, I purchase a tour ticket and then head to the lakeside of the house awaiting the start of the tour.

Our tour guide, begins to tell us a bit of the history of the mansion. It was built by a crew of nearly 200 workers contracted by Mrs. Lora Josephine Knight. Though of English-descent, Mrs. Knight was reminded of the fjords of Norway by Emerald Bay. She hired a Scandinavian architect to design her summer home and named it Vikingsholm. By all accounts, Mrs. Knight was a generous soul and cared for her house staff in her will, as well as putting all of their children through college.


As the tour enters the main living room, the children in the group are invited to count the number of dragons worked into various design elements of the inside and outside of the home. Apparently, Mrs. Knight had an affinity for the Viking legends of dragons acting as guardians.

The tour continues to the front courtyard as the ranger describes the function of the various sections of the long house. She also describes Mrs. Knight's challenge to the architect to not remove any of the old-growth trees in the design and construction of the mansion. He succeeded and combined with the use of all local granite and wood in the construction, the mansion almost seems to a part of the landscape.

The tour completes with access to the rooms within the main house and connected structures. Most of the furnishings are all original and maintained by the park service. I love architecture and this was definitely trip worth making.

4th of July Fireworks from Incline Peak (Washoe County, Nevada)

Independence Day is always a big holiday here in the US, as it commemorates and celebrates the birth of our nation. All around the country, Americans celebrate with barbecues, picnics, and fireworks. One of the most spectacular places, in my experience, to see one of these fireworks shows is Lake Tahoe. Several of the towns and villages along the blue alpine lake's shoreline host extravagant spectacles. Most years, I head up to Nevada Beach, which offers an outstanding view of the South Lake Tahoe show, which is generally considered one of the best in the entire country. This year, however, I had the opportunity to do something a little different. A meetup group that I hike with occasionally, hosted night hike to the summit of Incline Peak, overlooking the entirety of Lake Tahoe, and with it several of the fireworks events. It seemed liked a unique experience and I jumped on it.

Meeting several of our group in South Reno at about 6:45pm we carpooled up to the trailhead at the far side of Tahoe Meadows. There, we met a few others and started the short 2-mile trek up the mountain. As there is a small lake and a number of snow-melt streams in this area, the mosquitoes were thick, but with layers and bug spray, the attacks were minimal. The sun would still be out for another hour or so, which made the trip much easier. 

As we approached the saddle below the summit, we met up with still more of our group, who had decided to make a night of it and camp near the summit. The final push to the top was only another ten minutes or so, and we finally arrived at the small clearing overlooking the lake - quite a stunning view. Though, the clearing was small and slightly inclined, we did our best to set up chairs and get an entire smorgasbord of snacks passing around. There was cheese, crackers, smoked salmon, cookies, brownies, lettuce wraps, beer, wine, margaritas, and more food than we could possibly eat, though there were about 20 of us in the group by this point. 

As darkness settled, we each found a comfortable spot sit for the shows that were about to start. At about 8:30, the first rockets and explosions could be seen on the north-western shore, coming from Tahoe City. Shortly thereafter, more fireworks started diagonally across the lake near Glenbrook. Next, we could see over the eastern mountains forming the rim of the lake to catch some of the show from Carson City, far below. The last two shows to start were South Lake Tahoe, the length of the lake from us, and Incline Village, directly below our vantage point.

While I've witnessed many fireworks displays in my life, this was a truly different experience. From where we sat, at about 9,600 feet, the rockets seemed to barely leave the ground before exploding in to magnificent, but from this distance, tiny flowers of light. And the opportunity to see five different shows all simultaneously with the blue waters of the lake between them, was simply amazing. It was as if we were watching the celebration from above - in fact, we were.

As always, the shows didn't last more than 15-20 minutes and afterwards, we immediately packed up and headed down the mountain. We said good by to our friends that were camping, donned our headlamps, and hit the trail. The return trip was uneventful, but seeing so many headlamps in a row passing through the treeline, must have been an interesting site for anyone on the highway below. In total, we hiked right at 4 miles, but the event in and of itself, was worth far more than the mileage. 

Point Mariah overlooking Royal Gorge (Placer County, California)

What better way to start the 4th of July holiday off than with a hike to a gorgeous overlook. I first heard of Point Mariah late last fall, but as the trail is on the private property of a cross-country ski resort, I thought it best to wait until the snows had melted and the patrols had stopped patrolling for the year. 

Finding the trail head was a little challenging, as many of the markers I was looking for were not to be found. The trail head and kiosk mentioned in the guide I was following must have been washed off the side of the mountain and down into the creek and the iron gate that blocks the road has been removed and deposited in some nearby bushes. After walking down the dirt road about a quarter-mile in the wrong direction though, I finally got my bearings and figured out where I should be headed.

The trail starts by crossing sturdy bridge over Serene Creek. The creek is nothing more than a dribble at this point in the season, but it is still running, albeit very slowly. From there, the trail undulates slowly as it traverses the side of the mountain. I suspect this would be a great snowshoe trip during the winter months. Milkweed and other wildflowers cover the hillsides and the occasional break in the trees offer a taste of what I expect will be a spectacular view at the end of the trail.

Reaching the fork mentioned in the guide, I continue to the left. From here the trail begins to twist and turn through a number of down trees and I come across a pile of dark scat in the middle of the trail. It's unlike bear or deer droppings, and I have a reasonable suspicion that it is from a mountain lion. Upon returning home and researching a bit, I'm pretty convinced that it was from the large cat. I think it's about day old, but it's still enough to put my senses on alert. In all of my adventures, I've been lucky enough to never have come face to face with one of the big cats and I'm happy to keep that record in tact. Normally, mountain lions avoid humans, but there is always the exception.

Finally reaching the clearing of the southern most outcropping overlooking the Royal Gorge of the North Fork of the American River, I have reached Point Mariah. The small tastes I captured earlier on the way up did not oversell the view. Looking west, I can see thirty or forty miles down the large valley cut by the river. It's actually reminiscent of Yosemite, but much more green and a lot less granite. This vista point alone makes the trail worth while.

The trip back to my jeep is uneventful, but when I finally reach the dirt road leading to the bridge, a truck passes me and stops to ask for directions to the trail. I had seen them pass in the other direction just a couple of minutes before. Apparently, they were confused by the same guide and lack of landmarks that I was. I provide them with a detailed description and wish them well. Finally back where I started, I see that I hiked about 5.9 miles, which includes my detour. A pretty easy trail that leads to an amazing view. Total worth it . . . especially since my trip was free of mountain lions.