To get to this natural wonder, I must first drive down the mountain where I camped. The views offered by this steep descent are breathtaking. Finally, I reach the bottom and continue on into Utah until I reach the off-road trail with the sign marking my destination. The jeep earns its keep here, as I must travel this rough trail for about 15 miles before I reach the trail head.
Once there, I park and exchange greetings with a family preparing to hike to the arch. The trail begins through an area of pinion pines. I’m surprised to learn that the NPS allows the pine nuts to be harvested here in the fall. I may have to return for that.
The trail continues up a grassy hillside covered with wildflowers in a rainbow of variations, and of course a brigade of honey bees harvesting the pollen, though they pay little attention to me. To the north is a sheer limestone face and near the top, I can make out what looks like an arch, but it is so far up the peak itself seems unreachable. I continue on.
Finally, I reach a small clearing with a bench. As I look to my immediate left, I’m somewhat flabbergasted to see the true Lexington Arch. The object playing tricks on my eyes in the shadow is nothing compared to the real thing. It is massive. So much so that a thirty foot tall tree growing from the top if it appears almost like a sapling. As this arch is limestone, unlike the far more prevalent sandstone arches of Utah, geologists suspect that it may have been carved by a stream of running water before the valley below became so deep. However it formed, it is quite a sight to behold.
Great Basin National Park lies about six hours east of my home in Reno. I took the opportunity granted by this long drive to travel with the top down on my new jeep. Traveling through some of the most desolate land this country has to offer, in 90+ degree heat, and no shelter from the relentless sun was quite an experience. The sense of freedom granted by the open air is amazing.
After the long drive, I arrived at the park in the late afternoon. I decided to make camp at Wheeler Campground, which sits at about 10k feet, alongside the peak of the same name. I put up my tent, prepared some dinner, and got to bed early.
While m sleeping bag kept me nice and warm, crawling out of it at 4:30 am at this elevation is quite the wake up call, even in June. It’s about twenty degrees as I prepare to break camp and start my first trail. I drive over to the trail head, a short distance away and start my first hike.
First on my list is to hike to the Wheeler-Rock Glacier, which is the only permanent body of ice in the state of Nevada. The trail starts out well-defined, though fairly steep. At this early hour, I’m all alone on the trail. There is still a fair amount of snow here, as I surpass the 11k elevation marker.
Soon, I encounter a connected trail, which diverts through a bristlecone pine grove, and I decide to follow it. While not as dense as the Methuselah Grove I visited last year, the ancient trees are still a site to behold. I lay my hand on the tree that is about 3200 years old, and it is as if I can feel the echoes of my ancestors calling to me. I have such reverence for these landmarks of time.
The diversion through the grove was short, but well worth it. I continue on now to the glacier. Snow and Ice become more prevalent as I make my way up a giant-sized version of the gravel pits I played in as a child, all the while under the protective shelter of Wheeler Peak. The trail left by the glacier is quite obvious, as piles of boulders stream down the landscape. Finally, the glacier enters my field of vision. Although not visually imposing, I understand the enormous land-carving power it has from my visits to Yosemite Valley. Crossing a slippery snowfield, I approach the glacier. It seems especially cold here in this land of eternal shadow.
Having seen the focus of my hike, I turn back and make the two or so mile hike back to my jeep.
