Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike 2020 – Section 5: Austin to Eureka

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 5 Map

Video: Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 5

In addition to this trail journal, I also filmed my Basin and Range Trail thru hike. I’ve produced a detailed documentary series (11+ hours runtime) documenting this thru hike adventure, the product of over 1,000 hours of video editing. I highly recommending watching the Basin and Range Trail vlog series for an in-depth look at thru-hiking the Great Basin and central Nevada. 

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 5 Journal

Day 32 – July 2nd: Loneliest Highway in America, Big Smoky Valley, Spencer Hot Spring, Linka Mine

Sarah made me some Farm Fresh eggs with sea salt and a piece of toast for breakfast. These eggs were definitely much better than store-bought eggs. I also had a sausage biscuit and muffin. I gave Sarah my bounce box to send out at the post office since I wouldn’t get there before the post office opens at 10am.

It was 9am when I left the motel and began my walk to Eureka. I walked out of town until I reached a wash, which parallels Highway 50. This avoids a big climb, but doesn’t avoid all the climbing. Always hard to leave town, both mentally and physically. This was no exception. It was rough going at first, with a heavy pack and in the heat.

Pretty green over there, the northern end of the Toiyabe Range

After reaching Austin Summit it was a road walk along Highway 50, the Loneliest Highway in America. However, it didn’t feel that lonely. The shoulders weren’t always very large. I was surprised at how wooded and green it was here along the highway.

Walking the Loneliest highway in America

Leaving “the land of many uses”

I stopped to take a break at a campground/rest area, and realized I had 4g service for the first time in Nevada. Ironic, along the loneliest Highway in America.

Road to Spencer Hot Springs

View of the Toiyabe Range from Big Smoky Valley

Big Smoky Valley

Reached the junction for Highway 376, the road South to Carvers. This road was a little lonelier. Short walk along this road before I reached the junction to Spencer Hot Springs. Even this road had a fair amount of traffic.

Stop sign with stickers near Spencer Hot Springs

Desert views in Big Smoky Valley

Near Spencer Hot Springs, the stop sign, and other signs, are decorated with stickers from various travelers who have visited the area. You generally know you are somewhere kinda cool when people bother to put stickers on things. Except when it’s in a pristine area, then it’s not cool. Spencer Hot Springs is NOT pristine, it’s heavily trafficked. 

The main soaking pool at Spencer Hot Springs

Spencer Hot Springs. There are multiple springs here, not just this one.

Reached Spencer Hot Springs around 5pm. Dark clouds in the sky now over the Toiyabes. Ate some food and chatted with a woman from Estonia on a motorcycle tour across the US.

Linka Mine

Some of the best rocks and minerals were found here in this section of the Linka Mine. However, it was filled in on my 2021 visit, and there is no more access to this area

Garnet & epidote specimen from the Linka Mine

Garnet found in the Linka Mine

Then walked over to the Linka mine. Stayed here for about 2.5 hours cracking rocks open. Found a whole bunch of interesting rocks and minerals. Perhaps the most interesting I’ve ever found. I found many garnets, a few larger ones and many small clusters of garnets on quartz veins. I also had a nice specimen of epidote. Pyrite can be found here, as well as either galena or molybdenum. Dark clouds loomed over the mine, but they eventually turned to a nice red sunset beyond the Toiyabe Range.

Sunset over the Toiyabe Range

Set up camp in the dark 1/14 mile from Spencer Hot Spring. There were Burros everywhere making noise. Sarah and Cassidy meet me at the hot spring after 10pm, had a soak and brought me a gallon of water. Full moon, too. Went to bed after 11:30pm, much later than my normal hiking routine.

Day 33 – July 3rd: Big Smoky Valley, Linka Mine, Toquima Range, Monitor Valley, Monitor Range

Burros made a lot of noise throughout the night, stomping near my tent and making ridiculous noises. Didn’t get a lot of sleep.

Walked to Spencer hot spring after packing up. Talked to the people here, Rick and Maria. They were from California. Chatted for a while. He asked if I needed water, and I almost never turn that down. Took a few liters, and discarded the empty gallon jug that Sarah brought night before.

Walked past the Linka Mine again this morning. There was a truck parked here, I said hello. It was a young college kid, mining engineer intern, about to head down into the open pit to do some rockhounding himself. We talked for a bit then I showed him what I found last night. His eyes got big, and he said you found that down there? He was pretty excited now.

Hiking through the Linka Mine

Down the Road, past the part of the Linka Mine I was ‘hounding yesterday, there are some more elaborate ruins of the mine left. Some large concrete pads/structures and such. 

Conquest mine

Walked past the conquest mine next. This was deeper and steeper, and completely fenced off. Went down for a look, didn’t see anything too interesting though.

Hiking Big Smoky Valley to the northern Toquima Range

After leaving the mines, the landscape becomes very barren and I felt alone again. The road was loose sand, hard to walk. This was tiring and demoralizing. Saw burros and wild horses.

Stopped for a break at the base of the Toquima range, which is a much smaller obstacle compared to the Mt Jefferson area in the south. That is, until one is at the base of it. Still, it’s small for a mountain range, as this is the extreme northern end.

Hiking up the northern end of the Toquima Range. View west across Big Smoky Valley to the Toiyabe Range

The road dead ends into a wash. From here, it’s up to me to find my way up and over. Now I realized how hot it was. Even though it wasn’t very tall, it was still a several hundred foot climb, and had me breathing hard. Weaving in between the pinyon pine and mahogany trees.

View west from the crest of the northern Toquima Range

At the top, nice views of big Smoky Valley, but not much view of monitor valley… Lots of trees, rolling hills. Now the descent. Pretty plain looking, just weaving in between trees through red-orange Sandy soil.

Last trees before hiking Monitor Valley

Before I hiked past the last trees and was at the mercy of the relentless sun, I stopped for a break. This is my routine now, and one that I think almost desert hiker mimics… Take a break under the last shade tree.

Toquima Range, view from Monitor Valley. What was a prominent landform in the south, is now a meager set of hills in the north

After passing the last trees, I entered a sea of sage brush. I dread this, but no other way forward. I need to walk through miles of sage brush before I reach a road. At first, it’s a pain. Then it snowballs into more of a nightmare. In the beginning of this hike, this was more manageable mentally. Everything is, spirits are high and even the worst of things seem easier to deal with. After a month though, that feeling fades. Waking miles of sage brush in a hot valley with no shade can test the mental toughness of just about anyone.

Old 4×4 road in Monitor Valley

Monitor valley looks very barren here. Empty, remote. No signs of roads anywhere. Then, all of the sudden, I stumbled on an old dirt road, only visible from 50ft away. What a relief!

Dry well in Monitor Valley

Followed this north to another road that intersects it heading east. This is what I want, now heading across the valley towards the monitor range. A well/tank can be seen in the distance, about the only thing that stands out from the sage. The road passes by, but there doesn’t appear to be any water.

Hiking across Monitor Valley

I followed the dusty road for a couple hours until I reached the main road that runs north and south through the valley. I crossed the road and headed towards Wallace canyon.

My right leg had been giving me trouble today, a dull pain in the thigh. It was sore and tender to the touch. Becoming more of a concern as the day goes on. I debated what to do… Follow the road north to hwy 50? Try to cross the monitors, with 5,000ft of elevation gain? Hike a low route through the monitor range? I took a couple ibuprofen and kept going.

Approaching the Monitor Range

Just then, a truck passed by. Two hunters out scouting, Keith and Johnny. They were super impressed with what I was doing and offered to help in any way they could. They filled all my water bottles and gave me their last piece of KFC fried chicken. Who only knows where the nearest KFC is, but I can tell you its a couple of hours away. This was a real mood booster. I left Keith and Johnny feeling really good, both physically and mentally. My leg was feeling better and my mood massively improved.

Wallace Canyon

Walked into Wallace canyon, saw the first trees of the Monitor Range. Stopped for a dinner break, at a little campsite that had a few scattered deer legs on the ground. I guess people/animals don’t eat those.

There was a small spring in Wallace canyon with huge willows and vegetation lining the road. The rest of tonight’s walk was rather uneventful. The canyon looked pretty thick, and I was glad to have a road. Saw a couple of deer. Some groves of aspen with a subpar campsite below the pass. Thought about camping here but pushed on.

Campsite in the northern Monitor Range

Not a bad view from camp tonight

At the top of the pass, where the high and low routes split, there were a few camp options. Of course, I Climbed a hill above the pass for the best view, and found a decent campsite here. More than decent, damn good spot considering what else was around. Sun going down, a really nice sunset. And, 4g just on this hill!

Day 34 – July 4th: Monitor Range, Summit Mountain, Trail Magic

Woke at 6, great sleep last night. Amazing sleep actually. Feeling much better this morning. No leg pain. Lots of bees buzzing around here. Lots of prickly pear cacti on this little hill.

Wallace Canyon

The route up to Big Flat from Wallace Canyon

Decided to take the “high route”. It will offer better views, despite the hugely additional elevation gain. I almost instantly regretted it. Dripping wet with sweat at 8am. Steep 4×4 roads that were poorly laid out for the hiker… Up and down constantly instead of contouring around hill sides. This was demoralizing. It’s demoralizing because the views aren’t really that great, even from the “high route”. In the northern portion of  the Monitor Range, it’s mostly a series of hills, not serious mountains like in the south. But that’s the issue with Section 5 in general. It’s just not going to be spectacular no matter which route one takes from Austin to Eureka. I think every thru-hike has some type of filler section, and on the Basin and Range Trail, this is it. 

Nearing the top of Wallace Canyon

4×4 roads running along the crest of the Monitor Range

It was a rather tough morning. I struggled through it. There was little water compared to what I thought would be here. Very small trickles of water, only occasionally. To collect from these, one would need to follow the water and definitely dig out a hole to collect from. I had a couple of liters, so I kept going.

Monitor Range vistas

The best views of the day were pretty weak compared to what I’m used to. For a brief moment, I enjoyed a scenic little hill with a distant view of the Monitor Range. 

Summit Mountain, aka Broken Back #2

Saw about 20 horses in the valley below as I worked my way along an upper Ridgeline. Now, summit mountain (marked on some maps as broken back #2) was clearly in sight. The plan is to go up and over. Looks steep on the map, but doable.

I took a game trail around the final hill that lies between me and the saddle below summit mountain. This worked well at first, then turned into a sage brush bushwhack.

I took a break at the saddle below summit mountain. From here it looked very steep and intimidating, although it doesn’t look bad at all on the topo maps. Not Rocky/Bouldery, but a mix of low grass and small rocks.

Just then, I heard the sound of a distant engine. It grew louder and louder, until I realized someone was coming up the canyon below. This was Allison creek, a route I was considering to avoid summit mountain. Two rzrs came up the hill into view, and I wished them a happy 4th of July. They were just as surprised to see me as I was to see them. In fact, they were probably more surprised that I was there, especially without a vehicle.

Naturally we stopped and talked for a while. Quite a long while actually. I would say a solid 45 minutes. This was the Terras family, currently living in Elko. Travis, Gaye, Cody, Tim and Jim. They offered me water, Gatorade, and beer.

This was basically their stomping ground. Monitor Valley in general. Hunting, camping, relatives in the area, you name it. Central Nevada is what they know. They were very interested in my hike, with my route going through territory that was so near and dear to them. We discussed the typical topics that I get asked; water, food, navigation, animal sightings. They all had binoculars around their necks, trying to spot wildlife. Had they been just 15 minutes later, they would have seen me scrambling up Summit Mountain, probably pretty confused that a person was out here trying to climb it.

They offered to give me a ride anywhere needed to go. One of the options I was looking at was Peddler Creek, where I could then bushwhack up to a saddle between Antelope Peak and Summit Mountain. This would take me over to Falkner Creek where I was headed. Of course, me being hard headed and stubborn, I didn’t want to take a ride. At the same time, I didn’t really want to hike over that mountain, and the other options to go around it where just as long and likely more arduous.

They were headed over the pass and in the direction of peddler Creek anyway. My map shows the trail ends at the Saddle, although it clearly went down the other side. Their goal was to see how far that road went, assuming it connected to Peddler Creek. I fought with myself for a while, debating what I want to do. They had been tempting me with beer and steak, offering to let me camp with them this evening. I figured I would at least take the ride down to Peddler Creek, that is if the road even exists. So I jumped in the rzr with them and went barely more than a hundred yards down hill before the road ends in a Grove of Aspens.

It was now after 1pm, and I had spent over an hour with the Terras family. The goal is to get into Eureka by 8pm tomorrow night. If I go back up to the top of the saddle and try to head over Summit Mountain, I know it will be a long hike. I likely would fall behind schedule.

I considered this section a filler from the beginning, far from a highlight of the Basin and Range Trail. Simply a connector between Austin and Eureka. Having already explored the Linka mine and taking a soak in Spencer Hot Springs, I had already done the things I was interested in doing throughout this section. It was a tough choice, but ultimately I accepted their offer to drink beer and eat steak with them. They have even offered to drive me into Eureka as this was on their way back to Elko, if needed.

You might ask yourself why this was such a hard decision to make. I asked myself that very same question. What do I have to prove? What do I have to prove to myself, to anyone else? I was adamant about walking continuous footsteps from Mexico to Canada on my Continental Divide Trail thru hike, but that made sense to me. You can’t say you walked from Mexico to Canada if you skipped a bunch of it. But here, on the Basin and Range Trail, I am not even hiking a complete loop, just a random route from one arbitrary place to another. Continuous footsteps is not my goal here on the BRT. Adventure and a great experience is what I’m after.

So, reluctantly, I accepted their offer and basically stopped hiking halfway through this section. It was a relief at the same time. Now, I could enjoy the 4th of July like a normal human being, spending it with other people.

As soon as I said I would join them and camp with them, they said great, now you can drink beer with us! Gladly, I said. I need to catch up!

We spent the next couple of hours cruising around on the side by sides. Finding little hills with a view, finding hidden campsites, exploring the countryside while having somewhat deep conversations at the same time. It was incredibly satisfying to be able to take a break like this in the middle of a hike. A physical and mental break. And on the 4th of July, it really meant a lot to be able to kick back and just enjoy the moment, with some super friendly folks.

We found one campsite nestled in the Aspens on a little Hill that had a granite countertop installed in between a couple of Aspen trees. That’s right, a granite countertop! This perked our interest and was an obvious place to stop for lunch. The granite countertop was a great place to lay out all the food, crackers, cheese, summer sausage etc. It felt like a real luxury for the outdoors.

I had never ridden in a side-by-side before. I was really impressed at how well they handled the terrain. Just this morning, I was wondering how it’s possible to drive a vehicle up some of these roads. Now I know. They have really low gearing for the downhill sections, and the suspension is incredible. Many times it felt like the vehicle would just tip over, but it kept going, handling it like a beast.

We got back to camp Terras late afternoon. Camp was a long a small Creek, surrounded by Aspens. Not the most level ground, but I found a nice spot pretty close to the creek. They had all the luxuries of car camping… Fold out chairs, table, cooking stove Etc. It was nice to sit in a comfy chair. One of the things I miss most when hiking.

Hanging with my new friends

They got started on dinner shortly after 5 PM. They utilized the fire ring to cook corn over a metal grate. Mostly, it was being smoked at first. Then burned a bit. Methods used to cook this corn became the topic of laughter. In the end, it came out just fine. Meanwhile, Travis cooked the steaks. I felt a bit useless, just standing back while everybody else did something. Course I asked to help, and was told to just sit back and relax. This is always a bit hard for me to do.

After dinner we lounged around and exchange stories. Me being the guest, I think it was my obligation to contribute in that way, with stories. Having hiked and traveled quite a bit, I enjoyed sharing my experiences, and maybe more importantly, my insight on these experiences. The older I get the more I realize how these travels and experiences have shaped me as a person. In a positive way. I look at my life in Detroit before my CDT hike, and not being much of a people person. In fact, hiking in general was a way to get away from people. And now, I see long distance hiking as a way to connect with people, from all walks of life. I’ve always been the type of person that has a hard time accepting anything from anyone. Even when expected, such as on my birthday, I feel very appreciative of a gift or anything that has been given to me. So when people take me in like this, I barely have the words to describe my gratitude.

Day 35 – July 5th: Trail Magic, Antelope Valley

I woke up at 7:30. Tim was already cooking bacon, the sound and smell was great to wake up to. I asked Travis how he was feeling this morning, and he said, I must have been pretty drunk, everyone has asked that!

They were a little low on food for breakfast, so I ate some of my own food but I still Had a small portion of bacon and eggs. Delicious! After that we packed up camp pretty promptly. They seem to be pretty efficient at that, breaking everything down pretty quick. We loaded up the side by sides and headed downhill.

On the way down, Tim stopped here and there for burls. These are the knots on a tree that form when a branch breaks off, and the tree heals itself. A big ugly looking brain, or mushroom look. He cuts these off and uses them in his woodworking projects. Maybe a vase, lamp post or whatever. He turns them on his lathe. also makes something called dragon eggs, where he mixes resin into the wood fill the gaps. The grain of the wood Mixed with the resin was really cool looking, from the pictures he showed me. These are the kind of projects that it seems very few people do, almost like blacksmithing, like a forgotten art. Pretty neat actually.

Group photo with the Terras Family and I

A few miles down hill, the valley opens up and we reached the spot where they parked their trucks and trailers that haul the side by sides. It was pretty hot now down in Antelope Valley. While loading up the side by sides, I got everyone together for a group picture. We got the largest burl and posed on front of it of the side by sides. This was great, I love these group pictures. They are pretty tough to come by, but perhaps some of the most meaningful pictures at the end of the day.

Soon we were all loaded up, and I jumped in the truck with Travis and Gaye. They were passing through Eureka anyway, so it wasn’t a bother for them to take me here. My goal was to reach Eureka by 8pm tonight. Had I walked from the spot they Park their trucks and trailers, I would not have reached Eureka this evening. Skipping so much of the planned route, about 40 miles, was a bit hard for me to swallow mentally, but I had already accepted the situation. Now down in Antelope Valley, I certainly wasn’t disappointed to have skipped this section, in the sense that I felt I was missing something, because it was a rather bland looking valley. The temperatures in June were rather mild, but now, in the low-90s, Crossing these valleys is a lot less appealing.

When we reached the Sundown Motel in Eureka, Travis and Gaye got out of the truck and we said our goodbyes. We had exchanged phone numbers and tentatively planned on meeting up again when I finish the Rubies. Since I’m coming out in Lamoille, it’s just a short ways from Spring Creek and Elko. They were more than happy to offer any help they can when I reach their Hometown.

Checked in to the sundown motel. My box was waiting for me in the lobby, a new pair of shoes. Checked into the room, showered, then walked across the street to the Owl Club. Funny, it has the same name as the place in Austin, even though they say they are not related. Seems like a strange coincidence to me. Ordered their biggest burger, double bacon cheeseburger and fries. It was probably one pound, and of course, put it down with ease.

Ate dinner again at the owl club. Made eye contact with a guy at the bar who is about my age. We kind of did “the nod”. I asked him how the 4th of July was, knowing they have a big Fourth of July party in town. He said he just got in today, and missed it. He asked me about mine, I told him about my story with the folks in the monitor range, part of my 1100 mile hike. He did not seem impressed, and that was the end of the conversation. He literally shrugged his shoulders and turned his back on me after hearing about my hike across Nevada. But that’s Eureka for you. This felt like one of the least welcoming towns along my hike.

Day 36 – July 6th: Zero Day in Eureka, NV

Breakfast from the gas station, a couple sausage biscuits and muffin. Spent all day doing chores; Paid Bills, called dad to have him send a box to the Spring Creek (Elko) Post Office with new gaiters, boxers and a new Patagonia capilene daily wear shirt.

Walked up to the Pony Express Deli at the end of town for lunch. Went off to the Post Office and mailed back rocks I found over this past section, and my old shoes. I still wear these when mowing the lawn or whatever, even if they are no longer trail worthy. Then walked up to the grocery store. This was a mile or more out of town. For such a big store, the selection was pretty terrible. I cobbled together what I needed for the upcoming 8 Day hike across the Diamond Range and Ruby Mountains.

I’ve been talking with Cody Terras today about meeting up in Lamoille. He wants to join for a section in the rubies, which would be awesome! So maybe the section north of Lamoille Canyon. Plans to be determined later.

January 22, 2022 | Categories: Basin And Range Trail, Original Thru-Hiking Routes, Thru Hiking | Tags: basin and range trail, great basin hiking, great basin thru hike, long distance hiking routes, nevada hiking, nevada thru hike, new thru hike routes, off trail thru hike, thru hike creations, thru hike journal, thru hikes, thru hikes that aren't national scenic trails, thru hiking | Leave A Comment »

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike 2020 – Section 4: Carvers to Austin

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 4 Map

Video: Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 4

In addition to this trail journal, I also filmed my Basin and Range Trail thru hike. I’ve produced a detailed documentary series (11+ hours runtime) documenting this thru hike adventure, the product of over 1,000 hours of video editing. I highly recommending watching the Basin and Range Trail vlog series for an in-depth look at thru-hiking the Great Basin and central Nevada. 

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 4 Journal

Day 25 – June 25th: Big Smoky Valley, South Twin River, Toiyabe Range, Toiyabe Crest Trail

Woke at 8. Called the Sundown motel in Eureka to ask if I can send a box. They said sure, so I called my dad to relay the message… Send new shoes to Eureka.

Packed my gear and hit the road around 9:45am. Feeling good physically, better than yesterday. My back is feeling fine now, thankfully. Weather shows afternoon thunderstorms, 70% chance of like 0.02 inches.

Toquima Range obscured by haze, view across Big Smoky Valley

The walk out of town along highway 376 was nice, for a road walk. It was really hazy looking today, and the Toquima Range eventually disappeared from sight. Still, the massive Toiyabe Range looms high above me as I walk the base of it north, looking for my way in.

One guy stopped in the road to ask if I was ok. He seemed extremely confused to see a hiker. I told him I was walking 1000 miles across Nevada, I’m good and don’t need any help. I got a blank look. Super confused. I reassured him I’m good, and he drove off, confused. Classic reaction.

Shortly after, I turned down the road that leads to Twin River, start of the Toiyabe Crest Trail. Around this time, the Dark Skies turn to rain. Not very heavy at first. Then some tiny hail. Then thunder. Then lighting. Then windy. Fortunately, I found shelter in the bathroom at the parking area around noon. There was one truck here, but he must be out hiking in this. Yuk!

Storm clouds over the Toiyabe Range

It seems like were getting more than the .02 inches of rain the weather was forecasting. Constant lightning and thunder, sounds really nasty. I waited out the worst of it here. When the thunder and lightning subsided, I made my move.

Massive view across Big Smoky Valley

View over Big Smoky Valley and the Toiyabe Range

The trail climb steeply from the parking lot. However, almost immediately I was rewarded with expansive views of Big Smoky Valley, and great look north at the Toiyabe Range.

View into South Twin River canyon

South Twin River entrance along the Toiyabe Crest Trail

Toiyabe Crest Trail enters South Twin River

Soon the trail leads me to the canyon entrance to South Twin River. Once over the first little hill, I had my first view into South Twin River Valley. Wow! Really, wow! Steep and Jagged rock formations everywhere. Walk 50 ft, stop and look around with awe. Walk another 50ft, and repeat. All while watching your footing on the Steep Hill sides. I could tell I was going to like this place.

Lush green vegetation lines South Twin River

South Twin River

The trail sits up high above the river for a bit to avoid a narrow section of the canyon. Before long, it drops down to South Twin river. Similar to Pine Creek in the Toquima range, it was thick, lush and thorny, with steep Canyon walls surrounding you. However, decent trail. Very nice indeed.

Hiking South Twin River

One of many stream crossings along South Twin River

The first River Crossing I was able to jump across the river. Certainly the river is up a little bit from the recent rain today, I’m sure there would have been rocks to hop across otherwise. At the second River Crossing, I was not so lucky. I accepted the fact that my feet were going to get wet today and just walked through the river. This would be the 1st of at least 30 River Crossings.

Amazing canyon section along South Twin River

Vertical rock formation with a cave in it!

After one of the first couple River Crossings, I was blown away by what I saw. At first, on my left was a giant Rockwall that was several hundred feet high, straight up. And not on a slant or anything, literally vertical. Just a little farther up the trail was an 80ft vertical pillar just protruding from the ground on it’s own. My reaction was probably pretty comical, think I said something like, “are you kidding me?? Come on!” I was on awe. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I walked further up the trail and on one side of the Rock pillar was a cave! A cave in a vertical rock pillar! I thought I was in a fairytale book, things like this don’t exist in real life. Unfortunately the cave was difficult to reach, especially with the wet rock from the rain and my increasingly worn shoes.

Towering canyon walls in South Twin River

South Twin River hike proves to be very scenic

Hiking the Toiyabe Crest Trail through lower South Twin River Canyon

More Majestic scenery throughout the next couple miles. What an impressive Canyon. However, vegetation was thick and thorny. It was also wet, so it was a pain to move through.

One of many river crossings along South Twin River

Through the hike up South Twin River, there were river crossings at frequent intervals. Perhaps there would be less water flowing if it hadn’t rained recently, but chances are, you’ll be getting your feet wet hiking here. 

At one point there was a steep Hillside with loose rock, at the junction of South Twin River and South Fork South Twin River. Looking up, there was a narrow Passage with a large tree. For some reason I had a hunch that there was something up there, maybe a hidden cave, I don’t know. But I felt compelled to check it out. 

Junction of South Twin River and South Fork South Twin River

These canyon views really impressed me

Rock was wet and treacherous. I made my way up to the large tree, expecting to see a cave entrance or something. But there was nothing here. I could have kept chasing my hunch up increasingly steep and more treacherous boulder chutes, but I gave up and went back down. The way down provided an amazing view of vertical rock formations throughout the canyon. This was almost worth it on its own, a really unique view amongst all that I have seen on the Basin and Range Trail.

Jagged ridgeline along the cliffs that tower above South Twin River

Past a couple of campsites at a trail Junction. They were a long the river though, I almost never camp in these. Too much condensation overnight. Not that tonight will be dry anywhere. Besides, it was still too early, so I kept moving.

The next section of trail was really thick with vegetation. And lots of River Crossings. Jungle-like. Thorny. Everything was wet. I was wet. I was ready to get to camp. I had seen a couple of small caves, including the one in the pillar, and was really hoping to find a suitable cave to sleep in. To be out of the elements, and dry my things off.

To my surprise, I reached a bit of an open clearing with a Rockwall. Along this Rockwall was a small cave, with the grassy Hillside below. From the trail, it looked absolutely perfect. The kind of cave I had been waiting for! I’ve never been able to find a suitable cave to sleep in, at the right time. I climbed up to the cave, and my initial thought was that it was too small. I thought maybe I could set up my tent in front of the cave on the grassy Hillside. Which I certainly could have done. Ultimately, I decided to cowboy camp inside the cave.

Cave in South Twin River. Good place to camp on a wet and soggy night

Sunset in South Twin River canyon from my cave campsite

The cave was small enough that there were no animals living in it, and no obvious signs of holes or burrowing. The ground was flat, and pretty clear overall. I had space to set up my gear and hopefully let things dry out a little bit overnight. The rain looked like it was over, but who knows.

Day 26 – June 26th: South Twin River, Toiyabe Range, Toiyabe Crest Trail

Cowboy camping in a cave in South Twin River Canyon

Didn’t get much sleep last night. My air mattress now has a slow leak, and needs to be refilled every 2 hours or so. It was pretty cool sleeping in a cave though!

View back down South Twin River, where I came from

Trail junction: left for the Toiyabe Crest Trail, right for the North Twin River Trail

Looking up South Twin River towards the crest of the Toiyabes

Everything was soaking wet from the rain yesterday. And of course, the vegetation continued to be thick. Also, there were a bunch more stream Crossings. At least the stream was smaller now, and mostly I just jumped over it.

South Twin River still flowing in it’s upper reaches

The scenery in Upper South Twin River Canyon was much less impressive than the lower portion. It was pretty much just bushwhacking through wet and sharp vegetation. Very frustrating at times. The section of the trail is in dire need of maintenance.

I waited until the last minute to get water out of the Stream before the final climb out of South Twin. There was a lot of cow shit here, and it was fresh too. I know this because I slipped in it. It was that soft. But I didn’t see any cows or hear them. Filtered some water and took 2.5L with me.

Dusting of snow on the Toiyabe Range from yesterday’s storm

The final climb up to the saddle below Arc Dome was a pain. The trail literally followed the bottom of a drainage. It should have followed the hillside and kept you out of the thick brush and rocks. This seemed to take forever. To the south was a couple of mountain peaks covered in fresh snow. I guess that was from yesterday, while I got the rain high elevations got the snow.

First distant view in the Toiyabe Range

Saddle below Arc Dome

Hiking below Arc Dome

Finally up on the saddle, I could enjoy my first long-distance view. Very nice! Arc Dome still loomed above, and I contemplated climbing it. The original plan was to bag it, as an out and back. However, I am behind schedule with the thunderstorm yesterday that I waited out. So after following the trail up to the saddle below Ark Dome, I decided to pass. It was the smart call to stay on schedule for getting into Austin.

Hiking along the ridgeline below Arc Dome

View north along the crest of the Toiyabe Range

Break spot, with a rgeat view of the Toiyabe Range

I took a break at the edge of some cliffs with rock seats and a nice view. Here, I could take off my shoes and dry my shoes, feet and socks in the Wind and sun. And that’s just what I did. Man what a difference that makes, having dry feet again.

Looking back at Arc Dome

Hiking north along the TCT

Panorama view of the Toiyabe Range from the TCT

After my break, I was hiking good trail now on the Toiyabe Crest Trail, or TCT. Excellent views, nice solid trail, mostly. It was mostly a climb up a couple of consecutive Hills, and then it really flattened out. A lot like the table mountains in a way. Better views though.

Snow capped ridgeline of the Toiyabe Range

Big views along the TCT

Big open views along flat sections of the Toiyabe Crest Trail

I really enjoyed most of today’s hike. Great views of the Shoshone range to the west and big Smokey Valley to the east.

Beautiful high mountain scenery along the Toiyabe Crest Trail

View from the TCT

The Toiyabe Crest Trail offers excellent hiking

The trail here was good. Easy to follow, seemed to be well maintained. Not a lot of brush, easy walking, other than the big climbs. Even then, there wasn’t anything too big, couple hundred feet maybe. This added to the enjoyment level.

Looking back on a section of the TCT

View west to the Shoshone Range from the Toiyabe Crest Trail

View east across Big Smoky Valley from the crest of the Toiyabes

I only brought 2.5L of water from South Twin River Canyon up to the crest. This decision was pretty short sided, in that I just didn’t want to haul a bunch of water up and already steep and brutal climb to the crest. Of course, I should have brought more. I had to ration my water all day.

Expansive views while hiking the Toiyabe Crest Trail

View south from the TCT

Rolling ridgelines along the crest of the Toiyabe Range

One thing I did to mitigate my water problem was collect snow from the cornices at the top of passes and ridges. I filled both of my Gatorade bottles, because they have the wide mouth opening, with snow. Later, I came across another snow bank. Then, I took the water that has melted from one bottle and poured it into the other. I added more snow to the other bottle. In the end, I got about 1.5L of water from these two 1L Gatorade bottles. Not Bad!

View over the Toiyabes

View south

Toiyabe Crest Trail panorama

I was feeling pretty tired from todays hike and took a break around 5:30. Ate food, drank a little bit of water and moved on. I was feeling much better, just in time for a great evening walk.

The crest of the Toiyabes is a great hike

The TCT often follows the ridgeline proper

View east into Big Smoky Valley

The walk along the Ridgeline tonight was awesome. This must have been up there with some of my favorite Ridge walks of all time. Beautiful scenery, trail stays really high and beautiful sunset. At one of the passes, a road runs up and over. Here, a Subaru Outback was parked. I expected to see someone in the vehicle, but I did not. I assumed they were out hiking, and wondered if I would run into them. I didn’t.

Sunset in the Toiyabe Range

View north along the TCT

Tonight was the night of the never-ending sunset. It seems like the sun was low in the sky forever. It set in slow motion, and literally felt like the longest sunset of all time. I’m not complaining, this was quite amazing actually. To be able to stretch out such an amazing sunset provided seemingly endless photo ops.

View east into Big Smoky Valley from the Toiyabe Crest Trail

The Toiyabe Crest is an incredible place to walk at sunset

The never ending sunset!

I had been looking for a campsite before the sunset began, but no such luck. Pre-existing campsites are few and far between up here. Pretty much just have to look for a clearing, that doesn’t have too much cow shit. To my surprise, I made it to the next spring on my map. I wasn’t thinking I was going to make it this far tonight, but it was such a great walk that it kept me going a little bit later than usual.

Views along the TCT

Sun setting over the Shoshone Range

Colorful sky as the sun dips below the horizon

I didn’t actually make it to the spring, I camped on the saddle above it. There was a couple of green patches blow the saddle, but I couldn’t quite tell for sure if there was water. Either way, I’ll check it out in the morning. Not enough light left to do it now.

Cowboy camped on this saddle

I cowboy camped on the saddle, having to move cow shit to make room for my air mattress and ground sheet. I probably would have set up my tent, but it’s easier to Cowboy camp when there is limited space such as this. Plus, if you think there could be any wind, it’s lower profile and is easier to ride out the wind gusts. But of course, the winds died down at night like they usually do in Nevada.

Day 27 – June 27th: Toiyabe Range, Toiyabe Crest Trail

Great spot to camp, sun was on me almost first thing in the morning. I heard one animal in the middle of the night, but this is to be expected since I’m on the top of a pass like this. I packed up my gear and headed down to the spring.

Filtered a couple of liters of water at the spring and actually enjoyed the moment. Normally, filtering water is one of my least favorite hiking chores. But on this morning, the Sun was shining and I was out of the wind, warm in the sun and appreciated a moment where I could just sit down in a comfortable environment and relax. While I squeezed a platypus bag, of course.

The Toiyabe Crest Trail runs across the mountainside

I couldn’t see an obvious Trail leading away from the spring and back up to the Toiyabe Crest Trail, so I Bushwhacked a bit. Yay, my favorite. Eventually I hit a trail that contoured around the Hillside back over to the main Toiyabe Crest Trail. Whew.

TCT view west

Good trail to follow

The next couple miles were nice. Good quality Trail. Contoured the hillside for a while, going by a couple of creeks in the drainages. Looks like today will have more water than yesterday.

French Peak on the right. The Middle Toiyabe High Route Alternate takes the ridge on the right, avoiding dropping down into the valleys and would provide excellent views

After contouring around the hillside, I began to notice how much I’ve dropped in elevation. This is never a good thing for the hiker unless it’s your final descent out of the mountains. It just means more climbing ahead.

The Toiyabe Crest Trail is no longer following the crest here. Bummer. Should have taken the Middle Toiyabe High Route alternate

There were several water sources I passed. At the bottom of the descent was a small Creek. I thought this was the bottom, until I climbed up over another hill and drop down just a little bit farther than the other Creek. Tierney creek, the bottom of the decent, under 8500′.

The trail consisted of 4×4 roads at this point. These were quite steep, and the worst kind. Small, loose pebbles sitting on hard packed dirt. At this slope angle, its a slip and fall accident waiting to happen. I found myself walking among the Sagebrush alongside the road at times instead, less of a slipping hazard. It was also rather hot down low in the valley.

Now the climb up begins. I stopped at a small Creek to eat lunch. I was feeling my blisters now, aggravated by all of the sand in my shoes. Put my sandals on and soak my feet in the creek, and filtered some water to go.

Panorama view west to Shoshone Range

Shortly after my lunch break I saw a pronghorn. Not long after, I saw two more pronghorn and a baby. I wondered, are these called fawns too? Or Pronghornlets, perhaps? Ha.

Good views as the route traverses around Toiyabe Range Peak

Nice hiking here

Ridgeline of the Toiyabes

Some of the best scenery of the day came in the afternoon as the Toiyabe Crest Trail skirts around Toiyabe Range Peak. 

Overlooking the Reese River Valley and the Shoshone Range

The roots of this huge tree are growing practically vertical along the trail

The Toiyabe Crest Trail is less maintained in the middle section

The day was dragging on now, thanks to the increased heat and decrease in scenic views. Cow shit on all the small passes. Lots of it. Pretty uneventful day overall. There were some great views, but they weren’t as constant as they were yesterday, in the Southern Toiyabes. The trail was not as good here either as it was up on the crest yesterday.

Sun setting soon over the Shoshone Range

Ran into my first person in almost 400 miles of hiking. A guy named Alex, and his dog. Alex was from Grand Rapids Michigan, now living in Vegas. But he just took an internship in Round Mountain for the summer. So now he gets to explore the mountains here. Alex hiked the PCT in 2018 and had the trail name Nuts. Probably because he went through the Sierras in April and May!

Tarptent Notch Li in the Toiyabe Range

Found a great spot to camp along a Ridgeline Above a pass. Hidden behind some rocks, well protected from the wind. Good thing because it was windy, even after dark. A spring was only a few hundred yards down hill. Found an arrowhead on the pass. A metal sign for the Toiyabe crest trail was here too, the first one Id seen up here.

Day 28 – June 28th: Toiyabe Range, Toiyabe Crest Trail, Kingston Creek, Big Creek

The wind didn’t die down until midnight, so I didn’t get any sleep until after that. Excellent campsite, was pretty well shielded from the wind for most of the night. But the sound of the howling wind still kept me up.

Hiking up Washington Creek, back to the crest of the Toiyabe Range

Dropped down off the pass and into a Cirque that was full of water. Filtered 4L last night so I didn’t need any. Stopped to wash my socks in one of the streams, and a mouse hopped away. Today was a really long day. It’s funny now that I write in my journal, I can barely even remember this morning. It seems like 3 weeks ago. The days are just so long out here.

Feet feeling better today than they were yesterday. Holes in my Darn Tough socks are getting big. Good thing I have a couple new pairs in my bounce box waiting for me in Austin.

View back down Washington Creek as I near the crest

The climb out of the valley with all the water took a little bit longer than expected but still, I feel like I made good progress. As soon as I reached the top of the pass, I was hit with 40 MPH winds. It was cold too! First thing I did was put on my wind jacket, kept me a little warmer plus I wore the hood to make sure my hat didn’t fly off. It was crazy windy.

Outstanding views again as the Toiyabe Crest Trail finally returns to the crest

Excellent views now that I was back up on the crest of the Toiyabe Range. The kind where it was hard to make progress because I was constantly stopping to re-analyze the landscape, seeing new angles and shots.

Scenic view into Reese River Valley from northern section of the Toiyabe Crest Trail

Toiyabe Range, Reese River Valley and the Shoshone Range viewed from the Toiyabe Crest Trail

The wind was blowing in from the West, so as long as I was on the east side of the Divide, it wasn’t too bad. But without something blocking the wind, it was pretty wild. The hood on my wind jacket was constantly being battered, and was really loud on the ears. And sometimes, some of the straps from my backpack would get blown around violently & slap me in the face. I was literally being bitch slapped by my own backpack.

View west to Reese River Valley, Shoshone Range and Smith Creek Valley

Excellent hiking along the northern section of the TCT

Once I got a good View to the West, I could see a dried lake bed on the other side of what I believe was still the Shoshone range. The winds where kicking up dust and sand into the atmosphere, with a brown layer of debris hoovering low in the air.

Stopped to eat behind an outcrop of rocks. They really weren’t that big, but they did the job, providing enough protection from the brutal winds to be able to eat without my things being blown away. I was running out of space on both my camera and my phone, so I deleted pictures and data from both so I could continue taking pictures on both devices. Man, I really need to send my bounce box to every second or third town instead of 4 towns, so I can dump media more often.

The wind is kicking up dust from the dried lake bed in Smith Creek Valley

After my break, it was back into the wind. Now, I had a decent climb up a hill that was totally exposed to the winds from the West. Here, the winds were gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour. Almost blowing me off my feet at times. I would lean into the winds to try and counteract the force, but when the winds died down suddenly, I found myself almost falling over. The winds would come out of nowhere and catch me by surprise.

Bunker Hill Peak

Look at all that dust getting kicked up into the atmosphere. It’s coming this way…

Some spots along the Ridgeline had interesting rocks. Lots of quartz veins visible. The walk along the Ridgeline today was not all that long, but the views were excellent. The winds were extremely taxing on the mind and body. It really wears you down walking through high winds.

Looking south along the TCT before dropping down to Groves Lake

Descending to Groves Lake

I was relieved to reach the saddle where the trail finally drops down to Groves Lake. This is the official end of the Toiyabe Crest Trail, the northern terminus. I made very quick time of the descent, jogging whenever possible. This has always worked well for me to minimize knee pain. One reason knee pain occurs on downhill sections is that we are trying to walk at a pace that is slower than momentum, and in order to maintain our pace we strain our knees in the process. By jogging a bit, or going with the flow, you can minimize knee pain. That’s my theory, anyway.

Straight Canyon

Groves Lake

Groves Lake was definitely low on water. It’s a man-made lake, with a dam on one end. There was a truck with a couple of guys fishing there. Really nice views into Straight Canyon from the lower reaches of the trail.

When I reached the lake, I didn’t bother going for the shoreline, there was no shelter from the sun or wind. Instead, I found a small patch of trees in the parking lot to take a break under. Ate lunch here and aired out my feet. It was decision time. The original plan was to follow a high route extension that began just a little further north from here. However, with the high winds, that plan is not a good one. Not only do I not want to walk in 50 mile an hour winds, I certainly don’t want to have to camp in them. So that’s out. Good thing I had made a low route alternate before coming out here. I’ll take that.

Kingston Guard Station

Inside the abandoned Kingston Guard Station

Next I continued down Kingston canyon Rd. This was a very well maintained dirt Road, with a little bit of traffic here and there. A little ways up the road I encountered the Kingston Guard Station. This was an abandoned ranger station, housing for the Rangers and some other buildings. From the road I could tell it was abandoned, windows were broken out and one of the doors was wide open. I went in to have a look and was very disappointed and what I saw. The entire place had been looted, ransacked and destroyed. The brick work on the fireplace had been dismantled, beer cans in the fireplace. Anything of value have either been stolen or removed when funding had been cut for this facility. I walked into another building next door, and there was some sort of bird Nested inside one of the walls behind a cupboard. Another building was like a storage shed. There was a can of green paint that had been opened and someone had smeared it all over. Garbage lay on the floor. There where a bunch of shelves, and someone had opened all the boxes and dumped out the contents. There were literally thousands of plastic knives and forks laying around.

It was a real shame to see the ranger station in this condition. It was a beautiful spot, good view. I just imagined the people that worked there for years, the memories they had there. I am trying to imagine what it was like when the place was open. Was there really that much recreational traffic here to warrant the ranger station?

After leaving the guard station, the next Valley up there was pit toilets and a parking lot. Here, I noticed a sign that said TCT. I’ve never seen a map or read anything that indicates the Toiyabe Crest Trail continuing north from Groves Lake, but the sign is here. I doubt much of a trail exists anymore, but its certainly interesting to see the sign. Also in this parking lot, I noticed a bird that kept swooping down near the same tree. After the bird dive bombed the tree a few times, I noticed a fox or coyote emerge with something in its mouth. It quickly moved on to another set of bushes for cover, and the bird persistently continued to try and protect its nest, its young.

A nice meadow along Kingston Creek

Walking the road was fairly Pleasant, good scenery. There were large Green Meadows with tall grass. And when the wind blew, the grass moved like waves in the sea. That was actually pretty cool looking. However, no signs of cows anywhere in this valley. This blows my mind. I guess they are all up in the High Country. The low lands are not good enough for these cows.

Dust storm approaching. This dust has come from the dried lake bed in Smith Creek Valley, two valleys west

Before the climb up the next pass, I filtered 2 liters of water. Now, I could see dust being blown in from the dried lake to the West. All around me it was moving in, seemingly in every direction.

Big Creek

Now I descended into Big Creek Canyon. The road was still pretty good. I saw a couple of car campers along the way, but just the vehicles parked. No humans in sight. After dropping down from the pass, it seems like the temperature had dropped 20 degrees in 10 minutes. I stopped to put on my wind jacket. With all this wind, a cold front is surely on the way.

At the bottom of Big Creek Canyon, I was supposed to take a right and head up North Big Creek. However, I noticed on my map that there was a historical town marked, called Watertown. It looked to be about a half mile away if I just continue down Big Creek Canyon. Thinking it was a ghost town, I decided to check it out. I was disappointed when I arrived to see absolutely nothing there. It was only 10 minutes out of my way each way, so it didn’t set me back too much.

Junction of Big Creek and North Fork Big Creek

Now I noticed a large dark cloud that had been parked right over the mountains for about an hour now. But it wasn’t any normal dark cloud, it had an odd look to it. Didn’t look like a rain cloud. The weather was just weird today.

I headed up North Big Creek now. It had been 2 hours since I stopped for 10 minutes to filter water, and 4 hours since I had eaten last. I was overdue for a break. There just weren’t any good places to stop. Finally, I just stopped at a small rock to sit on. I ate dinner here, and realized how cold I was. I put my pant legs on, and added a couple layers up top. I now had my hiking shirt, wind jacket, fleece, and rain jacket on. I also switched from my baseball hat to my warm fleece hat. It felt like it was in the low 40s.

North Big Creek Canyon became more impressive as I made progress uphill. A 4×4 Road off shoots the main road into another Canyon. Here, at this intersection, was a Green Meadow. It was lined with trees. I thought this might be a decent place to camp, so I went to have a closer look. But of course, most of it was wet, lumpy, extremely tall, and provided no cover from the wind. I never camp in places like this, ever. But it was worth checking none-the-less.

North Fork Big Creek

On the other side of the meadow I noticed a large rock overhang just up the hillside. It looked too interesting to pass up. It was getting late in the day and I was tired, but it was so close that I had to have a closer look. When I got up there, there really wasn’t much to it. Yes it was a rock overhang, but it was on a good slant, and not to deep. Ok, saw it.

Excellent views in North Fork Big Creek

Still looking for a campsite, I continued up the canyon. It was about 7:30. The creek eventually dried up as I gained elevation. I passed through a couple of patches of trees that gave me a glimmer of hope, but I did not see anything close to a suitable campsite. Of course, if I weren’t so picky about my campsites, I would have just stopped in some random field with tall grass and pitched my tent. But of course, this would provide no cover from the wind, which is a big concern tonight.

Pass between North Fork Big Creek and Birch Creek. Notice the sheep herder’s tent on the saddle

Eventually I had walked all the way to the top of the valley, and was just below the pass. I had come too far to head back down, so I went up. It was about 8:15 at this point. At the top of the pass, there was a Teepee tent, two horses and several dogs. There was a barbed wire gate here. I stopped at the gate while the dogs went crazy barking at me. I hollered hello a couple of times, but never got a response. I guess nobody was home. I hopped over the barbed wire gate and risked the dogs coming at me. They were actually pretty good about keeping their distance, but they kept barking at me for a half mile. My last GoPro battery had just died heading up the pass due to the cold temperatures, otherwise I would have gotten these events on film. Also, in the distance was a beautiful sunset over the mountains. However, this new view was filled with dark clouds. Looks like rain.

From the top of the pass, I jogged downhill for at least a mile. It was literally a race against time. I had to get downhill before dark to find a campsite, unless I wanted to do it by headlamp. No thank you.

Eventually I reached a spot where the road does a 180 degree turn, with a small patch of land at the curve. This was just above the valley floor. I could hear a ton of sheep bahhing in the near distance, presumably on the valley floor. With the last remaining bits of Twilight, I set up my tent.

Almost immediately after setting up my tent and getting inside, it started sprinkling. Great timing.

Day 29 – June 29th: Toiyabe Range, Birch Creek, Reese River Valley, Stokes Castle

It was actually a very still night. Almost no wind. However, it sprinkled for a little bit right after bed. That didn’t last long. Cold night, too.

My tent was just out of the path of the sun this morning, I was waiting for it to hit my tent but the sound of barking dogs and sheep eventually drove me out of my bed anyway. It was probably closer to 7 when the sun finally hit my tent. The dogs sounded like they were getting closer, and not wanting an encounter with angry sheepdogs, I hurried up and packed things as quick as possible.

At the bottom of the Valley, just below where I camped, there was a creek. However, I wasn’t too eager to filter from it since it was just Downstream from where all the sheep are. And the smell was horrible! So I skipped this water source.

You can see all the switchbacks in the road, These are not marked on the map!

Next, I followed the road for a short ways before my map indicated I needed to climb up hill on a road. This road didn’t seem to exist. So I headed up to Hillside anyway. All of those Terraces I saw cut into the hillsides were actually roads. I hit the first level of the Terrace, and still needed to climb up one more. From the top, looking down, I could see they had a zig zag fashion. I could have just followed a road the whole way up. But, my maps did not show this, it only showed one road straight up the hillside which clearly didn’t exist.

Open pit mine in Birch Creek Canyon

Now following the upper Terrace Road, a large mine came into site. I was on the side that had all of the tailings, which covered an entire Hillside. In fact, I could see a man standing on top of the rest of what was likely the mine. I was going to be walking right through this mine territory, which is private land. However, it’s on a public road, so I shouldn’t have any issues. This was the case. Still, I wondered if he heard me talking to my GoPro. Ha.

Hiking the crest of the northern Toiyabe Range. There is a network of old 4×4 roads here.

While passing through the mining land, there were a couple of sheep on the hillside above me. This was the closest I’ve gotten to any of them. Then the road goes up a couple of Hills. Of course, many of these were steep. This is where it got really cold and windy. It felt like it was in the 20s or maybe low 30s. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my nose. I stopped to layer up again.

View south along the Toiyabe Range

The northern Toiyabe Range is still impressive!

Most of the four by four roads went straight up over the hills and they were quite steep. The kind that you could easily slip and fall on, so on The Descent I would just walk through the Sagebrush alongside the road instead. That is, if I didn’t follow a game Trail around the side of the Hill.

Mormon Crickets. Saddle up!

All over along the ground this morning were giant crickets, called Mormon Crickets. They are a few inches long and as thick as your big toe. Thousands of them. It must have been their mating season. It was hard to avoid them, a few of them got stepped on, walking under my shoes as I walked.

Descending into Veatch Canyon. Reese River Valley in the distance

Eventually I reached my Junction, an even smaller dirt road that veered off the crest of the hillside and took me down to Veatch Canyon. Stopped at the top of The Descent for a quick food break, and a bit of a breather. Took my first gopro time lapse of the entire hike so far here, since there were actually clouds in the sky. Without clouds, there is no motion to capture in a time lapse.

Hiking Veatch Canyon

There were some aggressive birds at the top of Veatch canyon. They kept dive bombing me and squawking at me for a half mile or so. The canyon was quite wooded, and the upper reaches featured some jagged outcroppings. Water was barely a trickle at the top, so I had to keep following it Downstream. There was muddy road Crossings though, one challenging one in particular to get around. There was a down tree, and I had to break a bunch of branches and crawl under it on some gravel that kept me from sinking into the mud.

Eventually I reached a spot where I could filter water. Still, it was very shallow. I have only drank about a half liter this morning, and had maybe a quarter liter left. I was hoping to make it into town, just hurry and get there. To be honest I was still feeling a bit out of it, a bit miserable from the cold although it was warming up a bit now. I just wasn’t feeling the same high I normally get when I walk into town.

As soon as I dropped my pack to filter that water, the urge hit me to take my morning shit that I skipped. I was hoping to make it into town. After taking a shit, Filter in a liter of water and eating a snack, I was feeling infinitely better.

Reese River Valley

The canyon opened up just a short ways after my break. Now, I had a great view of the Reese River Valley. And I began to feel that great feeling that I often get walking into town after completing a section. Still, I had a ways to go. Another hour plus of walking. I reflected on the true meaning of freedom. We talk a lot about freedom in America, but relatively few truly experience the freedom that one feels on a long adventure… no job, obligations or connections to the outside world. Simply wake up and experience whatever the day has in store for you. That is true freedom.

Hiking Reese River Valley

I really enjoyed the walk on the dirt road along the base of the mountains that butt up against the Reese River Valley. There were many mining claims here, past and present.

Stokes Castle

Inside Stokes Castle

After a couple miles of ups and downs, and more mining relics, I reached Stokes Castle. This is one of the most photographed landmarks in Nevada. It’s a three story medieval style castle, built in 1897 by a railroad Tycoon for his sons. It was fenced off, but there was a couple of holes in the fence. Of course, I went inside. Who can resist an abandoned castle?

It was a short walk down to Highway 50 from here. Loneliest Highway in America, my ass! I think that title goes to Highway 6, between Ely and Tonopah. Highway 50 was under construction, and the road that I walked out of the Hills took me right into town. Basically dumped me off into a gas station parking lot, with two cops parked talking to each other. The highway was down to one lane, with a construction worker car that would drive through the one lane with the traffic following. Nothing about this strikes me as lonely.

Cozy Mountain Motel was only a block away. Super convenient! As I was reading the sign on the front door, that had my name on it, the door opened. It was Cassidy, whom Sarah, the owner told me about. She is going to be hiking the Washington section of the PCT this August. Inside the extremely small Lobby, we chatted for quite a while. There were many rocks and minerals up on the windowsill, and quaintly decorated. I like this place already.

I’m my room, my two packages were waiting for me, with a personal note from Sarah. She had gone down to Vegas for a few days with her boyfriend, and would not be here. That was a great touch, and made me feel very special. The room was small but very nice. You could tell the walls used to be wood paneling, And they painted them white. The beds had upgraded Linens, same with the towels, and nice vanity in the bathroom. Nice little upgrades that make a big difference, certainly stands out from all the motels I’ve been in Nevada so far.

First things first, took a shower. The color of the tub hid most of color of the dirt I washed off, but of course I knew it was there. I opened my bounce box, started backing up my SD cards, and got wifi going on my phone. Called Dad, got caught up on things.

Cassidy’s shift at the motel ends at 4, and then she bartends at the owl Club down the street. It’s pizza night, so I’ll be there! I walked in just before 5pm, I was the only one there for a while. The first person to walk in the door with an older guy, with a Sonic the Hedgehog shirt on. He was the owner of the place, popping in to check on things. An Irishman, with a thick accent. Pretty comical guy, even if you couldn’t always understand him. The dynamic between Cassidy and him was funny.

The pizza was delicious. And they had Louisiana hot sauce too, which is my favorite on pizza. Almost nobody carries Louisiana hot sauce, so I liked this place based on that alone.

Other people began to trickle into the bar. First was the two surveyors that were also staying at the Cozy Mountain Motel. I saw them pull in as I was on the phone with Dad. They probably overheard me giving The Rundown on the last Section, but they asked what I was doing in town anyway. So I got to tell my story once again. One of the guys was from the Ruby mountains area, and had spent a lot of time in the mountains growing up. Nothing extended, But he was still pretty interested in what I was doing. We talked about rocks, Gold, mining.

Next, a couple of Road workers showed up. They have the reflective vests still on. They were doing shots of Fireball. I commented about how Fireball seems to be the most common liquor bottle found along side of the road, which got a few laughs.

At one point, the sheriff walked in. If there was ever a stereotypical small town sheriff, he looked exactly like what you would imagine. Big guy, probably 6’3″, late forties, khaki colored uniform, aviator sunglasses and a light colored cowboy hat. I’m not sure why exactly he walked in, Probably just out of boredom. He gave Cassidy a little bit of shit about burning some of the pizzas, crack some jokes and then walked out after about 10 minutes. As he was walking out the door, which stays wide open for all to see, a semi truck flew down the street at a speed far exceeding the 25 MPH limit. the sheriff’s reaction was priceless… he stood in this middle of the street with both hands on his hips and said something to the effect of, “boy, I know you didn’t just speed through my town”! After a moment, he ran into his police truck and began to chase after him. Not in my town, boy Classic!

I walked back to the motel just before 9 and continued backing up my SD cards throughout the night, anticipating a long process That I didn’t want to consume the entire next day. I’ll tell you what though, that bed felt amazing!

Day 30 – June 30th: Zero Day in Austin, NV

Chickens roaming the parking lot of the motel

On the chair outside my motel room, Cassidy had left me two breakfast burritos, AND a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce. So thoughtful! As I ate them on the motel porch outside my room, There were several chickens in the parking lot, and they were begging for my food. Sarah The owner keeps the chickens here, and has about 30 more across the street. They hang out in the parking lot pecking away At whatever they can find. They use them for eggs, and the plan is eventually to harvest the meat. Although Cassidy says Sarah probably won’t be able to go through with it, as all the chickens have names now. I had a few crumbs left on my plate, which I donated to the chickens. They eat bacon and even egg, apparently!

Most of the day was spent doing chores, mostly dealing with the Micro SD card backups. I started going through the video footage, because I couldn’t resist. Good stuff. But also, I wanted to make sure that all of the footage was indeed backed up on my WD Passport hard drive. Since I had no idea which cards were which, it was hard to verify that no data had been skipped. So I began to organize it all… created folders for each section, then moved all of the Footage Into the appropriate folder, verifying that no date had been skipped. When did the same with all of my Still photos. Then backed up my Garmin GPS. Then my cell phone. Then moved all of my Photos and everything else that was on my Phone’s SD card Over to a larger SD card. The 32 gig card with almost full, So 64 gigs should do it Until the end of the hike.

I guess it should come as no surprise, but on my zero days I find myself very tired. Not physically tired, but sleepy tired. I could barely keep my eyes open as I worked through my photos and videos. I spent pretty much all day on this.

Washed my clothes, and found the leak in my thermarest air mattress. I filled up the bathtub and dunked the air mattress. There was a pinhole leak on the bottom of the mattress, probably why it was so slow to leak… weight presses down on the hole, causing it to leak very slowly. I used my patch kit from my bounce box, so I still have the one I carry with me while hiking.

I had planned to go up to the Owl Club for dinner but just felt like staying in. Terminator was on TV, so that played in the background well I did other chores an updated my journal. I ended up going up to the gas station to pick up a chicken sandwich and a bag of chips. I had my neck gaiter on for a covid mask, and As I was walking out, the sheriff walked in. He made a joke with the guy behind the counter, asking if he was okay, if the place is being robbed. Kind of a ballsy move, but I used my hand to make a pretend gun and pointed it at the sheriff, which got a laugh from him. Man I love Austin.

I had planned on leaving tomorrow, to head to Eureka. However, it’s only 91 miles, I only need four days for that. I had originally told the Sundown Motel and Eureka that I would be there on July 6th. If I leave on July 1st I’ll get there the 4th, and I know there won’t be any hotel rooms because Eureka just a big July 4th event. So I called the Sundown motel and ask them if they have availability for the 5th, which they do. So now I plan on staying in Austin until the second, and arriving the fifth in Eureka. That makes sense.

Day 31 – July 1st: Zero Day in Austin, NV

When I woke up, I went outside and on the chair outside my room on the patio was another breakfast burrito plus the box I was expecting, containing my two new Anker battery packs. The one 20,000 mAh battery I am currently using is not enough to keep my electronics charged through a full section.

Today was mostly more town chores. It’s amazing how long this stuff takes. Charge the new battery packs (like 12 hours), clear micro SD cards, save Caltopo layers to cache, post office etc.

Sarah, the motel owner, returned from Vegas today, so I finally got to meet her. She had hiked the Washington section of the PCT and the El Camino Trail.

Went up to the owl Club for dinner with Sarah and Brandon, her boyfriend. Cassidy was cooking chicken wings this evening. Sarah suggested we go to Spencer Springs tonight, but I mentioned that I was hiking there tomorrow and camping there. So she said she would come by tomorrow night, and we can have a soak. Perfect!!

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Basin And Range Trail, Original Thru-Hiking Routes, Thru Hiking | Tags: basin and range trail, great basin hiking, great basin thru hike, long distance hiking routes, nevada hiking, nevada thru hike, new thru hike routes, off trail thru hike, thru hike creations, thru hike journal, thru hikes, thru hikes that aren't national scenic trails, thru hiking | Leave A Comment »

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike 2020 – Section 3: Tonopah to Carvers

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 3 Map

Video: Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 3 

In addition to this trail journal, I also filmed my Basin and Range Trail thru hike. I’ve produced a detailed documentary series (11+ hours runtime) documenting this thru hike adventure, the product over over 1,000 hours of video editing. I highly recommending watching the Basin and Range Trail vlog series for an in-depth look at thru-hiking the Great Basin and central Nevada. 

Basin and Range Trail Thru-Hike Section 3 Journal

Day 17 – June 17th: Big Sand Springs Valley

Slept into almost 9am this morning. It’s been great getting rest, but I’m getting antsy. First thing I did was check the tracking number for the shipment of SD cards I’m expecting today. When I went to bed, it was in Memphis Tennessee. Now, it’s in Las Vegas. That was as of 7 am. Prospects look good, I think I will get out of town today.

Very cold morning, wind was whipping 35 + miles an hour last night. Walked up to the Mizpah to get a couple of haunted muffins for breakfast. Last night, Jennifer at the front desk was telling me about some of the ghost encounters she had there, as the hotel is supposed to be very haunted. Apparently she saw two of the muffins move, literally switch place. Haunted muffins!

Went into the Western store to talk to Paul, the owner. I wanted to let him know that I’m expecting my package today and Didn’t want to come in last minute and say, hey I need a ride. He told me last minute was actually best, so I told him I’d come back in when I received the package.

My package arrived around 1pm. Next I ran up to the Western store. I’ll let Paul know that I’m ready for a ride anytime. He got on the horn and called up a woman named Patty, who was there within minutes. While waiting for her to arrive, I ran back to the hostel to finish packing up my stuff. I called Mickey at the jumping jack motel in Carvers to let her know my new ETA. Then I called Dad to update him on my ETA, and let him know I was expecting a package shipped to the house. As soon as that arrives, a new GoPro audio adapter Mount(which broke on the last section), throw it into my bounce box and send it to Austin.

Ran back up to the Western store, and on my way Tony saw me walking by and came out of the building he was working on to say goodbye. I thanked him for everything, the conversations and the Jewelers Loupe. Great guy. Goodbye friend.

I met Patty And we chatted about rocks and such for a few minutes before we jumped in the car and took off. After a quick stop at Burger King for lunch, we hit the road.

Patty was 50 something, and a bit of a Chatterbox. No problem, I like the conversation. We chatted about rocks, hunting, wild animals and such. The 80 Mile Drive went by pretty quick. I guess that’s because she was going 75 miles per hour, and Matt was going about 45 or 50 the whole way when I got my ride in from lunar crater. Of course, he had a homemade wooden camper thing bolted to the top of his Suburban, and he was likely worried it would get ripped off the roof. From the looks of it, I can understand why he drove so slowly.

Once we got to the spot on the road where my next section begins, she pulled over and turned the car off. We got outside and she began to show me some of the rocks she had collected, sitting in her back seat. And then, we started looking at the rocks alongside the road. Here, we both found a couple of pieces of petrified wood, and I found a piece of Wonder Stone. Pretty cool!

I asked Patty how much I owe her for the ride. She said nothing, but I insisted to at least pay for her gas. We said our goodbyes and just like that I was on my own again. It’s amazing the feeling you get when your ride drives away and it’s time to walk again. Like flipping a light switch, life changes from easy mode too hard mode.

Abandoned Highway in Big Sand Springs Valley

Sagebrush growing through blacktop highway

My task now is to hike off-trail across Big Sand Springs Valley over to the Hot Creek Range. I only took a few steps from Highway 6 before I saw a road running parallel to the highway. It was a black top Road, with Sagebrush growing in between it’s cracks. It’s funny, I thought of Highway 50, loneliest Highway in America. Surely this one is a bit lonelier. 

Hiking Big Sand Springs Valley, in between Lunar Crater and the Hot Creek Range

The terrain here was, you guessed it, Sagebrush covered basin. Just feet from the road, the interesting rocks fade away. Everything looks the same. The ground is mostly soft sand, with occasionally slightly harder packed ground. Morey Peak can be seen in the distance, the obvious high point. That’s where I’m going.

Hiking across Big Sand Springs Valley

Looking back at the hills I just hiked in Big Sand Springs Valley

The first hour and a half was rather boring. This should be expected as one leaves the highway. Then I approached a small set of Hills. I could walk around them or over them. I chose to walk over them, not over the highest point but one of the lower saddles. This was good enough to get a bit of an elevated view without needlessly expending too much effort. Of course there were cows in the area, and a few bulls.

Look at me, I’m a deer now

Coming down out of the Hills, I was looking ahead at the terrain. It looks very flat for a while, with no hills or rocks or anywhere to hide from the wind. While it wasn’t too windy, I really didn’t want to have the wind battering my tent all night. I could have stayed here in the Hills, but they didn’t provide much protection either. So I headed out into the open desert to get a few more miles in before sunset.

Eventually I found a small clearing in the Sagebrush, slightly higher than the surrounding Terrain. I decided that I would cowboy camp tonight. Less issues with wind, quicker to set up and I can see the Stars. I haven’t seen much in the way of bugs, and still no snakes or scorpions. I could tell it was going to be a cool night, which means they will not be out tonight. So a good night to lay on the ground!

Sunset over Morey Peak, Hot Creek Range, Nevada

I sent up camp in the shadows of Morey peak, with an awesome orange glow on the horizon.

Day 18 – June 18th: Big Sand Springs Valley, Morey Canyon, Hot Creek Range

Cowboy camping in Big Sand Springs Valley, view of Morey Peak and the Hot Creek Range

It was a calm night, and cold. Bright stars. It was 38 degrees when I woke up.

Hot Creek Range

Deep wash in Big Sand Springs Valley

Continued hiking cross country towards Morey Peak. Deep sand, pain in the ass but could be worse. I’m hiking closer to the base of the Hot Creek Range now, paralleling it, looking for my way up.

Hiking along the base of the Hot Creek Range

Found water along the road in 6 large plastic tubs. No spring or piped water, must have been dropped off by water truck. So this location is not reliable. Crossed the road and continued hiking cross-country.

I was shooting for a pipeline on the map, but it ended up being a dirt road. I followed this all the way to project faultless. Faultless was the site of an underground nuclear test in the 60s. A shaft was drilled 3300ft down and a nuclear device with a yield of 1 megaton was detonated here. Apparently the site is safe to visit.

Warning signs near Project Faultless

Project Faultless nuclear test site

When I approached project faultless I only saw three white markers, like an obelisk, with signs on them that said not to dig or excavator because the soil was petroleum soaked or something. I scanned the Horizon and about 100 yards away I saw the tube I was looking for.

A nuclear device with a yield of 1 megaton was detonated 3200ft underground here at Project Faultless

Project faultless doesn’t really have much do offer. However, it is a unique piece of American history, in that it is one of only two sites in the United States where a nuclear bomb was detonated underground. The other being project Shoal. Project adiago was about 2 miles away, they would have dropped another bomb there but there was too much seismic damage here from Faultless. I skipped that Adiago since it was out of the way.

The shaft that the nuke was dropped down into was originally flush with the surface, but after the explosion the ground in the area sank 9 feet. I thought this would be a good lunch spot, leaning against the exposed shaft in the shade.

The Hot Creek Range rises sharply above Big Sand Springs Valley

First trees in days as I enter the Hot Creek Range

Flowing creek in the Hot Creek Range, a surprise

After leaving the test site, I followed a road. This turned up a canyon, and quickly the road dissipated. Back to Bushwhacking. There was a small Creek that flowed alongside the road. This makes for thick vegetation. The road was intermittently decent. Eventually I crossed the stream and followed another road out of the wash. I believe there was a road running all the way up this Hillside above the wash this whole time. This would have been a better option. It was wide open and offered good views, and was not a bushwhack.

Entering Morey Canyon, Hot Creek Range

Green grass meadow in Morey Canyon

Stone foundation is all that remains of this old mining camp in Morey Canyon

Looking back down Morey Canyon to Big Sand Springs Valley

Next I entered Morey Canyon. There was a small Green Meadow here with a couple pools of water, but of course, lots of cow shit. Such a bad smell for a beautiful area. Uphill from here there was remnants of an old mining camp. Mostly just a stone Foundation.

Abandoned structures in Morey Canyon

Inside abandoned cabin in Morey Canyon, Hot Creek Range

Farther up the canyon I could see a few abandoned buildings, but they looked a bit newer and better condition. Sure enough, these were a bit more modern, one even had wallpaper and drywall inside. But, the roof was caved in and walls were buckling. That was the first house.

3 more abandoned buildings

Morey Canyon cabins

Old cabin in Morey Canyon

Across the road were three more abandoned structures. The first one had a door that was closed, and an exhaust pipe from a wood-burning stove protruding out of the wall. I opened this one and saw a chair facing me in the middle of the room, with two beds alongside the wall. A creepy vibe, but I quickly realized that this was a little cabin that was open to anyone who could reach it. Not unlike some of the cabins I saw on the CDT. Still, I wouldn’t stay in this one, it was pretty dirty. There was a dead mouse inside the wood-burning stove. Writing on the wall, and I recognized a couple names… Otteson. They own the turquoise mines in Tonopah. I utilized the chair and the shade to take a little break. This was nice, a bit of Comfort if you could call it that.

Hiking Morey Canyon

That’s a lot of trees

Hiking the Hot Creek Range

Next the road climbs out of Morey Canyon. The road here was surprisingly good. I saw another cabin or two on the way up. Good views as I gained elevation. Eventually the canyon reaches a high point, and then the road follows North Canyon. I found a spring here alongside the road that was not on the map. It was guarded by Thorn bushes, but I found way around. I stopped here and filtered some water. I discovered I have a leak in my platypus bag, where it folds on the bottom. I attempted to fix it by patching it with a piece of dyneema, which only slowed the leak. Still, this patch was good enough to last the rest of the hike.

Hiking higher up into the Hot Creek Range

Next the road becomes steep. And top of that, the crazy ants were back and wouldn’t leave me alone. So I kept moving, and tried not to stand in one place for more than a few seconds.

Old 4×4 road continues up North Canyon

North Canyon views

Looking down on the route I came up through North Canyon

When I reached the point where the road ends on the map, I was surprised to see it continue all the way up to a saddle. Great views on the way up of North Canyon and beyond.

Outstanding views in the Hot Creek Range

Morey Peak now visible in the distance (center)

Crest of the Hot Creek Range

Big views from the Hot Creek Range

Even better views from the top of the pass. Here, the road splits. I took the one that heads over towards 6 Mile Canyon. These roads were not on the map! I was really happy to have a road to follow, and even happier with the extremely beautiful views. Rolling Green Hills, rock spires and outcrops.

Sixmile Summit & Devil’s Cave Ridge

Cool knife edge rock formation begging to be climbed upon

Horse trail on Sixmile Summit

Eventually my road splits off, towards Morey Peak to the left and 6 Mile Canyon to the right. Even though I’m going left, I couldn’t resist going right, just to have a look. The road quickly turns into a trail, but again, not on the map. Most likely, horse trail. The Trail passes by a Rocky outcrop, a Jagged knife Edge covered with orange lichen. So of course I checked that out, climbing out on it and such. Then I went up over the little pass over Devils Cave ridge. Excellent views of 6 Mile Canyon. I would be happy to hike here, if I hadn’t already decided to bag Morey.

More cool rock formations along the crest

View of Devil’s Cave Ridge (right) as I hike the crest of the Hot Creek Range

Trail to Morey Peak on the crest of the Hot Creek Range

I made my way back down to the Road that heads towards Morey Peak. This too quickly turned into a hiking trail. I’m not sure how long this Trail will exist, but in the meantime I’m happy to have one. I took a break overlooking a canyon, ate dinner, and was happy to see the trail continue along the hillside to the next saddle.

The incredible Hot Creek Range

Hot Creek Range looking south towards Morey Peak

Made it to the next saddle and was then blown away by more excellent views of Nevada wilderness. The Fandango Wilderness and the monitor range in the distance, the Sun creating a hazy effect. Absolutely gorgeous. And the Trail persists!

Basin and Range topography

I’m looking for a campsite now, but being picky. I want a great view, I just don’t see a good clearing for my tent or to Cowboy camp. So I kept going.

Sun setting in the Hot Creek Range

The great views continued and I was moving rather slow. That’s okay, this has probably been my favorite part of this entire route so far. Even better than the views from the grant range. Ok, hard to compare, and why bother? Some great miles to be hiked here.

Looking east into Big Sand Springs Valley, Lunar Crater and the Pancake Range, and beyond

I went up many small Hills and each time I was disappointed to not find a campsite. So I continued on. The sun was setting soon, so I kept walking. I crested another saddle, this one had a flat spot that I could have camped on. But it was a bit plain looking. I so once again I kept going. On the other side of this saddle the Sun was no longer shining here. It was approaching 8pm when I finally I found a spot that I liked. A Little clearing in the Shadows of Morey Peak, highlighted by the last fading rays of sunlight. There was also an overlook of Big Sand Springs Valley, where I came from earlier this morning. A couple trees around, and did not feel too exposed. Good campsite.

The ‘ol Tarptent Notch Li, in the shadows of Morey Peak

I’ve had a lot of these moments on this route, where I thought I was going to get stuck with a crappy campsite but ended up with a really nice one. Unlike the CDT, where just about every night seemed like a subpar campsite.

Morey looks intimidating from here, and I’m unsure about my route down in to 6 Mile Canyon. It’s probably going to be another cold night, so I have my tent set up and a little extra clothes on.

Day 19 – June 19th: Hot Creek Range, Morey Peak, Sixmile Canyon, Fandango Wilderness

Morning in the Hot Creek Range

Slept pretty good last night. Got up at 6:15, when the sun hit my tent. Great views of Morey peak. Not as cold as I was expecting./

View north from the crest of the Hot Creek Range

Left camp and continued to follow the Trail towards Morey Peak. The trail is much more faint now, and fading quickly. There were really no big climbs, only small ones to little saddles and ridges. Each one provided an excellent view. Beautiful blue skies, no wind. Perfect day to Summit a peak.

Hiking the route up to Morey Peak

Bristlecone pine tree in Morey Peak Wilderness

The rest of the route was fairly easy. No real exposure, not too technical. A couple of spots with some loose rock and a few short sections of scrambling. A couple of bristlecone pine trees could be found on the saddle just below the summit. These impress me, their massive size and incredible age.

Final scramble to the summit of Morey Peak

After a couple of false Summits, the final Summit block of Morey Peak was in view. Like many of the cliff faces around here, it was covered in lichen. Orange and Neon green. This contrast always makes for a great photo.

Summit view (looking south) from Morey Peak, 10,246ft. Highest point of the Hot Creek Range, Nevada

Summit view (looking north) from Morey Peak, 10,246ft. Highest point of the Hot Creek Range, Nevada

A short scramble with minimal exposure brought me to the summit of Morey Peak, the high point of the Hot Creek Range at 10,246ft. Woohoo! Absolutely incredible view. I reckon a 125 to 150 mile View, based on the fact that I could see what I think was wheeler peak in Great Basin National Park. I had measured that at 100 air miles away from the ridge I walked along the grant range, and now I am a few ranges even further away. There were three usgs Summit markers but no Summit register. No summit register on the high point of an entire mountain range? Ok, Nevada. I guess with 310+ mountain ranges, not every range high point gets a register.

Hot Creek Range viewed from Morey Peak summit

Morey Peak summit view north

I spent about 30 minutes on the summit. With the effort it takes to get here, a break is well deserved. Again, absolutely incredible views. Surrounded by mountains as far as the eye could see. I could clearly make out the route I walked all the way from the Quinn Canyon range. I love the way the light Reflects off the dried Lake bed of lunar Lake. Morey Peak was one of my favorite summits along the Basin and Range Trail.

Looking back at Morey Peak

Now it was time to get down off Morey Peak and continue on my route. I think most people who climb this peak come in from Morey Canyon and then North Canyon like I did, then backtrack the way they came. In retrospect, that’s what I should have done too. Instead, I chose to go down a random Canyon. So I descended the summit, which was rather steep and loose, and headed for said Canyon, having picked the one that looked the least steep from my map.

This canyon is my route down. Wish me luck…

Looking back up the canyon, what I’ve hiked down so far

When I reached the top of the saddle where I would drop down into the canyon, I could tell it wasn’t going to be easy. It looked steep, but better than Willow Canyon, more wide open and less vegetation. Still, it was slow going. I was mostly following a dried Creek bed.

Looking up towards Morey Peak. It’s getting steep now

It was slow and tedious but I was making decent progress. That is, until I reached a point where I had to jump from one small Creek bed over a little hump into another small Creek bed. This is where it got really steep and even slower. There was more vegetation and awkwardly stacked boulders creating small but cumbersome obstacles.

Then I looked at my map and realize this was the point I needed to begin to Contour around the mountain side. Unfortunately, it was extremely thick vegetation. There were no game trails. Sometimes it would take a few minutes to go 10ft. When you look at it, it does not look humanly possible to Traverse it. Sometimes I was crawling on my hands and knees, but most times I simply had to break branches to clear a path in the direction I need to go. Another nightmare bushwhack, exactly what I was fearing.

The beautiful Hot Creek Range and Morey Peak Wilderness

Fortunately I only needed to go about a quarter mile. Still, this was extremely exhausting. I walked away with a couple of cuts on my legs and hands, the ones on my hands from breaking branches. A good set of gloves would have been really nice. Finally the trees thinned out and I made my way to the saddle I was aiming for. Climbed to the top of a High point and took a while deserved break. Ate lunch and fueled up for the next section. Great views looking back up at the Morey ridgeline. Truly outstanding views, actually! 

Looking down at the rest of the descent into Sixmile Canyon. I’ll take the ridge right/center

My original plan was to walk down the valley, but after this latest bush whack, I wanted nothing to do with it. Instead, I followed a Ridgeline above the Canyon. This had a decent game trail running across the top. At one point progress slowed because of a steep descent. I had to Contour around the hillside to meet up with another Ridgeline.

Looking back up at the Morey Peak ridgeline

I followed the Ridgeline all the way down in to 6 Mile Canyon. Before reaching the bottom, I could see a four-wheel drive Road running up the canyon that I Originally wanted to walk. You never really know if a 4×4 road on the map here in Nevada will actually exist on the ground. The road was only visible on the lower reaches of the canyon, plus it was a bit steep to get down to. Thus, I stayed on the Ridgeline the whole way.

Hot Creek Range from Sixmile Canyon

Down in 6 Mile Canyon, I found water almost immediately. There is a creek running downhill, and the road running through the canyon crosses it several times. However, there really weren’t any good collection points. It was shallow and it’s banks were covered with thick and thorny vegetation. I kept walking uphill towards 6 Mile Summit, hoping for a better spot to collect water from.

Vibrant wildflowers of Sixmile Canyon

There was a section with some beautiful blue wildflowers just completely covering the ground. Before the summit, I found the source of the spring. Probably best to collect from here since there was a lot of cow activity Downstream. Just like everywhere. Even here it was a bit difficult to collect water, but I made it work. It felt great to wash off a bit in the Stream after that horrendous Bushwhack!

Sixmile Canyon, view south

Walked up over Six Mile Summit and dropped into a new Valley. Not incredibly impressive, certainly a better view from above… This is the spot that impressed me last night, right before I began the walk along the Ridgeline to Morey. I had spent almost an entire day hiking a big semi-loop, just to bag Morey Peak, and have only made about a mile of forward progress along my route. Still, it was worth it. There were many green Meadows along the way as I made my way downhill. Also, many horses. Saw 7 or 8, including a pony, in the upper reaches. There were seeps and springs forming a couple of small creeks. Farther down, I saw another five or six horses. I even saw large clumps of horse hair on the ground.

Then I left the main road and headed up hill into an unnamed Canyon. This too was pretty green. The middle section of the climb was extremely Lush. A spring formed a small Creek, with lots of trees. Beautiful stands of Aspen. Again, the ants were quite a problem. I could not stand still without getting bombarded. So I made my way up hill quickly. When I emerged from the thick Lush area, above the spring, I saw another five or six horses. I scared them up over the pass that I was headed for.

Entering the Fandango Wilderness

Descending unnamed pass north of Mahogany Peak

The pass itself didn’t have much of a view. The view looking down into the canyon I was headed into was nice, but not blow you away nice. I followed a game trail downhill, probably built by horses. This Upper Canyon was Pleasant, a different vibe then some of the other mountains I had been too. Not too Jagged, kind of a Rolling Green look.

Small spring. Notice the horse in the distance

I followed a drainage down to the upper reaches of this Canyon. Here, a horse was getting a drink from a spring. A creek flowed through the canyon. Lots of water here, and all around this afternoon actually. The upper reaches of this Canyon was really nice, very green.

Big Cow Canyon, Fandango Wilderness

Now there was a 4×4 Road to follow. I enjoyed the walk downhill, as The sun was getting lower in the sky and the temperatures were pretty mild. A relaxing walk.

Distant view of Little Fish lake Valley and the Monitor Range from the Fandango Wilderness

Followed another dirt road out of Big cow Canyon, over to Little cow Canyon. I found a flowing Creek here. It was 7pm, so I stopped to fill up water and eat dinner. Filtered 6L. Chugged one with dinner and took 5 with me. I’ll chug another with breakfast, and that gives me 4 liters to make it out of little cow Canyon and across little Fish Creek Valley tomorrow.

Sunset in the Fandango Wilderness

I only walked another half mile before setting up camp. I found an interesting colored Sandy hill to setup on. It was now about 8:15, sun was going down. Feet were a bit tired today. Also, feeling like I’m a little short on food for this section.

Day 20 – June 20th: Little Cow Canyon, Little Fish Lake Valley, Clover Creek

Campsite in the Fandango Wilderness

Woke up around 6:30. Followed the road downhill until it disappeared. Then it was off Trail, following a creek bed. This Dry Creek bed hit a junction with another drainage, which did have water. Then I followed that Creek downhill.

Entering narrow box canyon in Little Cow Canyon, Fandango Wilderness

Small cave in Little Cow Canyon

I’m in Little cow Canyon now. Map shows a box Canyon for a short ways. I could see the entrance, some rocks and Cliffs, a small cave. It was really nice. There were a couple of pour offs, but in the 10 to 20 ft range and climbable. Not crazy thick with vegetation. Pretty enjoyable walk, actually.

Hiking Little Cow Canyon

After passing the narrow part, Little Cow Canyon opens up again. There were decent game trails to follow most of the way. None of this was very difficult. What a relief!

Looking north in Little Fish Lake Valley. Hot Creek Range on the right

The lower reaches of Little Cow Canyon where less impressive. When I finally exited the canyon and entered Little Fish Lake valley, it became obvious it was just one Branch of a large Network of alluvial fans. The road I had followed out of the canyon disappeared, and I was left on my own to hike cross country. I know there is a private ranch in the valley that I must walk around. Unfortunately, it runs North and South through the valley for quite a ways.

View across Little Fish Lake Valley to the Monitor Range

I walked across the ups and downs of the alluvial fans, staying near the trees as much as possible. Found a great place to take a break overlooking the whole valley. Couldn’t really see anything going on down there. Once again, I felt like the only one live, last one on Earth.

View east to the Hot Creek Range and Fandango Wilderness

Eventually I approach the ranch. I was on a pretty solid road, and I was hoping it would pass right through the ranch. Like an access point to public land. Fortunately, I hit a fence line. The road appeared to be only usable by the ranch, even though it was on public land. So now I had to decision to make… Hike north or south. Either way I have to walk around the ranch. It would have been a shorter hike to hike North, but it would have been out of the way. So I opted to hike South, the direction I need to go, and hope for a road that passes through the ranch, like one for public access to the hot Creek range and Fandangos.

Little Fish Lake Valley

The hike along the ranch sucked. Fence line as far as the eye could see. And to make matters worse, it was the finest possible type of sand. Not even sand, each foot step created the finest dust cloud imaginable. I later learned a better term for this type of soil poof dirt. Before long my shoes were full this fine powder. Every time I thought the fence line was going to end, it’s simply turned in a different direction. I followed the fence line for about an hour and a half.

I went up over a hill and saw that the fence line continued to the horizon, as far as I could see. Unfortunately, the road that I want to take into the monitor range was directly west of me right now. There’s no way I’m going to hike miles out of my way just to go around this stupid Ranch. The ranch itself, and all of the cow activity, was further north. With nothing in sight, and only about half mile to cross the open ranch land, I decided to hop the fence and go for it.

The first little ways, I was walking behind a bit of a hill, pretty much hidden and out of sight. The final 2/3 or so we’re a little bit more out in the open. However, there was a road that runs right towards the main road running perpendicular to it through the valley. The Sagebrush was tall, maybe about chest height. I walked very quickly and kind of hunched over a bit, hoping to stay hidden from site as much as possible. Realistically, I was pretty far south of anyone that could see me.

Hiking Little Fish Lake Valley

When I reached the main road running through the valley, there was no fence line like there was separating the public land side on the hot Creek range. I crossed the road and continued West along another road that leads into the monitor range along Clover Creek. Pass through a gate, should be on public land now.

Follow the road up ways, towards a spring I had marked on the map. There was a mother cow and calf on the road. The mother ran away, and the calf stayed. I continued my course, walking the road. All of the sudden, the calf started to charge me from about 100 yards away. It ran at me and only stopped 10ft away, as I was yelling at it and waving my arms. It was kind of weird, I’ve never had a cow charge me like that, especially not a calf. What’s gotten into that one?

Walked up to the spring, which was dry. Actually, there was more than just a spring here, there was an old cabin. It was more like a trailer. However, it had signs of recent use… The window was open, only guarded by a screen. The deck had been replaced at some point, and had newer screws in it. I could see through the window, and there were shelves that were stocked with a few items, a modern lighter sitting on the table, etc. I yelled, anyone home? No response. It looks like the type of cabin that’s open for anyone to use since it’s on public land. I tried to open the door, but it was blocked from the inside, I think something was sitting on the ground right behind the door. The door was basically falling apart as I tried to open it, so I’ll let it be. There was an old wooden outhouse stocked with toilet paper. Clearly people have been using this, like this year. There were also some recent tire tracks leading up to the place. Either way, not much for me here, especially if I cant get inside.

After leaving the cabin, I begin to feel a bit off. I was feeling really hot and really thirsty. I only had 1L water left, and not sure of my next water source. I was beginning to get a bit of a headache as well.

The lower reaches of Clover Creek canyon were a bit boring, not unlike many of the other ranges. The lower elevations of these mountain ranges are usually not super interesting. I passed one spring on my map that I had marked dry, and I found it dry. However, there was insanely thick Willow and Thorn bushes along the creek.

The next spring was a couple of miles away. Before I can reach it, I found a flowing Creek along the side of the road. I kept following it up stream until I found a good spot to take a break and filter from. I was really happy to have found water here, I wasn’t feeling my best. I took my shirt off and begin to splash water in my face arms and cool off. This alone felt amazing. Then I filtered a couple liters, chugged two. I left this spot with only one liter, once again rolling the dice that there would be more water Upstream. I never considered myself a gambling man until these last couple weeks.

First view of the Monitor Range high country from Clover Creek

Sure enough, there was plenty of water Upstream. There was a couple of times where it looked like the road was going to fade away, but it was only a short section with tall vegetation, and then the road continued on in good shape. Eventually the canyon opened up a bit and the High Country of the Monitor Range was now visible. The views were getting better and I was starting to get excited about what lies ahead.

Old farming equipment in Clover Creek Canyon

A very lush and green section of Clover Creek

The road eventually stops at a point where it crosses Clover creek. There were several nice campsite here, but not nice enough. Ha! I could tell I can afford to be picky here. There were some Jagged rock formations up ahead, this is what I was shooting for. A foot path continues on from here, through some very thick stands of Aspen, Willow, and Thorn bushes. Very thick! Good thing for this trail.

Made it into an open Meadow along Clover Creek that was quite Majestic. The centerpiece of the meadow featured a Jagged Sawtooth-looking rock formation. Behind that, Rolling Green Hills, with the sun behind them. Behind me, the way I came, was another large rock formation. Everything about this little Valley was breathtaking. Except, when you took a breath, it smelled like cow shit. Cow patties as far as the eye could see. I am beginning to notice a pattern of cows in the higher elevations of these Nevada Mountain ranges.

My Tarptent Notch Li in the Monitor Range

I had to clear several piles of cow shit to make room for my tent. The entire Valley was basically trampled, no green grass, just brown dirt. Only near the spring was there a small patch of grass. I set up near here. Excellent views.

Campsite in Clover Canyon

It was a real luxury to have a water source so close to camp. I was able to soak my feet and clean them properly, clean my socks and Gaiters. Filtered a couple liters and rehydrated. Big climb tomorrow up to the crest of the Monitor Range. The views are going to be awesome!

Day 21 – June 21st: Clover Creek, Monitor Range, Table Mountains Wilderness

A large animal was heard walking near my tent last night. My guess is, horse. I yelled a few times, then got my headlamp on and got out of the tent. Didn’t see anything.

Hiking upper Clover Creek Canyon

The first bit of hiking this morning was okay. Pretty much the same as always, Sagebrush, cow shit, some trees to dodge. Nothing too crazy, nothing too steep. That is, until it got steep. Its 2000 ft climb up to the top of the crest now.

My route up to the crest of the Monitor Range

View east down into Clover Creek, where I had come from. Hot Creek Range is in the distance

My GPS map had a trail marked, Clover Trail number 24052. How funny, you can count the number of trails in Nevada on one hand. They certainly don’t have 24 thousand. Either way, the trail did not exist. I followed its general route until I decided to leave it for a route my eyes saw as the way.

I encountered my first rattlesnake of this hike this morning. It was about 10 ft away under a Sagebrush. I was just shy of 10,000ft in elevation here, not exactly where I was expecting to see this snake, either. Got to keep an eye out now I guess!

Final route to the top of the Monitor Range. I’ll climb right of the cliffs, but a thicket of Aspens stand in the way

Just below the top, there were a few stands of Aspen to work through. Somewhat thick, and on a Steep slope. There were a few false Summits along the way to tease me, of course.

Crest of the Monitor Range, view east into Clover Creek, Little Fish Lake Valley and the Hot Creek Range

Finally, I climbed over the highest ledge and found myself on a massive flat plateau at 10k feet. I’m now on the crest of the Monitor Range, and have entered the Table Mountain Wilderness. Great View, and it felt great to be done with the big climb. Much more climbing to be done today though as I hike the crest of the Monitor Range north.

View north along the crest of the Monitor Range

View south along the crest of the Monitor Range

The first bit of walking was a long a Cliff with excellent views. Then the route veers away from the edge. Here it was a bit of a depression in the plateau, and it was filled with Sagebrush. Hard to believe this is 10,000ft. There were some rather large stands of Aspen on the plateau as well.

Old 4×4 road, view south into the Table Mountain Wilderness

Hiking the Table Mountain Wilderness

Found a very old and faded 4×4 Road, which today serves as the trail here. It was heading up Hill, the kind of ascent where you can’t see anything except the hill and the sky. Kind of reminded me of Colorado, the section in the San Juans with the Colorado Trail High Point.

First view west to the Toquima Range

Soon I would have my first views of the Toquima range to the west. A little snow on top, but not much.

Hiking the Monitor Range north through the Table Mountain Wilderness

View east across Little Fish Lake Valley and the Hot Creek Range

Table Mountain Wilderness view southeast

Then, awesome views! Here, there was an excellent vantage point over the route I had just came up, as well as back towards the Fandango Wilderness and the hot Creek range on the east side of Little Fish Lake Valley.

Ups and downs hiking the crest of the Monitor Range

Next was the first real high point at 10500 ft. I stopped here to check for cell phone service, but again, no. It was really windy now. Stopped here and ate lunch.

Hiking the crest of the Monitor Range

Views from the Monitor Range

The rest of the afternoon was an enjoyable walk along the ridge with similar views. The east side of the Monitor Range crest had the steepest drop offs, while the west side was rolling hills. Small patches of snow could be seen just below the crest in a few spots, but not many.

View from Danville Peak (10,888ft), highest point in the Monitor Range

Next I summiting Danville Mountain, the high point of the Monitor Range at 10,888ft. This wasn’t much of a summit, just barely higher than everything else. Still, a cool view over a steep, twisting ridgeline.

Time to drop down off the crest of the Monitor Range into North Fork mosquito Creek

Now its time to drop down into North Fork Mosquito Creek. I could see there was a lot of thick vegetation ahead and likely, bushwhacking. I opted to follow a Ridgeline down, hoping the south side of the Ridgeline has less vegetation then the north. I was correct, but there were still bushes to be whacked.

Hiking good “trail” through the aspens

My route took me straight into the thick aspens. Instead of continuing along my route, I noticed a game trail that seem to be skirting around the edge of the trees. Good call, game. This took me around the aspens and led me to a foot Trail. I followed this trail through the Aspen trees, bewildered that a trail on the map actually exist on the ground. A rare moment on the Basin and Range Trail.

Looking back at the route I cam down, through the aspen trees. I would not have thought that was a good route had I been hiking up.

Followed the trail to a spring. However, I missed my turn, I was supposed to cross the creek a little earlier. So I back tracked, assuming the creek would still be flowing when I crossed it. It took me awhile to find my way down to the creek and find this Trail, but when I did, the creek was dry. I could backtrack to where the spring was, but decided to roll the dice and walk another 2 miles to another spot where there could be water. Gamblin’ man, at it again.

The trail became faint pretty quickly after leaving the creek. Then it disappeared. I got off track a couple of times, but eventually made it to the next spring. This whole Creek bed was dry. However, I was on a good horse Trail now. I was also a bit off my route. I followed the horse trail a ways, and then decided to go further off my route to another spring a mile away. Along the way, I stopped to check my map. All of the sudden I heard something in the bushes behind me, maybe 15 ft away. It was two fawns, and their mother… They were bedding down and apparently I scared them. In the process they scared me pretty good!

Not long after, I was on my way to the spring when I saw a small buck in the wash. Cool. Not long after this, I found myself at the spring. There was water, but it was covered in clovers and green plants. So I followed it Downstream. Here, I saw a couple of big bull Elk drinking from the creek, just beyond a downed tree. There were four of them, and one had some pretty massive antlers. I watched them for a minute, before they got wind of me and ran away. Water is all mine now!

Sunset in the Monitor Range

Filtered four liters and ate dinner. Feeling much better now, I decided to keep walking. It was 7:30 now. I could have camped in this little Valley, there was a Green Meadow. But I was wanting to get back on my route. I hadn’t seen any campsites all day, and definitely not within the past 30 minutes before reaching the spring. Still, I rolled the dice and moved on.

The flattest, clearest place I can find. Still, not large enough for a tent, will have to make it work

I was feeling pretty good for the first hour. Sun low in the sky, some food and my belly and water and my stomach. It wasn’t long before the pack Trail on the map I was following disappeared. Now, I was on a sloping Hill, working my way around to another hill with a steep slope. My maps indicate a pack Trail here, so that’s what I’m heading for. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it when I got there. Sun is going down, and I have nowhere to camp. It was so thick here, nothing remotely clear or level. I ended up hiking back up to the crest of the Monitor Range again. Even here, I barely had a place to put my tent. I was forced to uproot a couple of sagebrushes in order to make room for my tent, and just barely. The sun had long set, but the alpenglow lingered over the hot Creek range in the distance.

Day 22 – June 22nd: North Fork Mosquito Creek, Monitor Valley, Pine Creek, Tqouima Range

Horse trail going over the crest of the Monitor Range, looking east. I placed my tent on top of this “trail” last night

Didn’t sleep as well as I had hoped last night. I woke up with a headache, neck tension. Feeling pretty rough honestly. Pretty whooped from yesterday. Not much wind last night which was good. Its always a gamble when camping up high on a ridge or saddle. Also, the sun was on me right away since I was pretty exposed up here.

Checked my maps in the tent this morning, trying to figure out the day. First plan is to look for the trail that I could not find last night. After leaving Camp, I followed a game Trail from the saddle down a hill. The game Trail faded quick. I put around the hillside looking for the trail on the map, but gave up. It was really Rocky and sometimes thick with trees.

I started hiking back towards the way I came last night. This meant contouring around a steep Hillside. There wasn’t any trail for this section either. My thinking was, head back until I found one of the trails I was walking last night. From there, I remember seeing a horse trail go over a hill and heading downhill towards the valley. This was an option. Also, mosquito Creek. It looked big enough to where there might be some sort of Trail, although none are marked on the map here.

I started walking towards the hillside that I would Contour around, and realized I needed to gain some elevation. I began to look around and noticed that the vegetation wasn’t insanely thick, it looks like there were narrow paths in between it. I started thinking about game trails, and how animals always seem to have the best route up and down things. So, I decided to just head down hill even though there was no Trail anywhere near here on the map. Technically, the trail I wanted to find last night and this morning was parallel in my path downhill, but on the other side of a ravine.

I worked my way down hill for a while, just weaving in and out of vegetation. Eventually I noticed my path was taking me towards a spring. When I reached the spring, I was surprised to see an actual Trail leading towards it, and away from it on the other side. I stopped to filter water here. I had to dig out a hole to dip my bottle into. Actually, the whole Creek was covered with a clover-like Vine or something. I cleared out the vegetation, then moved a few rocks, then dug out a small hole. Eventually I had a nice little pool to dip my water bottle into. I was pretty thirsty, feeling like I have been always running just a little on the dehydrated side.

Hiking lower North Fork mosquito Creek, view over Monitor Range to the Toquima Range

I was extremely relieved to be on an actual trail now. It had been maintained too, a wide path cut alongside it, branches cleared and everything. Nothing to do now but haul ass downhill. I had been worried about making it to Carvers at the end of tomorrow, and now this Trail gives me a sporting shot at it.

Water in Monitor Valley

Soon I was approaching the valley floor. The Toquima range loomed in the distance across Monitor Valley, with a few patches of snow along the crest. But my immediate surroundings were, you guessed it, Sagebrush. And some of it pretty tall too. I was surprised to see a flowing Creek flowing across the valley. It pooled up at a road Crossing. Almost wanted to jump in and wash off, but it wasn’t quite deep enough. Besides, I can do that when I finish crossing this Valley, at the Pine Creek Campground.

Hiking across Monitor Valley

The Toquima Range from Monitor Valley

Walking across monitor Valley wasn’t too bad. I had a nice road to follow most of the way. I passed one Ranch that looks abandoned, if it weren’t for all the cows. There was another one in the distance. I took a break under some sort of old wooden bridge. It was nice to get out of the sun, this was literally the only shade across the entire Valley. Today felt a little bit hotter than the last several days, but nothing unbearable by any means.

The campground was pretty nice. I was very impressed with the size of Pine Creek, definitely the biggest Creek on the route so far. Campsites along the river, picnic tables, Grill, toilets. The creek had a bunch of rocks built up in a way where there was a pool that one could swim in, or at least soak in. Very tempting!

Took a break here at the campground. Enjoyed a picnic table in the shade, filtered couple liters, and washed up in the creek. The creek was very cold but felt amazing. I took off my shirt and washed it, and boy did it need it. I was tired of smelling myself. Rinsed my face and hair, armpits. Cleaned my socks. Soak my feet and clean them, which really needed it. They were extremely dirty from yesterday and I had no way to clean them last night other than using my precious water.

Entering the Toquima Range Canyon via Pine Creek

Entering the Alta Toquima Wilderness

I left the campground feeling great. There was an actual Trail leaving here, and I could tell I was going to like it. Well maintained, and really nice views of steep Canyon walls. The trail followed the creek, so the vegetation was always green and jungle-like.

Pine Creek, Alta Toquima Wilderness

Soon enough I was crossing the creek. The first of at least 20 stream Crossings today. Along the creek, the vegetation was really thick, but again the trail was well maintained. All of the crossings had either rocks to hop across or some downed logs to step on.

Hiking Pine Creek

Jaggedrock formations along the canyon walls above Pine Creek

Views along the trail in Pine Creek Canyon

Really enjoyed the first few miles. In fact this was some of my favorite moments of the route so far. At one point the trail emerges into a bit of a clearing, which provided excellent views of the extremely Jagged Cliffs. It was at this point I realized I was supposed to make a turn for the North Fork Pine Creek Trail. However, I didn’t see any other trails to take. I end up back tracking a ways to see if I missed the trail back there. Couldn’t find it, so I headed back to the opening with the Jagged Cliffs. I started looking around and walking in the direction I thought it would be. I did see what I think was the trail, but it was extremely overgrown. I’d rather stick with the good Trail that I was following. This was a shorter route, as it eliminates a lot of the High Ridgeline walking. I wanted to walk the longer Ridgeline route, but I would probably not make it to Carvers tomorrow night if I do so. Ill still bag Mount Jefferson south Summit, highest in the range, so I’m good with the shorter route up Pine Creek..

Following the hiking trail uphill into the Toquima Range

Pine creek continues to flow as I hike uphill

So now I’m following the South Fork Trail. The trail emerges from the creek for a while, providing open views. Not quite as spectacular as the area with Confluence of North and South Fork trails. I thought the trail would stay out in the open for a while, but it dips back down towards the creek again, many more times. However, much of this section was on steeper slopes with lots of Aspen trees. Very pretty looking.

Making progress up Pine Creek now

Small cascades along Pine Creek

I stopped for a break at a small Cascade along the creek. Filtered 2L water. Chugged one, even though I had drank plenty of water today i still felt thirsty. Climbing up mountains is hard work! I’ve climbed 2000ft since I left the campground, and still have another 2000 to go to get to the Crest, the Ridgeline below the summit of Mount Jefferson. This was my goal now, to get up there so I could say I have walked a r2r. Normally this reference is a rim to rim hike in the Grand Canyon, but to me it has a new meaning… Range to Range. I woke on the crest of the monitor range, and I had a solid shot of going to bed on the crest of the Toquima range. 

After refueling with food and water, I was ready to tackle the second half of the climb. From here it was steeper, about 1000ft of vertical elevation gain per mile. It’s always a bit harder after a break, but soon enough you get back into the rhythm.

Approaching the upper basin of Pine Creek

After a few sections of Aspen trees and Bouldery trail, I emerged into a grassy clearing alongside the creek. What do you know, cow shit.

Eventually I reached the upper basin, the Cirque below the Ridgeline. This head strong Colorado vibes. Rolling Green grass with a couple of boulders here and there. A spring feeding the creek.. even this had cow shit.

Campsite in the upper basin of Pine Creek, just below the crest of the Toquima Range

Filtered 2L. The sun was going down quickly. I was planning on trying to make it to the top of the Ridgeline tonight, for my r2r. However, the logical side of me said to camp here. Realistically, it’s going to be Boulder-y and windy up top. So I decided to camp here in the Cirque, at 11000 ft. This is only 400 ft below Ridgeline. I had plenty of time to do it, but didn’t want to deal with the potential lack of campsites. Still, this could be considered an r2r. I felt good about it at least.

Campsite was a bit slanted but was in a great position to accept the morning sunrise tomorrow. The sunset was really nice, lots of strong pink colors.

Day 23 – June 23rd: Toquima Range, Mt Jefferson South Summit, Jefferson Canyon, Big Smoky Valley

Slept okay last night. Slanted campsite didn’t help. Woke up at 6:15 with the sun on my tent, just as I planned. This really was a pretty good campsite other than the slant. I used the remaining juice in my backup battery to charge my phone and a GoPro battery overnight. When I woke this morning, I had 80% on my phone, and 95% on the GoPro battery. That is better than I was expecting!

Because I had 80% on my phone, I could now play some music today. I took the opportunity to jam a few tunes while I got ready this morning. I left camp pumped and ready to go. I need the motivation, because the town of Carvers is a good 25 miles away, and I’d really like to reach it tonight.

Final climb to the top of the Toquimas

It was a pretty short climb up to the Ridgeline after leaving camp. However, there was a lot more climbing to go. The terrain was flat and small rolling sections, a lot like Shale mountain in the Wind River range. Barren, Rocky, and not really what you expect to see on the crest of any mountain range. Just brought back strong memories of Day 10 in the Winds on my 2018 CDT thru hike. How could I ever forget that day!

Hiking the crest of the Toquima Range

View from the crest of the Toquima Range over Big Smoky Valley. Toiyabe Range in the distance

Toquima Range ridgeline, view north. It would be an easy walk coming in from the north along the Toquima High Route Alternate route

There wasn’t much of a trail anymore, you pretty much just pick your line to the top. Great views at the top of the Ridgeline, but I still had a ways to go to the summit of Mt Jefferson. It was pretty Rocky, lots of Talus and small boulders. No real risk of of major rock slides, but certainly a high potential for a leg slipping in between two boulders and snapping in half. For some reason this has always been a fear for me in Boulder fields. Certainly a worst-case scenario type thing, but you can see how it could happen.

The route to Mt Jefferson South Summit

Looking down Pine Creek, the route I hiked up yesterday

There were several false Summits along the way, but good views none-the-less. There’s always another summit to, uh, summit. The side of the mountain facing Carvers was a sheer cliff in most places, with lots of colorful lichen. So it was pretty scenic in that sense, a great backdrop. I was beginning to realize just how many Bugs there were up here. There were an insane amount of flies and gnats.

Mt Jefferson South Summit (11,941ft), highest point in the Toquima Range. View north

Mt Jefferson South Summit view south

Eventually the summit was in sight. There were a couple of large sticks and poles protruding into the air to mark it. Here it is, Mt Jefferson South Summit, 11,941ft, highest point of the Toquima Range. Woohoo! So now I’ve bagged 3 high points of 3 different mountain ranges in 5 days. This was a cool feat that really made this section of the Basin and Range Trail a great one.

However, the summit of Mt Jefferson looked pretty flat. I could see what I thought were a couple of shelters. Instead, they were small structures that housed Communications equipment. The first one looked like an ice Shanty that had been patched together with solder. This one was unlocked, so of course I opened it. When I did, about a hundred flies flew out, and it was empty inside. I kind of laughed about that one.

Close by there was another structure, this one much newer and locked. Clearly, this one replaced the older ghetto looking one with a bunch of flies in it. There were a couple of solar panels, and the large poles I saw from afar had something to do with the communications equipment. So really, nothing too interesting for the hiker.

The summit views weren’t the greatest. The views were better from the Ridgeline on the way up. At least there, one overlooks sheer cliffs over Big Smoky Valley rather than a broad, flat top. Well there were good views Of course, being the highest point around, this was far from my favorite Peak. I took some pictures and Begin The Descent. The bugs were too bothersome to want to stay here very long.

View south over the Toquima Range as I descend from Mt Jefferson south summit

Ridgeline descent down from the summit

Descending Mt Jefferson South Summit

The Descent down the Ridgeline looked interesting at first. And exposed, almost knife edge like. While the Ridgeline looked appealing, and I did walk it for a bit, I noticed a bit of a path running below the top. This made more sense, and of course was safer. But this turned into a Traverse over Boulder fields, and was a bit tedious in its own way.

Eventually the route goes around the boulders and gives a good view of the Ridgeline all the way down to Jefferson summit… The name given to the pass below at around 8700ft. This is the lowest spot on the Ridgeline for me, where I would then drop down into Jefferson canyon which takes me to Carvers. A little higher up the Ridgeline than Jefferson summit, I could see a white truck parked. I assumed he was camping, but you never really know what people are doing. It’s a bit of a curiosity thing.

Looking back up at the route down the south slopes of Mt Jefferson

View south on the hike down from Mt Jefferson

View east from the ridgeline

I really enjoyed the walk down this Ridgeline. Absolutely amazing views. Beautiful green hills, ridges and peaks surrounded me, and with the luxury of heading downhill, these were Some of my favorite moments of the entire section. I’ve been saying that frequently now some of my favorite moments. That’s how you know this was a good section!

This being the final day of this section, knowing I would most likely get to town tonight, I slipped into my favorite mindset of hiking. It’s hard to describe. Reflecting on the section, insightful thoughts, inspired and perhaps the most uplifting mood one can experience ever in life. Basically, a high that rivals any drug on earth. Extremely difficult to describe, indeed.

The trail down from Mt Jefferson

While walking the Ridgeline down, I was pondering difference between a hobby and a passion. I concluded that emotion was the key difference. I like to fish, but it doesn’t give me a high like one gets after completing an ambitious hiking route. Fishing is relaxing, but it lacks the extreme satisfaction of completing a long, arduous journey. In fact, I’m not sure what else compares to a challenging wilderness journey. It’s almost in a league of its own. I laugh when people say, isn’t hiking just walking? I suppose in it’s simplest form, yes. Walking through unknown terrain, where you do not know if you will be able to make it down the mountain without getting cliffed out, if you can make it through that box Canyon without reaching an unclimbable pour off, without getting Rimrocked, when or where your next water will be, surprise animal encounters, near death experiences on steep slopes, bushwhacking through thickets that no other human has bothered to, discovering hidden caves and mines, and all the other trials and Triumphs of the unknown. Sure, it’s just waking.

When I reached the high point above the white truck that was parked along the Ridgeline, I could see a man doing something with his door open. I could see his truck for miles, I assumed he could see me as I approached. Especially now, I figured he would have seen me. I was only 30 or 40ft from his truck when I said hello, and I scared him. This is somewhat typical, I can see the vehicle from afar but most people don’t notice a hiker approaching, we blend in to the terrain a lot better than a vehicle reflecting in the sun.

His name is Alex, he hunts for antler sheds. He had a big horn sheep head and I think a whole body lying in the back of his truck. He had pulled it off of the west side of Mt Jefferson. I was surprised to learn the value of some of these antlers. Apparently, $15 a pound for basic deer antlers. And once they get larger, they branch off in unique ways and become much more valuable. Of course, Bighorn sheep horns are a different thing. He was very interested in my journey, quite impressed with the places I had traversed. We chatted for a while about The Adventure, the mountain ranges I passed through, animals, rocks and Indian artifacts discovered. He offered to give me a ride into Belmont, but of course I declined. I didn’t think there was anything in Belmont other than a hotel where you can only stay if you do work to fix it up. At least, that was from my research for my 2021 hike. Besides, Belmont is in the opposite direction of Carvers.

Hiking to Jefferson Summit. The pass, not an actual summit

It was almost noon when I parted ways with Alex. I had a long way to go to get into town from here, and was beginning to worry how late I would get there. Still, I was feeling great. Downright amazing, actually. The Ridgeline continued to impress with its beauty. The look back at Mt Jefferson was more impressive as I made distance from it, while the mountains to the south beyond Jefferson summit started to show their true character as I drew closer. For the first time on this hike, there were big puffy white clouds in the sky, providing a beautiful contrast for photos while also creating an amazing play of light on the mountains. I’ll admit, I was mesmerized. To further enhance my high, I put on some music. A Couple of the right songs took me to a place I cannot describe. I could feel the most intense energy coursing through my veins, in awe of where I was, what I have done and what I am doing.

And just then, I slipped on some loose Gravel on the dirt road and fell, my right hand taking the brunt of the fall. My hand was bleeding a little, so I wrapped it with my snot rag. This did absolutely nothing to kill my mood. In fact, a little bit of adrenaline only enhanced it. I walked on feeling like I was on top of the world. I felt unstoppable, invincible even! What a feeling it is to stop and realize that you are in the middle of the greatest adventure of your life. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you need to check your pulse. 

Hiking Jefferson Canyon out of the Toquima Range

At Jefferson summit, I took the road down into Jefferson canyon. I was amazed that anyone could, or would bother to, drive this road up here. The road was extremely rough, the middle portion of it had been washed out and was 3 feet deep. Great views though, some outcrops of Jagged rocks protruding from the otherwise green and grassy Hill sides. I say grassy, although in reality, most of the green that makes up the mountains is actually Sagebrush. Ha.

Before long I crossed the first flowing water in Jefferson Creek. It was just a trickle here, but would continue to get bigger as I went downhill. The upper reaches of Jefferson Canyon were pleasant. As I dropped in elevation, I could feel the temperature rising. This of course, comes along with the time of day, with the late afternoon being the hottest. The middle portion of the canyon was perhaps the least interesting. Exposed, warm, Rocky Road. The valley floor still looked a long ways away.

Many portions of the road along the creek were very thick with vegetation. In fact, the road would not be seen from satellite or above. The Willow grew in a rhododendron tunnel-like fashion, pretty neat actually.

The first stone building in the upper Jefferson townsite

It’s much cooler inside this crumbling old building from the late 1800s

Eventually I reached an abandoned Stone House, part of the old Jefferson town site. Jefferson had a population of several hundred people back in the late 1800s, when this area was booming with mining activity. The Jefferson town site consists of an upper and lower part of town. This stone house was the first building in the upper part of town, and marked the beginning of a large area of mining ruins. I took a break here, utilizing the shade of the building. It was largely intact, at least compared to the other buildings downhill. One couldn’t help but appreciate the stone architecture, and the fact that this building is still standing after about 140 years. Right across the road from this Stone House was Jefferson creek. I filtered 2 liters, while putting my existing 2 one litter water bottles in the creek to cool them off. Nothing worse than drinking warm water, especially in the Heat of the day.

Tailings from old mining townsite of Jefferson, Nevada

Lower section of the Jefferson townsite, or “ghost town”

It was about 3pm now when I left the stone house. Downhill from here, it was like walking through time. All around where old minds, tailings from the mines, structures that supported the mining operations, and many many Stone homes just like the one I took a break in, except in much worse condition. I passed at least 30 Stone structures, and that’s just the ones that I saw or noticed. There were likely many more here, either hidden from view or completely destroyed. Many of these homes had Stone fireplaces built-in, and still intact.

While walking the Road, I heard some commotion in the thick vegetation along for Creek. Something big was back there, and moving. I laughed when a couple of cows Darted out from the bushes and into the road, running downhill and away from me. It’s a Stampede of beef! The best kind of stampede. Man I want a big, juicy burger right now.

For the next several miles, I continued to drive the cows downhill. It’s always a bit funny to me how they were completely fine in the thick brush, but yet when they run away, it seems the only option their tiny cow brains can conceive is to stay on the road.

Ruins from the lower section of Jefferson. The stone work of these buildings were much nice than the ones in the upper townsite

The mining ruins continued, although much more spread out now. There were a couple of mines along the road but their entrances were blocked off. Some Hill sides showed the effects of upheaval, geology in action. There were portions of rock that were completely twisted, most notably, one that was Twisted in a half-circle shape. Just imagine the forces that created rock like that.

Lower Jefferson Canyon views as I hike out of the Toquima Range

The canyon was opening up now, and soon I got my first sight of the round Mountain gold mine. This is one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world (supposedly). It was very warm now. When I crossed Jefferson creek for the last time, I made sure to dunk my hat and sun flap in the water, as well as splash water on my head and neck to cool off.

Round Mountain Gold Mine

As the road exits Jefferson canyon, it parallels the round Mountain gold mine. Then, the road I was walking hit a barbed wire fence. On the other side of the fence was a road that exits the mine and runs across the valley, parallel to the Toquima range. This road wasn’t on my map. I had not anticipated this in my planning. Clearly, this road had recently been constructed. This isn’t the kind of place I want to jump the fence and just start walking through.

Crossing under the road to the Round Mountain Gold Mine in a culvert

I contemplated what to do for a bit and ultimately started walking the fence line away from the mine. After a couple hundred yards, I found a culvert that runs under the road. The fence line runs right to each side of the Culvert, but not across it. I dropped my pack and walked through the culvert under the road, which was a hundred feet long or so. On the other side, it was the same thing, the fence line runs to the opening of the Culvert but not across it. Therefore, I am good to go in terms of walking through the culvert and continuing on the other side. So that’s what I did, went for the light at the end of the tunnel. The places I find myself!

Old truck in the middle of Big Smoky Valley

Now on the other side of the road to the gold mine, it was a hike across open desert in Big Smoky Valley. At least until I figured out there was a road. However, it was a 4×4 Road, with deep sand. It really wasn’t any better than just walking through the desert, except it there was no Sagebrush on the road. Plus, the road seem to disappear intermittently. Welcome to Nevada.

View across Big Smoky Valley back towards the Toquima Range and Mt Jefferson

Dark clouds began to build all around me, especially behind me over Mount Jefferson, and towards the Toiyabe range. It was nice that it was cooler now, but the threat of rain lingered. Alongside the road, while it still existed, was a very old truck that was just sitting there in the desert. It have been mostly stripped and was just a frame at this point. Still, a pretty neat little prop for a photo.

The Toiyabe Range stands tall on the horizon as I approach the small community of Carvers

Eventually I hit a better Road, and stopped to empty the sand out of my shoes. Time for the last few miles into town along a network of random dirt roads.

I reached Highway 376, a paved Road. From here it was a road walk all the way to the motel. I was expecting it to be about 1 to 2 miles, but it was more like 4. I passed the Shoshone Market, really the only convenience store in town. I was going to stop here for some food to eat tonight, but figured the motel was just a little further and would stop there first. The spot I had marked on the map for the motel was wrong. The spot I had marked was for an RV/mobile home park, and the motel was even farther down the road.

I was really tired and ready for the motel. My feet were pretty sore now, specifically my right foot which is been giving me slight problems over the last few days. I have a blister on the ball of my foot that is about the size of a quarter that had popped. Dirt was getting trapped inside the flap of skin, and soreness was pretty much constant in that spot.

The jumping jack motel ended up being on the extreme north end of town. I guess that’ll save a bit of walking when I start the next section. Once I reached the Motel, I realized just how tired I was. Feet were sore and just feeling overall worn out. Checked in with Mickey, who runs the place. My resupply box was sitting right there in the office. She had said that the hotel owner was very weary of it, thinking it was somehow a scam or someone sending drugs with the mail. She reassured him I was legit, as I had called several times to keep them posted on the ETA of the package and and my arrival.

Mickey and I chatted for a while about the surrounding area, the mountains, and of course, my hike. I mentioned that I was hungry I’m looking for a place to get food tonight. There’s a bar and grill next door, but it’s closed on Monday and Tuesday, today being one of those days. Mickey offered to give me a ride up to the Shoshone Market, about 2 miles back. I was planning on just walking over to the market after checking in, but this will save me some time and save the wear and tear on my weary body. They have a deli inside, and they also serve burgers! So of course, I asked what their biggest burger was which was a double, and I asked for a triple. I got it to go, along with a couple other items to get me through breakfast in the morning.

After eating and showering, I was pretty much physically incapacitated. My feet sore, even my quads were sore, which is extremely rare for me. Only once on the CDT can I remember having sore quads. Also, I was laying in bed for 20 minutes writing in my journal and when I tried to get up, I couldn’t. Like I threw out my back. It was so painful, I didn’t think I was going to be able to get out of bed at all. After a couple of minutes, I forced myself to get up, needing to get the charging cable for my phone. I forced myself to walk across the room, trembling the whole way. It was a bit frightening to be honest, to go from seemingly completely fine to on the verge of being crippled in 20 minutes. I’ve often felt pretty good walking into town, but as soon as I reach the safety of a hotel, will get extremely tired. But nothing like this. It always amazes me how the body seems to know that it’s over, it’s safe now, you can relax. The amazing thing is, if I had a few more days of hiking ahead of me, this never would have happened. The body just knows. Truly amazing, really.

I took two Ibuprofen and Made my way back to the bed. I passed out a little after 9 pm. So thankful for the ride up to the market, I don’t know if I would have been physically able to walk up there and back. It was either that or go to bed hungry!

Day 24 – June 24th: Zero Day in Carvers, NV

I got about 11 hours of sleep last night. For the first couple hours, it was a mix of hot and cold sweats. I was able to turn over in the bed at least without any pain.

Spent the day charging my devices, updating my journal, making phone calls and making purchases online. That is when I had Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi I only worked between 11 and 1 p.m. Then worked fine after about 4pm.

Still feeling tired and worn out. I hope I am in good enough shape to continue on the next section tomorrow.

Ate at the Carvers Cafe next door. I believe Mickey’s brother owned it. Demolished the 1 lb double bacon cheeseburger and fries. Got a grilled cheese and chicken strips to go, this will be breakfast in the morning since there is nowhere else to go.

The winds where howling tonight, easily 45 MPH or more, and some really nasty looking clouds lingering over the Toiyabes. Will I be ready tomorrow?

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Basin And Range Trail, Original Thru-Hiking Routes, Thru Hiking | Tags: basin and range trail, great basin hiking, great basin thru hike, long distance hiking routes, nevada hiking, nevada thru hike, new thru hike routes, off trail thru hike, thru hike creations, thru hike journal, thru hikes, thru hikes that aren't national scenic trails, thru hiking | Leave A Comment »

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike 2020 – Section 2: Preston to Tonopah

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 2 Map

Video: Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 2 

In addition to this trail journal, I also filmed my Basin and Range Trail thru hike. I’ve produced a detailed documentary series (11+ hours runtime) documenting this thru hike adventure, the product of over 1,000 hours of video editing. I highly recommending watching the Basin and Range Trail vlog series for an in-depth look at thru-hiking the Great Basin and central Nevada. 

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 2 Journal

Day 8 – June 8th: White River Valley, Hot Creek Spring

I am fortunate that I didn’t have to hitch back down to the Sunnyside area along HWY 318 where I left off, since Henry from the motel had offered to give me a ride down there this morning. Henry knocked on the door around 8 and we were off.

The bad weather that was lingering over the weekend had mostly moved out, but had left behind some cold temperatures. The overnight low in Ely was 24, and the high temperature today is only predicted to be 56. The Utah news station said this was the lowest daytime high temperature for this date, ever. Today maybe the only day I wear my long pants. I’m a shorts guy myself.

Crossing White River Valley, view west to the Grant Range

It’s an 11 Mile Road walk to Hot Spring Creek from here. Not very exciting. Many cars drove past, and a couple of them stopped to ask if I was okay. I told them about my hike and watched their eyes get big. The reactions people give when I tell them I’m walking 1000 miles through the state is priceless.

I past David Deacon Campground, which had a couple campers there. Shortly thereafter I found Hot Creek Spring. I had to step over barbed wire fences and walked along the fence line all the way to the parking area.

Hot Creek Spring, White River Valley

Wow! Really, wow!! This water was crystal clear and had a deep blue tint to it. The banks were developed, lined with large Boulders. I stripped down to my underwear and jumped in. Literally jumped in, Cannonball Style. The water temperature was so much warmer than the air and it felt great, despite water temps only in the low 80s. It’s a warm spring, not a hot spring. Good enough for me!

This warm spring is roughly 85 degrees. Great place for a swim!

I swam for a while, and two dirt bikers showed up. We said our hellos, they gave the water a brief look and moved on. Then I tested the waterproof feature of the GoPro 8. To be honest I was quite worried, but it held up under water without a leak.

As soon as I was done swimming, I changed out of my wet boxers, thankful no one else was around. The low temperatures and blowing wind made it really cold. As I was leaving, a Nevada Department of Wildlife employee showed up. He asked where I was camping tonight, and I proceeded to tell him about my hike. He thought I was nuts! Just like everyone else, but in a good way, I think. He was about my age, Brady was his name. He asked if I was filming the hike and I told him my plans to do so. I also asked him if he would like to say a few words for my movie project, but he declined. He mentioned a mountain lion and Cubs in the grant range, where I am heading next.

Feeling refreshed, I hit the road again. Walked past a large ranch, Moon Ranch I believe. From here, the traffic stopped. Not a single car. It would be a long time before I see anyone else again. It was a long straight away, with some large power lines crossing the road at one point. I stopped in the shade of a large water tank, with a dry trough. Still feeling pretty good, I ate a quick snack. Not too dehydrated or anything, despite only drinking one liter so far today other than the water I chugged before I left the hotel.

View of the Grant Range and Troy Peak from White River Valley

I reached Forest home spring around 5 pm. There was a small homestead here that seemed to control the water source, making it off limits for me. It’s too bad because this is a critical water source for me, perhaps the last before I enter the Grant Range and walk its crest. I wish I had done my research a little better on this one, because I still believe there to be water a ways west of here, it looks promising on the satellite. It is the spring that feeds this homestead, so it must have water. Unfortunately, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, I chose to abandon my plan to go up to Timber Mountain and begin my ridge walk north of Troy Peak. I was really looking forward to this, but at the time, based on the research I did, I made the best decisions I could.

The plan now is to follow a different dirt road up a different Valley towards teaspoon spring and Wiregrass spring, both of which appeared on a big brown sign leaving the main road. However, I did not see any signs of water on satellite. Still, I have no choice. I dipped down into the Valley below the road to check for water in the wash, hoping for a damp spot along a shaded bend in the wash as it had recently rained. No luck, everything bone dry.

View from foothills of the Grant Range, looking east across White River Valley towards the Egan Range

Walked the road a little while longer and found a camp spot a few feet off the road. Decent view actually, overlooking the little Valley below the road. I’m feeling thirsty now, with only one liter left to get me through dinner and breakfast, as well as reach the next water source. Pretty tired now that I have stopped. GPS is still not accurate, saying I hiked over 30 miles today when I did about 23-25 if I had to guess.

Wind dies down at sunset every night, thankfully. Snacked lightly for dinner and drank half a liter. Getting nervous about tomorrow. If I can be honest, this entire section has me nervous. This whole route has me nervous! Maybe everyone is right, maybe I am nuts. But no doubt is it exciting.

Day 9 – June 9th: Garden Valley, Scofield Canyon, Grant Range

Campsite in the foothills of the Grant Range

Slept pretty good last night. Sipped on a few ounces of water and left camp with half a liter. Spent a good half-hour looking at my map, planning out the day.

Hiking the lower elevations of the Grant Range

New plan. Skip teaspoon spring and Wiregrass spring, skip Troy Peak. Bummer, I know. Seems like I have to skip a lot of things. But logistically, I would have to fill up water at one of the Springs, backtrack to get back to Timber Mountain, and have a minimum of two full days without another water source. Plus the elevation gained and off Trail hiking.

New plan is to hit a guzzler on the way to Scofield Canyon, then hike up Scofield Canyon. Camp near the top, next day walk the Ridgeline and exit to the guzzler on the Railroad Valley side.

It was a nice hike this morning. The 4×4 Road wandered through some short pine trees. I love the smell of the pine trees and Sage brush. I found horse spring and filtered a liter and a half. It took 30 to 40 minutes to collect that water from the dripping pipe. I would have dipped into the trough, but there was a dead bird with maggots on it in the water. I also saw a puddle in the fenced-in area, but would rather collect from the pipe. I would have collected more water but it was so slow. I only drink about 1.75L yesterday after leaving the motel, so I really needed to spend some time at a water source cameling up.

Hiking along the base of the Grant Range over to Scofield Canyon

I started following a dirt road in the direction of Scofield Canyon. However, there was a split in the road that I didn’t see and I started viewing off on a different Road. I cross country hiked through some low scrub to find the dirt road. However, this road had not been used in a long time. It was intermittent at best. So basically, I continued to hike off Trail. I thought about the threat of rattlesnakes in the tall grass and piles of wood, but have yet to see one.

Hiking a dirt road through Garden Valley

Hiking along the base of the Grant Range through Garden valley

Finally, I reached a more legitimate road. While hiking towards the guzzler I saw something not far off the road. I decided to check it out. I’m glad I did because it was a trough overflowing with water. This water source was not marked on the map at all. Great flow coming out of the pipe feeding the trough. I stayed here for a while, filtering water and eating lunch. I filtered 9 liters total, two liters to chug, and 7 to take with me. My capacity is 6 L but I also filled my dirty water bottle, which I can filter later on. I enjoyed massive views of Garden Valley to the east. This too looked desolate, yet alluring.

Overflowing water trough in Garden Valley

While sitting down and filtering water, I saw a herd of wild horses approaching from the distance. They got within 30 yards, and stopped. I was down wind, they could likely smell me, in addition to seeing my movements as I filtered water. There were about 8 horses, including a young one. Eventually I stopped trying to hide or limit my movements and the horses backed off. You could tell they wanted this water, they just hung out in the distance staring at me.

The terrain now was pretty wide open. Fields of golden grass right up to the Piedmont. Troy Peak along with the rest of the high grant range became more impressive the closer I got to them. I followed a faint 4×4 Road at times, other times I just hiked cross country. At one point, the old 4×4 Road reached a deep ditch. It was too deep and narrow to drive across, yet the road continued on the other side. What do people do, jump it?

Old 4×4 road leading into Scofield Canyon. This soon becomes washed out, and hasn’t been used in years

Eventually I reached the road leading into Scofield Canyon. I was relieved to have a good road to follow for a while. With seven liters of water and 6 days of food left, my pack was the heaviest of the trip so far.

View east over Garden Valley and the Egan Range

For much of the hike through Scofield Canyon, the road was intermittent. Eventually, this road ended. Here, I was standing 100 ft above the wash below, and Cliffed out. I walked along the cliffs for a while and found a weakness. I made my way down to the wash and continued on.

Looking up into Scofield Canyon and the Grant Range

Hiking through lower Scofield Canyon

From here on out, the road was Hit or Miss. And when it was not there, it was gnarly! Seriously rough, and made me question whether or not it was actually “the way”. The middle part of the canyon was probably the worst. At one point I followed a wash that was 7 ft deep and 3 feet wide at the top, but shaped like a V. 

Eventually, I reached a point where I saw the road again. I was actually surprised, but extremely relieved. And when I say I saw the road, I mean I saw the remnants of it. It was overgrown, clearly had not been used in a long time. At some point, the road had gotten washed out in decades past, and after this no vehicles have ever been able to get through it.

Hiking the wash through Scofield Canyon

Farther up the canyon, I walked through miles of old forest fire burn area. The burn area continued all the way to the upper reaches of Scofield canyon. The route continued to challenge me. I was seriously sweating with my heavy pack, but at the same time, feeling pretty good all things considered.

Small cave in Scofield Canyon

I reached my first good size cave just a little ways above the wash. This looks like a great place for a break. Here, I could see lots of evidence of birds or bats nesting inside, with some sort of brown droppings piling up on the Ledges. It would ooze down the walls, forming a cone where it lands. On the ground there were many animal bones, and a few mountain lion turds. I also found a piece of obsidian, it looked like it had been worked into a cutting tool. This was the first piece of obsidian I had seen on this hike. There aren’t any occurrences of obsidian in the Grant Range, but several a few mountain ranges away.

Hiking up Scofield Canyon. The canyon walls are taller now and more impressive

I continued up the canyon and came across some piles of old rusty metal, remnants of either an old mining operation or maybe just a homestead. Metal mattress frame with Springs, old barrels, etc.

Cave entrance

Large cave in Scofield Canyon, Grant Range, Nevada

Farther up the canyon, at the point on the map where the four-wheel drive Road splits left and right, just on the right side of the fork, I saw huge cave. I was already working my way down the left side when I looked back and saw it. Not all that far from my destination this evening, I decided to walk over there and check out the cave. This one was like the other, with lots of bird or bat droppings on the walls and Ledges, but the biggest I’d seen yet. I climbed up to the highest and deepest point in the cave and was rewarded with a beautiful view looking out at sheer cliffs on the other side of the canyon. At the bottom of the cave there were more bones and mountain lion turds, even a deer or elk leg with hoof. Clearly the mountain lions use these caves, although none of these signs looked recent. Recall though, how the NDOW officer I spoke with yesterday near Hot Creek Spring mentioned the mountain lion activity in the Grant Range. He wasn’t “lion”. Ha!

Making progress into Scofield Canyon

Following the left fork of the 4×4 road now, I saw a badger bumbling around the edge of the wash. I tried to get a little closer, although not too close, but I spooked him. Seconds later, I saw an elk. A female or younger male. The canyon walls were extremely impressive now, pretty much sheer rock faces just towering above the canyon floor.

Upper Scofield Canyon

Upper Scofield Canyon, below the crest of the Grant Range

Near the very upper reaches of Scofield Canyon I saw several more elk. 5 at one time, four of them were big males with huge antlers. It was now time to look for a campsite, but nothing was looking flat or very appealing in the bottom reaches of the Canyon. I worked my way up and Hillside, expecting a flat spot on the top. However, it was never flat, it just kept continuing up at an unacceptable angle. I had hoped to camp up here because of the amazing 360 view. Instead, I dropped down off of this Ridge into a wash and up the ridge that I will ultimately take tomorrow. Here I had the same issue, no flat ground. It was very Rocky and not steep, but not an angle at which you would pitch your tent.

Upper Scofield Canyon view

Eventually I settled on a spot high up the ridge under a tree. This was the flattest spot I had seen, although still not flat. I spent some time digging out rocks from the ground and using my foot to try and carve out a flat spot in the dirt. Eventually I created a campsite that was acceptable for my standards. Yes, I have standards, especially when quality sleep is at stake. And the view from this spot was actually pretty damn great! Tower and Cliffs above me, hemmed in by a little cirque. This will do!

When I took my shoes off this evening, I was surprised to see a hole in my sock, above the pinky toe. I have never had a hole in Darn Tough socks in this location. The Nevada terrain is rough on the shoes, that’s for sure.

Even with the hard work of Bushwhacking for what seemed like more than half of the day, I felt pretty good. I set up camp and ate dinner, which was no problem tonight. Good to have an appetite again. I enjoyed an excellent view of the mountains while I ate.

Campsite in Upper Scofield Canyon

Man, what a day. I can’t remember the last time I experienced so much adventure. This is what I came out here for. I’m finally feeling good and strong, and was really happy to have experienced all that I did today.

Day 10 – June 10th

The Sun was shining on me around 5:30 am. Minutes before 6, a loud explosion could be heard. I have no idea where it came from, but the echo through the canyon was incredible. There are no mining operations nearby that I know of, unless it was a private prospector or something. I was pretty stumped on what could have caused it.

Morning in upper Scofield Canyon

The view I woke up to was spectacular. I felt really good this morning. Really good, at peace with the world. All of the sudden I had a really peculiar feeling overcome me; the thought I might die today. I don’t know why, it doesn’t really make any sense. Sure I had an ambitious Ridge walk planned, but none of it looked particularly gnarly. Still somehow I was at peace with world. Odd start to the morning for sure.

Hiking out of Scofield Canyon

Burn area in Scofield Canyon

Leaving Camp, I immediately begin ascending up to 3000 ft. There was no Trail, and it was steep. I had 4L of water on me I, and still weighed down with 5 plus days of food. Burnt trees are everywhere still, some of them rather large. The slope was such that I could only walk about 30 seconds before getting super winded and tired.

Crest of the Grant Range, looking east over Garden Valley

I battled my way up Hill for about 2 hours before I reached the crest of the grant range. Right before I reached the crest, I saw two bull Elk. I Contoured around the summit of the 11000 plus foot Peak I was aiming for. I stopped to take a break as soon as I reach the crest. It was cold when the wind blows.

Hiking the crest of the Grant Range, south of Troy Peak

View of the Quinn Canyon Range from the crest of the Grant Range

View east from the crest of the Grant Range

Now I’m following the Ridgeline, Crest of the grant range. It’s fairly wooded at times, a variety of pine trees. It’s also pretty Rocky. The terrain was not too difficult, but there were a lot of ups and downs. All around me where burnt trees, in Rimrock Canyon and beyond. Even still, it was pretty nice. I wondered what it all would have looked like as a sea of green.

Grant Range ridgewalk

Pretty easy hike here

Hiking the crest of the Grant Range

The first mile or two of the ridgewalk along the crest of the Grant Range was the easiest. Besides some occasional trees and rocks for obstacles, it was not too steep and really just a nice walk.

Terrain becoming more challenging along the crest

By midday, the hike was getting pretty hard. Peak 10396 proved to be much more difficult than it looks like on the map. This was typical of everything along this Ridgeline. Very steep terrain with loose rock made for a challenging Traverse up and around this peak. Scrambling was involved at times, and the rock was horrible. Even larger boulders that looked solid would just crumble away in your hands. It was very sketchy at times, one must be careful of each foot hold. Loose, Sliding rock. But eventually I made it. Looking down, I don’t know how. I’m glad I was going up, because if I was going down I would have looked for another way!

Hiking the jagged ridgeline of the Grant Range

Other sections of the crest proved difficult. There was one section where there were a couple of spires protruding into the sky, but with a window in between them. Nearby was a singular vertical shaft of Rock, Rising maybe 30 ft above everything else. Sticking up on its own. Impressive, for sure, but certainly imposing up close. Once I got right up on it, a route became obvious. Most of the routes through this type of Terrain involved scrambling and climbing over downed trees.

View of Railroad Valley to the west from the crest of the Grant Range

Grant Range ridgeline, and the Quinn Canyon Range in the distance, to the right/top of the photo

Next was Bordoli Peak. When I approach this, it looked impossible. Sheer Cliffs, maybe 40 ft above the ground I was standing on. Certainly it would have been possible to climb up, with the right skills, but with a pack it wouldn’t be my first choice. Eventually I discovered a game trail that skirts the side of the peak. Within 15 minutes I was around it, looking back at a wall of rock. Game trails are great.

Awesome cliffs along the crest of the Grant Range

View east over Basin and Range National Monument and the Golden Gate Range from the crest of the Grant Range

A “window” view from the Grant Range own into Basin and Range National Monument

Next was peak 10292. Again, I took a game trail that followed a lower route Around the peak. However, when I reached the South side, I was blown away. Best views of the day for sure. And the whole trip so far. At first, two large vertical Cliffs on each side with a window in between offered an impressive View. As I continued along the crest, I walked the edge of sheer Cliffs. Favorite moment of the hike so far. The views of Garden Valley, Golden Gate range, White Pine Valley and the Egans Beyond were absolutely stunning. Again it made me wonder why nobody comes out here. Is the terrain too difficult? Lack of water? Lack of access? Is it just Troy Peak that gets all the attention? Do people even know it exists?

One of my favorite views from the crest of the Grant Range. Hiking south, towards the Quinn Canyon Range

Panorama view from the crest of the Grant Range, looking northeast

Grant Range views

I took my time walking this section of the Ridgeline. In fact, I couldn’t leave, every few steps offered a new and interesting perspective. Then I noticed the bristlecone pine trees. These are the oldest living trees on Earth! They can reach ages of 4000 years or more. In fact, the oldest living tree ever discovered on Earth was 4900 years old, in Great Basin National Park.

I worked my way around one last Peak, 10147. Again I followed a game Trail. At times these were steep, and it was a real pain to always be sliding in One Direction with my right foot. This was definitely aggravating my blisters now. Eventually the game Trail led me to a bit of a saddle, where I had planned an emergency campsite based on satellite views. This would have certainly worked out; it was flat, mostly clear, and actually a pretty decent spot. In fact, there were a couple places along the crest where one could have camped. It was now about 3:30 and I decided to make the push down hill so I could hit the next water source tonight, hopefully.

Quinn Canyon Range, viewed from the Grant Range

Eventually I came to the point along the ridge where I had planned to drop down. The first bit was actually fairly easy and straightforward. The terrain wasn’t too steep nor was it too thick with vegetation. As I progressed down, there were patches of mahogany trees, occasionally thicker.

The route down from the Grant Range, Railroad Valley in the distance

The farther down I went, the harder it was. Towards the middle, there were more Ledges, although small. These were somewhat easy to work around, but did require a little bit of route finding.

Below Benchmark 8625 is where things got interesting. And when I say interesting, I mean quite frightening. The Topo maps don’t show anything of real significance here. The Contour lines and slope angle shading on CalTopo did not reflect the dangers that existed in real life. I was getting Cliffed out rather often. Some of these drop offs appeared to be more than 40 ft to me, and should have been reflected on the topo maps. Others were certainly below the 40 ft threshold, easily hiding within the Contour lines.

After getting cliffed out, I was working my way around the hillside looking for a way down. The slope was improving and I could see a potential way down. Then I stepped on a boulder, maybe 3 ft by 3 ft, and the boulder gave way. One leg ended up being in front of the boulder and the other behind it. The boulder was essentially pushing me down hill now as it slid straight towards a cliff, only about 10 ft away. I was able to get my leading leg out of the boulders way and it came to a stop right at the edge of the cliff. Had the boulder been any larger and heavier, I don’t know that I would have been able to get my leg out of the way. Both legs suffered some damage, pretty much just a scrape on the back of the right leg, and a nice big cut on my left shin.

Shaken up, I took a break right then and there. I used an alcohol pad to try and clean the cut on my left shin, which now had blood dripping into my socks. It wasn’t a terrible wound or anything, but certainly a reminder of how close I came to being shoved off that cliff. The cliff itself was maybe 20 ft, not an instant death drop by any means but even a drop of 20 ft has the potential to seriously injure or kill if I had fallen on my head or neck, or if the boulder followed me off the cliff landed on me, or if a rock slide ensued, etc. Sure I am carrying a satellite communication device, but in a fall like that, it could easily get smashed and be rendered useless.

I sat down for about 10 or 15 minutes to collect my composure before continuing on. From here on out, I was operating on pure adrenaline for the rest of the day. The rest of the day was extremely difficult and painful at times, nevertheless I felt very lucky to be continuing on with only a flesh wound. I found a route down a Series of Ledges and eventually reached a more favorable slope angle.

Slow going in this thick, narrow canyon

Eventually I reached a point where I left the Ridgeline and dropped down into a Canyon. It was a small narrow Canyon choked with vegetation. The farther I went down stream, the more difficult it became. There weren’t a whole lot of options to get down off the rest of the grant range, this was the shortest of the two. The other one certainly would have had its own set of challenges as well.

At the bottom of this Canyon, the vegetation was unavoidably thick. A variety of vegetation exists here, from pine trees and grasses to Thorn bushes and Cactus. There was no choice but to push through the vegetation, no matter what kind. I got pretty scratched up, and frequently I had Thorn bushes scraping away at my existing wounds. As a progressed, I cared less and less about the vegetation. I forced my way through it without even trying to avoid pain. Many of these trees had dead limbs, and I would just walk through them like they weren’t there. My main concern was my eyes, but with sunglasses on I had the proper protection. Otherwise I didn’t care anymore.

The walls of the canyon began to narrow as I progressed further down. My maps indicate potential for a box Canyon, with sheer cliffs on both sides. I was unsure if it was even possible to make it through this Canyon, as the possibility of an unclimbable pour off was on my mind. Topo maps can easily hide such things, a lesson I have learned many times in the past and as recently as an hour ago. Still, I’m here and must get out of this Canyon.

At one point the walls narrowed to about 5 ft wide. Of course thick vegetation was growing here, so I waded between trees on one side and a sheer rock face on the other. Then I reached the pour off. I was relieved to see that it was only about 8 ft. At the top was a plant that had grown in between the cracks of the rock, and was obscuring my ability to negotiate this climb. I grabbed it and ripped it out, chucked it out of my way. This opened up more possibilities for foot holds and allowed the down climb to become more obvious. In the end, I wedged myself in between the rock and shimmied my way down, with my pack on. It was at this point I remembered that I probably should have brought a small length of 550 cord or something for just this kind of thing.

I made it down into another narrow passage way filled with vegetation. Beyond this, I could see what looked like another potential pour off. I was relieved to see that was not the case when I got closer. Still, the thick vegetation remained, and I continued to fight my way down the Canyon.

The canyon walls were impressive, despite the nightmare of my reality. At one point I saw a cave opening about 60 ft above the canyon floor. I wondered how far back it went, but it would have been really steep to climb up to it.

Exiting the canyon, looking back up into the Grant Range

Quinn Canyon Range in the distance

Shortly after the pour off, the canyon began to open up a little bit. It was slow, but eventually it widened. Now I am walking on talus, with only the occasional tree. I turned around and looked back at the opening of the canyon. I breathed a sigh of relief Knowing I had made it to “safety” tonight. I let out a loud victory scream before dropping to my knees and letting this joyous victory moment soak in.

Railroad Valley at sunset

I was now only one mile from my intended water source, but this too was all off Trail. I followed a contour line around the hillside which led into blind Canyon. No such name was marked on the map, but I learned this later on when I reached my water source. The contouring part was actually pretty easy. Soft ground, trees were not too close together. It was amazing to walk such easy ground.

Blind Canyon, Grant Range, Nevada

When I reached blind Canyon, I was blown away by its beauty. I could tell from the topo map that it was going to be impressive, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Absolutely massive and sheer cliffs surrounding this Canyon. I’ve been a lot of places and I can’t think of another Canyon that compares.

The walk through Blind canyon was not easy either. Lots of foot sized rocks in a wash, with a series of ups and downs over ridges, Hills and gullies, with a bunch of Sagebrush and Thorn bushes mixed in. It was almost 8 pm now, so I was trying to move as fast as I can in order to beat the approaching darkness. I reached the end of the canyon and discovered a series of narrow chutes and pour offs. I have no doubt somebody could climb it, but it wasn’t going to be me. I had expected my water source, a guzzler, to be here. However, no water and no guzzler.

Big Game Guzzler in Blind Canyon

I turned back around and began searching parallel to the route I walked in, and moments later discovered the guzzler. It was a flying saucer looking object just through the trees. I walked around the saucer and saw an opening. There was plenty of water, so I dropped my pack and promptly began filtering water. I dipped my dirty bottle in, trying to push all of the dead bugs aside, and pulled it out to discover only a slight green tint. Good enough for me, my Sawyer filter will take care of the rest. I immediately chugged the first liter I filtered. I needed this. I only had a few ounces of water left now and was quite thirsty after the such a strenuous day in the mountains.

Then I filtered 5L to take with me. The sun set while I was filtering, so I moved fast. I took out my headlamp in case I needed it. I walked back out of the Canyon as fast as I could, jogging at times with limited light. When I got a ways out of the canyon, I was still not seeing any good spots to set up camp. Just a rocky wash with a lot of vegetation. So, I left the wash and went back up the hill side that I had Contoured around. Sure enough, up the first little Hill was a nice flat spot with pretty soft ground. This will do!

I’ve realized my campsite selection was not as flat as I was hoping for, pretty much like every night. Fortunately, with the ground a soft as it was, I had no problem using my foot to remove some Earth from the high side and ended up making a pretty nice flat spot for the floor of my tent. I set up by headlamp, with the last remaining raise of light fading away as I finished.

I cleaned up my wounds a bit and applied some iodine. I hadn’t eaten since lunch, maybe 12:30. Okay I had one granola bar at 3 pm. Still, not enough to keep me going. I had mentioned adrenaline, which has now faded away and replaced with proper hunger. I snacked on some random items, anything salty tasted great.

Today was one of the most difficult days of hiking I’ve ever experienced. I’m not sure I even covered 10 miles. I feel lucky to be alive and well, to have made it to a proper camp and to have the opportunity to do it all over again tomorrow. My body feels surprisingly well for the extremes I asked of it today. I definitely lost some muscle today, I did not eat enough for sure and I could smell that horrible smell that comes when muscle is converted into energy as the body’s last resort.

Day 11 – June 11th: Quinn Canyon Range, Cherry Creek

Didn’t sleep that great last night. It was a warm night, too warm for my 40F quilt but too cold to go without it. I was extremely sore and tired this morning, but I didn’t feel that way at all last night. It must have been the adrenaline. Woke up at 7 am., about an hour after I have been getting up the rest of this trip. This was mostly due to the Sun needing to rise over the Cliffs that made up blind Canyon. This works out for me though, I could really use the extra sleep this morning.

Campsite near Blind Canyon, Grant Range, Nevada

Just an all-around excellent view from Camp this morning with blind Canyon behind. The views from the west side of the Grant Range are very impressive; here, the slopes are steeper and provide a much more dramatic backdrop compared to the east side. 

Walking fenceline on the west side of the Grant Range

Railroad Valley, with the Pancake Range in the distance

After leaving Camp, I had to cover some cross-country ground again, backtracking the way I came last night. Eventually I hit a fence line with a bit of a clearing alongside it, so I followed that for a while. This took me to a wash with an old 4×4 Road, so I followed that downhill ways until I hit the main road that cuts through the Grant and Quinn Canyon Wilderness, separating the two.

The road walk up to The Summit was not that interesting. In fact it was extremely boring. However, it was a great mental break from all of the ridiculous stuff I was doing the day before. Plus, I could finally cover some miles. One can not fully appreciate the convenience of a trail or road until you have gone some time without one.

Entering the Quinn Canyon Range

On the other side of the summit, the walk became more interesting. Better views of the mountains and more interesting rocks. Lots of different colored rocks from green red orange and yellow, but nothing special. The type that has some sort of Micah or muscavite that glistens in the sun, tricking you to bend down and pick it up, when in fact it’s worthless.

When I reached the road for the Cherry Creek Campground, a stream was flowing alongside it. This is a great sign. I thought for sure there would be people camping in the campground, and I had hopes of someone running a generator so that I could charge my backup battery pack. However, the campground was empty.

While I didn’t Explore More, it seems like the campground consists of just one campsite, a picnic table fire ring and Creek side access, all with a less than ideal slanted ground. The campground was riddled with bullet shells, and someone even pounded them into the picnic table. How clever.

I took my time here at the campground, utilizing the picnic table which is actually quite the luxury for a hiker. I also utilize the stream to rinse out my dirty clothes, and let them dry out in the sun while I filtered a couple liters of cold water. No sense on stocking up, I know the creek will be flowing a ways up the canyon. I saw several trout in the creek here and Upstream from the campground.

Lush vegetation of Cherry Creek

This marks a bit of a milestone in this hike, the first foot Trail along the Route. It starts right here at the campground. Maybe 50 ft after leaving the campground, I could tell this was going to be a lot of work. Several large down trees over the trail, and it was overgrown. However, it was extremely impressive! The creek was flowing and lined with very Lush green vegetation, almost jungle-like. All of this was hemmed in by vertical Cliffs, the likes of which I haven’t seen yet in Nevada. Red Rock, rounded, similar to what I would expect in Utah. Overall, I compare this Creek to something in New Mexico, perhaps a less maintained quasi-Gila River experience, on a much smaller scale.

Cool canyon along Cherry Creek

The first section right out of the campground was through a bit of a box Canyon. This is why It was so Lush and jungle-y. My progress was slow here, frequently turning around and looking up with great Grandeur. The trail winds back-and-forth, following both sides of the creek. I crossed the creek about 15 times. Sometimes there were logs and sometimes there were rocks, but I managed to keep my feet dry.

A nice green meadow, with a lot of cow activity

Cherry Creek flowing

Before long, Cherry Creek Canyon opened up. Even though the canyon was wider and one was not forced to stay by the creek, the going was still tough. The Trail was intermittent, and passed through a lot of thick brush. Sagebrush mostly, as well as thorn bushes and the occasional odd ball plant. And now, signs of cows. Cow patties and prints, turning a nice creek into a muddy wasteland. It stinks like cows. Damn cows ruin everything they touch. Still, it was a pretty Canyon.

Rock formations along Creek Creek

Eventually the creek went dry, so I backtracked a bit to the point where the water began to flow from a spring. I drew 6 liters from here, not really knowing where my next water source was going to be. After following Cherry Creek to its upper reaches, I will have two options: go over a pass to Cooper Canyon or Willow Canyon. I still have not decided which I want to do.

Hiking through Cherry Creek Canyon

After filtering my water, the hiking got even tougher. Even thicker brush. I suppose I could have put on my pant legs, but every time I do so I end up getting a heat rash or something on my legs. Plus it’s just downright hot to wear them. So, I made my way through the brush in shorts, subjecting my already wounded Shins to an onslaught of brush. Nothing like thorn bushes scratching yesterday’s wounds.

Upper Cherry Creek

I barreled through the brush for hours, thinking about how this is prime rattlesnake country. I have yet to see one. I did see a couple of cows eventually, including a bull only about 30 ft away. He did not see me, and that’s probably for the best. It’s much more rare to see bulls free roaming.

Now in the upper reaches of Cherry Creek Canyon, it was decision time. I had already been leaning towards the route that would take me over to Willow Creek Canyon, so I started heading up that way. I was looking for a campsite now, but there was nothing good. There was one or two spots that could have worked, but they were not good campsites. I kept heading up hill.

I found another spot that could have worked, but again it was pretty sub par, more of an absolute last resort. The drainage I was following up to the pass or saddle to Willow Creek was now getting narrow and was subjected to all of the same thick brush and blow downs as the rest of the canyon. Only here, it was harder to navigate around and avoid. I did not have any good options now. I could go back down and take a crappy campsite, or I could continue to head up the drainage and see if the trees clear out.

Next I thought, maybe I can camp on the saddle. I was only about 200 ft below the saddle now, but some of the hardest terrain lies ahead. It was a gamble to try and make it up there. The saddle is only so big, what if there is nowhere to camp? What if it’s too rocky, too many trees, or all cliffs?

I need to climb these cliffs to reach the saddle, and gain the ridgeline

Just below the saddle there were 30 ft rock walls blocking the way. From Below they looked impenetrable. I was getting nervous. I made my way to the base of the cliffs and a route became obvious. It was not going to be easy, but it was better than a vertical rock climb.

I began to work my way up a small chute. At first it was manageable. Then, it got really steep. I was on all fours now, using feet and hands to climb. It was a combination of loose soil and loose rocks. I took my time to find solid hand holds and continued the climb. This was the type of climb that you go up and not down. I can’t imagine down climbing this one. 6L of water on my back didn’t help either.

Sunset over the Quinn Canyon Range, from my campsite on the saddle

Eventually I made it past the Steep section and I could see the remaining route to the saddle. Once at the top, I was relieved to see a few relatively flat spots with decent ground, small rocks that could be moved aside. I was also rewarded with an excellent view of mountains on the Willow Creek side. Impressive, reminded me of the Egans.

I don’t know what the criteria is for saying no man has ever been here before. Do they mean this Valley? This saddle? This quarter mile radius, this 10ft radius? I don’t know the answer, but I felt like there was a good chance nobody climbed up the canyon and the chute that I did to reach this saddle. Of course, some miner in the 1800s probably made his way up here, and undoubtedly, indigenous peoples of the past have done so as well. But that’s the beauty of places like this. You can still feel like you are the first to step foot somewhere, even if that’s not actually the case. Either way, I ended this day again with an incredible feeling of adventure. It’s hard to describe really, the feeling you get from reaching hard to get places.

Campsite in the Quinn Canyon Range

I can’t think of a better feeling than a long, hard day of hiking coming to a close. Where you finally are able to lay down on your air mattress knowing you won’t have to sit back up again until the morning. What an incredible relief. The winds are not incredibly strong up here on this saddle, but gusting strong enough to raise anxiety. The winds generally die down at night here in Nevada, so I’m banking on that. Also, pulled my first tick off my leg while getting into my tent this evening.

Day 12 – June 12th: Quinn Canyon Range, Willow Creek, Railroad Valley

Didn’t sleep well last night. The winds did not die down at all. They weren’t terrible, not in danger of blowing my tent over or anything, but enough to keep me awake most of the night. Then, around 5am, I heard another loud explosion, like the one I heard in Scofield Canyon the other day. Then I realized… It’s a military plane doing a fly over, it’s a sonic boom! How’s that for a wake-up call?

Got up at 6 am, ready to be done with the sound of the wind blowing on my tent. One side was higher than the other side due to setting up the tent on a little ledge of sorts. This prevented the tent from being taught on one side, and caused a lot of flapping in the Wind. So annoying.

Descending the canyon in upper Willow Creek

I had high hopes that it would be easier going down the Ravine this morning then the other side when I came up last night. Not really easier at all though, probably about the same. Trees were thick, many dead branches to snap off so I couldn’t make my way through. Had to duck under many trees, forced my way through others. Sometimes worked my way along a steep talus slope to avoid the vegetation. Basically just weaved my way in and out of all of the obstacles, and sometimes right through them. I fell down twice I think, once near the top almost first thing this morning.

I saw water a couple of times in the Ravine, but it was always short-lived. Water would trickle out for a hundred feet so and then disappear. It would be somewhat difficult to collect from these pools, but possible. Because the water flows over Rock, you can’t really dig a deeper pool to collect from.

Coming down took something like 2 hours. Now I am on the main Valley floor, and my maps indicate a foot trail that leads to a road. I found the foot Trail higher up the canyon then I expected, so I had high hopes for this. Found a balloon that said “welcome back”. I found many balloons like this over the years in Pretty remote areas. This always pisses me off. Welcome back, let’s commemorate the moment by depositing a piece of trash in your name in an otherwise pristine Wilderness. Screw you. Letting balloons go into the sky should be considered littering just like throwing a piece of trash out of your car window. It’s no different.

Thick vegetation in Willow Creek to bushwhack through

Eventually I realized the foot path was intermittent. Extremely intermittent. The trail would be good for a while and then just disappear. Then you’d find it again and it would be pretty decent. This wasn’t really an issue since there was no water this high up in the canyon. Therefore the vegetation was similar to everything else I’d already gone through.

The real issues began when the creek started flowing. Along any body of water grows different vegetation; much thicker and much thornier. Hear a variety of Sagebrush, Willow, and a plethora of thorn bushes could be found. Thick patches of thorn bushes, the kind that you generally look at and say, well that’s impossible, I’ll go a different way. At first this was possible, I would just go around them. But eventually, I had to go through them.

The worst part of Willow Creek Canyon was where the map showed the road. And this pissed me off because it was supposed to be the easiest section, due to the road. At Best, an intermittent foot Trail was all to be found. It was so hard to follow, but it seemed to cross the creek from time to time. This intermittent Trail offered no easy route through the insane vegetation along the Creek. Instead, it presented a nightmarish challenge.

It’s hard to describe how awful this Bushwhack was. I hesitate to even mention the intermittent trail because it could give the idea that sometimes the going was easy. It never was. It was truly horrible. Oftentimes the creek was situated 8 ft down in a wash with it’s banks cut vertically from flash floods. Guarding this were thorn bushes. Then there was the Willow and Sage. Both grew vigorously here. Imagine vegetation so dense that your feet never touch the ground. Sometimes I couldn’t see the ground at all. I was literally wading in vegetation.

For much of the day I had my shorts on so my legs continued to get cut up. New cuts and more damage to existing wounds. I thought my legs would turn into leather by the end of this hike. Then I remembered my pant legs, and decided to put them on despite the fact that I typically get heat rash when wearing them. This helps significantly. Still, the nightmare Bushwhack continued.

I needed to cross the creek at one point, with no other way forward due to steep Canyon walls. I had to literally sit and crawl on the ground to get under the Willow branches. I pushed my way through, hoping this was the only time this would be needed. Wishful thinking, of course.

Entrance to gold mine hidden in Willow Creek

Exploring an old mine tunnel in the Willow Creek

I was traversing a steep Rocky slope when I stumbled upon a mine entrance. The opening was hidden by thick brush, it would have been nearly impossible to see except up close. So of course I went in to check it out. I went in about 20 ft and dropped my pack, and put on my headlamp. Walked back a ways around the first corner and came to one side tunnel that was a dead-end after a few feet, and continued on. I would say the mine went back 500ft total. The walls where lined with many quartz veins, so I assumed they were looking for gold or silver. I wonder what they pulled out of here, how much. I scoured the walls for any signs of gold, but to no avail.

While coming out of the mine I noticed that I was missing my external microphone for my Gopro. Pretty sure I lost it while forcing my way under those willow trees crossing the creek. No way I was going back for that. I was really bummed. I also lost a water bottle at some point battling the brush. So now 6 L capacity down to 5, unless I use my dirty water bags.

A nightmare thicket to hike through

Leaving the mine, there were a couple times where I had to scramble over some rocks, using all fours to climb short sections. Ultimately I couldn’t progress forward, and had to backtrack. Had to drop down into the wash and cross. Here, I faced probably the thickest thorn patch of this whole bushwhack. This led me to a vertical rock face. I really had nowhere else to go. After doing my best to push aside the thorn branches, I climbed a 15 foot Rockwall and got past the obstacle.

This continued for a couple hours. I handled the bushwhacking sections of the rest of this trip pretty well, but towards the end I was losing my mind on this one. The worst part was that I was expecting a trail and then a road. It should have been easy.

Old truck along the 4×4 road in lower Willow Creek Canyon

Then, after a creek crossing, there was a decent gravel road. It hadn’t been used in many years, but it was an obvious old path. According to the map, this road should have been miles up the canyon! Nevertheless I was extremely happy to be done with the bushwhack.

Can you see the waterfall below?

Once on the road, the canyon opened up a bit and vegetation became more sparse. I still had not filtered water, waiting until the lower reaches of the canyon so I could fill up just before hitting the valley floor. As the road left the creek for the last time, I decided to follow the creek downhill off Trail a short ways. I was using a game Trail that gave me an elevated view of the creek. From here I spotted a small waterfall. A Waterfall!!

Waterfall along Willow Creek in the Quinn Canyon Range, Nevada

This was the spot I was looking for. I carved out a spot to sit under a large Sagebrush and took a break. Chugged some water, filtered some more. Washed my socks and clothes, and of course took a shower in the waterfall. This literally brought tears to my eyes. Being able to take a brisk shower immediately after fighting through all that dense brush was just incredible. A reward I deserved, no doubt. This afternoon’s Bushwhack was perhaps the worst of my life. In fact, I know it was. I’ve seen brush that thick before and did not think it was possible to progress through it. But when you have to, anything is possible.

I spent a solid hour and a half here at the waterfall. From here I could look out into Railroad Valley. It was getting very windy, kicking up a lot of dust and sand from the dried Lake bed. Still, I was relieved that it was in the 70s and cloudy, with a strong breeze. This will Bode well for crossing this massive Valley.

Quinn Canyon Range, Nevada viewed from Willow Creek in Railroad Valley

Railroad Valley and the Quinn Canyon Range

Leaving Willow Creek, I follow the hill sides South for a while instead of following the dirt road out to the main road. This was more direct. A large agricultural operation could be seen out in the valley, surely possible only because of Willow Creek. Otherwise, this huge Valley was pretty empty looking. On the other side the pancake range makes up the horizon.

View into Railroad Valley towards the Pancake Range

Finally I took my last steps off the Foothills and on to the valley floor. Easy walking, vegetation spaced out well enough. There really was no sense in following dirt roads since they were only marginally easier walking then just going cross-country. So that’s what I did, I picked a point on the horizon around where my next water source will be and headed for that. I crossed a couple of roads but continued on my trajectory.

The wind was whipping, and getting stronger. Visibility to the north was low. I was glad the wind was blowing in the direction it was, if it were the opposite and blowing to the South all of that dust would be coming towards me.

Hiking across a dried lake bed in Railroad Valley, with the Quinn Canyon Range in the distance

I walked across a decent sized dried Lake bed. I don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted to do this. A bigger one would be even more impressive. I was feeling good and feeling strong, now reflecting on the trip as a whole a bit. That’s what I enjoy about the Basins; A break from the hard stuff up in the mountains, and a chance to let your experiences sink in.

Pancake Range from Railroad Valley

The wind now was easily 30 MPH or more. I kept thinking about how awful tonight will be if I have to sleep out in the wind. My next water source is a place on the map called Stonewall Corral. I wasn’t really expecting water here, so I was wishing I had filtered more than 6L to take with me from Willow Creek. I noticed that the water source I am heading to is pretty close to a small series of Rocky Hills jetting out from the desert floor. The water source was about a mile from these, so once I got close to the hills I changed my trajectory to the water tank which was now visible.

View east from Railroad Valley to the Quinn Canyon Range (right) and the Grant Range (left)

Approaching the water tank, I noticed a lot of signs of cow, as well as some sort of trailer next to the water tank. I had very high hopes now. I was relieved to see a trough full of water when I arrived. The large water tank also seem to have water in it. The trailer was actually an old pickup bed converted to a trailer, and it had a generator strapped in. This ran a small pump. Put this together and you have a reliable water source. Well, if the local rancher has his cows nearby.

Water trough in Railroad Valley

Chugged 1.5L, then filtered water to top off my supply. So that’s 5L, plus I brought 1L in a dedicated dirty Gatorade bottle. Then I field up my platypus bag, normally reserved for dirty water. So I have five filtered, clean liters and 3 dirty liters to be filtered later for a total of 8L. This should be totally fine to get me through another day and a half.

Sunset in Railroad Valley

Small outcrop of rocks in the middle of Railroad Valley provide the only cover for miles

It was about a mile to the Rocky out cropping of Hills after leaving the water tank. I was hoping to use part of these Hills as a wind block. When I reach the Hills, I found a couple of spots that probably would have worked. But my curiosity got the best of me and I kept going. Then I spotted a small cave. When I approached I realized it was too small. Bummer, I was kind of hoping to sleep in a cave at some point. I also spotted a circular Stonewall down on the valley floor right next to the Hills. After dropping down here, I realized the wind was blowing right into the only opening in the circle, so that’s out. I thought about camping on the other side of the wall, but it was still too windy.

Campsite in Railroad Valley

Eventually I found a place to camp, just as the sun had crested behind the pancake range. There was a large Boulder that provided a decent wind break. I set up behind this Boulder, knowing that the wind will probably change directions at some point in the evening. Better than anything else I’ve seen though.

Now lying in tent, the wind had shifted briefly. Sand was being blown all over inside the tent, and even into my mouth. Yuck! Then the wind died down, or at least shifted directions.

Day 13 – June 13th: Railroad Valley, Pancake Range, Lunar Crater Volcanic Field

Morning in Railroad Valley

The wind shifted a couple of times during the night and was momentarily a nuisance. However, when I woke up it was dead silent. You could hear a cricket chirping from a mile away. To be in such a massive Valley with absolutely no sound at all was relaxing. Light cloud cover to begin the day.

Small cave in Railroad Valley, in The Wall Wilderness Study Area

Without the pressure of finding a spot out of the wind before the sunset, I had a chance to soak in my surroundings. I realized the outcrop of Hills I was camping alongside was an old Indian camp or hunting ground. Many signs of arrowheads here, mostly just fragments from the arrowhead making process, but I found one fully intact Arrowhead made of chert. Several small caves littered the hills, not really big enough to be utilized by humans other than to squat in for shelter or to get out of the Sun. These Hills were just barely within The Wall Wilderness Study Area.

Hiking Railroad Valley, looking back at the Quinn Canyon Range and the Grant Range

With the winds gone, I Had A Renewed sense of excitement as I left camp this morning. I spent some time exploring the Hills, but I quickly left them behind a long a dirt road seemingly leading to nowhere. I had crossed the majority of railroad Valley yesterday, with only a couple more miles to go before I entered the Hills making up the western side of the valley. I saw several horned lizards scurrying about. As true of the last few miles last night, much of this morning’s hike, and even much of the day’s hike really, was through very loose and deep sand. This was a real pain to walk through.

Hiking Railroad Valley through The Wall Wilderness Study Area towards Big Fault Mesa

This area had a completely different feel from anything else I had walked through so far. It’s not just a wide-open valley, but a series of Hills, mesas, and interesting rock formations spread out across an extremely desolate and mysterious land. I stress mysterious, along with raw and primitive. One can’t help but think of the past when walking through a place like this. Who else has come before me? Why were they here, what were they doing? Surely this land holds many Secrets, known to only a privileged few.

Even here, seemingly the farthest place from civilization one could imagine, signs of cows were everywhere. I couldn’t help but think that the only people that ever visit this land are the nearby Ranchers. I can’t see this land drawing any visitors for recreation, Beyond the locals. Even then, travel here would be on horseback, Maybe. It’s a Wilderness study area, so there’s no access to dirt bikes or ATV’s. In Wilderness areas, it’s somewhat common (unfortunately) to see tracks in the sand. But not here, just some piles of cow shit. I must say that this, even though it may seem small, really dampers the Wilderness experience.

Large volcanic boulders litter the hills as I approach the Pancake Range

My route now was mostly a cross-country Meander in between various land forms. However, now that I’m here it doesn’t make sense to follow a line I drew on the map at home. It makes sense to follow what your eyes see, what intrigues you at the moment. That is the spirit of Adventure in my eyes. So I left my planned route behind, and began to walk towards a series of hills that looked interesting. A bunch of random large boulders dotted landscape, and fragmented rock formations jetted up into the sky.

View from random volcanic hills I climbed on the way to the Pancake Range. Big Fault Ridge (right), Quinn Canyon Range in the distance (left)

I made it to the top of the small set of Hills and was rewarded with a great view. Pretty much any elevated position over a massive landscape such as this will please the eyes and soul. Yes, this is where I will take my late morning lunch break. Here one can reflect upon many aspects of life. How small and insignificant we are as individuals. Here, a person feels like an ant. And not even an ant that’s part of a colony, but a rogue ant. perhaps the only ant left after his entire colony had been had been destroyed. Last of his kind, beginning a lifelong search for any remaining survivors. It’s just you now, Roaming the world all alone, searching for a purpose. A promise of a new and better life.

Big Fault Ridge, Pancake Range, Nevada

Sandy wash with volcanic rock

One could stay on top the hill like this all day and lend time to all sorts of random thoughts. But then, of course, one would miss out on all of the discoveries that lie ahead. I emptied the sand out of my shoes and dropped back down to the desert floor. Here, I followed a Sandy wash towards a gap between two land formations. There were random outcrops of black rocks in an otherwise Brown and Sandy landscape. There were even a few lone trees, which seemed very much out of place.

Lone Tree in the desert as I enter the Pancake Range

I followed the wash for a while and began to walk cross-country through the desert again. I eventually reached a well graded dirt road. This was a relief to be able to get out of the deep sand. As a hiker, we are generally not too fond of walking roads. However, I must say that in certain Landscapes, like the one I’m walking through right now, walking cross-country offers little to no benefit over a road. The same views can be had at a fraction of the effort expended. With that said, I highly recommend hiking cross-country through the desert at least once to know and understand what it means to do so. This is best done where the ground is firm and the vegetation is well spaced apart. Soft Sand and/or thick sagebrush are not pleasant and will not enhance your hiking experience. In this case, take the road!

Hiking Chuck Wagon Flat in the Pancake Range

Cool rock formations hiking in between The Wall and Palisades Mesa Wilderness Study Areas

Chuck Wagon Flat, The Wall & Palisades Mesa Wilderness Study Areas

I was impressed with the views of the surrounding land formations. They didn’t look like much from afar, but the closer I got the more I enjoyed them. Again, I wondered if anyone ever comes out here to hike, climb, or camp. The only signs of usage here where again, cows and Ranchers.

Hiking across Chuck Wagon Flat in Nevada’s Pancake Range. The route straddles two Wilderness Study Areas; The Wall and Palisades Mesa

Palisades Mesa Wilderness Study Area, Nevada

The road I’m walking now straddles two Wilderness study areas. The Wall wsa on the East, and Palisades Mesa to the West. These are obscure lands by any measurement. Several land formations caught my eye, and begged to the explored. However, I wanted to spend more time at lunar crater, so I made it my goal to reach it as soon as possible. Several miles off in the distance, I noticed A glimmering white object on a Ridgeline. I had no idea what it was, but I was heading that way.

Pancake Range and Lunar Lake

Lunar Lake in the distance, a dried lake bed in the Pancake Range

Walking with quick and easy along the road, but eventually I came to a point where I would leave the road and hike cross-country to a high point overlooking lunar crater. After hiking across fields of volcanic rock for a while, a bit of inspiration struck me. When I left for this hike, most people I spoke to projected their fears on to me. They told me that it would be too hot, there wouldn’t be enough water, the snakes and scorpions would get me. But you know what? None of those people have hiked Nevada! When people tell you that you can’t do something, most of the time it’s because they can’t do it themselves, or aren’t willing to. It’s important to keep an open mind, but at the same time, don’t let the opinions of an unqualified third-party influence your dreams and goals in life. They don’t know what you’re capable of, and what you’re willing to do. Only YOU know that.

Hiking the Pancake Range near Lunar Crater

I followed the route I created at home on the map towards a rather insignificant looking hill. Lunar crater is just on the other side, but you would never know. As I approached the hill, I could see that the glimmering white object I saw from a distance was a truck. There was a strange blue object on top, my assumption was that it was some type of camper. At one point I could see two people standing on the Ridgeline. I assumed they could see me, maybe the screen of my GPS or my watch reflecting in the Sun. I continued to weave my way in between sagebrush towards the top of the hill. Eventually I hit a small two track Road that I followed to a saddle, and then up a ways on the hill itself. From there, it was a short scramble up some black rock formations with orange lichen growing on them. I always enjoyed that contrast of orange on black, looks like lava.

View over the Pancake Range and the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field

Lunar Crater, Nevada

I expected a view of lunar crater once I crested the highest point here, but there was a very short ridgewalk that remained. Following the Ridgeline, the crater came into view as I neared the edge of the Hill. Wow! It was every bit as impressive as I expected. A giant hole in the Earth, 400 acres in size, 3600ft across and 430ft deep. Lunar crater sits in the middle of the 100 square mile Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, perhaps the highlight of the pancake range. The crater (this type is called a “Maar”) was created by a volcanic eruption around 38,000 years ago. This isn’t all that long in geologic terms.

Lunar Crater National Natural Landmark

I stood up on the top of this hill for quite awhile. This is a place I’ve long wanted to see. An obscure Landmark for sure. I considered my possibilities to further enjoy this area… Camp up on the top of this hill for an amazing sunrise and sunset view? Maybe capture some night photography and the Milky Way overlooking this crater? Drop down into the crater for the unique experience of camping inside? All good options. Ultimately, I chose to drop down the hill and make my way down to the rim. A road runs almost all the way along the circumference of the crater. Just below the hill was the white vehicle with the camper top. The Allure of a cold drink, perhaps a Gatorade, was too much. So I approached the vehicle, which looked empty at the moment. I figured they had gone for a walk, maybe down low into the crater.

Lunar Crater Natural Natural Landmark, Nevada

I approached the vehicle cautiously, never wanting to startle someone out here. Now within a few yards, I said “hello, anyone home”? Then little access door on a homemade blue camper top popped open and a man stuck his head out. He was very surprised to see someone. He asked where I came from, and I pointed out into the desert. “what do you mean, you walked? From where?” I proceeded to tell him my story, and this began a very fluid series of events that lasted for nearly the next day.

Matt and his son Casey, who had just graduated from high school, were on a road trip across America. They had driven here all the way from Florida. They had their dog Shay with them, who right off the bat seem to like me. That’s always a great sign I think, when a dog is so trusting of a stranger.

We chatted for a few minutes, and then I was offered a water and a seat inside the vehicle. A comfy seat is one of my most sought after luxuries after an extended wilderness trip. Once I sat in that seat, I felt a great deal of relaxation. I was even more relaxed when I was offered to share the joint they passed around. It’s not hard to understand why Marijuana and the outdoors go so well together.

Over the years, I’ve realized that I have a tendency to underestimate my knowledge and abilities. I am the type of person that thanks the bar is extremely high in order to be considered an expert, and never I think I am good enough when comparing myself to others in the same field or category. I think the turning point in my life was when I was hired by a large corporation to do search engine optimization. While there is no degree for this skill, I did not think that my basic knowledge of the field, acquired during the course of some hobby projects, was sufficient. I couldn’t believe I got the job. Certainly there are many more qualified people out there, but the bar was set low enough I was hired. This really changed my perception of things and my outlook on life. I’m not saying I wasn’t qualified or I was bad at my job. Quite the opposite.

I only mentioned the previous paragraph because of the conversations I had with my new friends Matt and Casey. They knew nothing of the area, and very little about outdoors in general. While we were sitting at lunar crater, I pointed out several other craters in the distance. They had been up here for a while, and had not even noticed them. I began to tell them about how these land formations came to be, a product of volcanic eruptions. They were under the impression it was a meteor impact site, which is an extremely Fair assumption. This too was my assumption when I first learned of lunar crater. But I had been doing my research. I have been researching Nevada for over a year in the process of creating this route, and another separate route. I felt like their tour guide, giving them information about a land I had never been to. To them I may have been an expert. But on a personal level, I barely felt qualified to convey this information. I don’t want to take away from all this to sound like you only need to know more than the person you’re talking to be considered an expert. Instead, we should not underestimate ourselves and to be confident in our perceived strengths. I have spent hundreds of hours researching Nevada and everything that goes along with hiking it in the course of planning the Basin and Range Trail route. There will always be someone that is better than you in your field, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified yourself.

Easy Chair Crater, Nevada

Upon discovering easy chair crater in the distance, Matt suggested we drive over to that crater to have a look. Sounds good to me. A short drive later we were there, overlooking another impressive landform and hiking around its rim.

Upon returning to the vehicle, we discussed the low pressure in one of the tires. Matt said the tire was not that low yesterday. If it’s losing air pressure that fast, I suggested that he drive into town this evening before he’s not able to drive out tomorrow. After all, there is no cell phone service out here. I do have my Garmin satellite messaging device, but better not to push it. The nearest town is Tonopah, where I’m going. It’s also on the way to where they are headed, Mammoth California. It seems it was meant to be. My only qualm with the situation is that I still needed to walk the 6 miles from lunar crater to Highway 6. On the CDT it was very important for me to walk every mile, out of principle. People skip hundreds of miles of Trail and claim they walked the whole thing. I did my continuous footsteps on the CDT, for myself. But now here on the Basin and Range Trail, My goals for this route are different. Since there are no meaningful start and end points (say, Mexico or Canada), I don’t see the point in being a stickler about continuous footsteps here. I’m out here for the adventure and the experiences.

This was going to be one of the hardest hitches on the entire route. 80 miles to Tonopah, or about 90 to Ely. People often use the term middle of nowhere, but this literally is the exact middle of nowhere… Right in the middle of a 167 Mile Stretch with no gas between Ely and Tonopah. There is very little traffic, and hitching here would certainly take some time. I felt thankful to be able to get a ride with no effort or wasted time.

When we arrived in Tonopah, first things first, we put air in the tire. Next up, and perhaps most importantly, we put food in our stomachs. We ate at Hometown Pizza, my treat. We split an extra large 6 meat Pizza, which we finished off no problem. Of course, I could have eaten much more. Sitting at the table next to us was to older gentleman with hiking gear on, DSLR cameras with huge lenses and computers. Clearly downloading photos. Stopped a minute to talk to them and see what they were up to. I should have known, night photography. That’s what this area is known for.

Next I went into the mizpah hotel to check in at the old Brewery hostel, which is under their ownership. Matt and Casey just need a place to park their Suburban to sleep. So they drove me to the hostel and they slept outside in the parking lot. It worked out for them, I let them come inside to use the bathroom when needed.

Day 14 – June 14th: Zero Day in Tonopah, NV

It was a really cold morning. Around 8 am. we left the hostel and headed down to Burger King for breakfast. From memory I thought it was a McDonald’s, but hey, it’ll do. They were serving a couple of lunch menu items even during breakfast, so I got the large bacon King combo. It was actually pretty huge, and really hit the spot. I was starved! By mid day, Matt and Casey left town and continued on their road trip.

I began town chores today. I needed to replace the microphone for my camera that I lost in the bushwhack in Willow Creek, and I needed a few more micro sd cards to continue filming the next section. I ordered these today and will need to stay in town until they arrive, unfortunately. This will be a long and expensive stay, but these are the kind of situations that come with filming and documenting these hikes.

Day 15 – June 15th: Zero Day in Tonopah, NV

Without much else to do today, I walked out of town and through some of the old mining areas on BLM land. Here, I did some rockhounding. Supposedly Tonopah is a great area. However, it has been heavily mined over the years, and any place worth digging is already claimed. Still, I found a few somewhat interesting rocks, but nothing like the turquoise nugget I was hoping for.

Back at the hostel, there was a guy named Tony staying there as well, a contractor working on a job. He saw my rocks and we began talking. Turns out, he had worked in some mines and was very knowledgeable about rocks and minerals. He ended up giving me his jeweler’s loupe as a gift. So kind!

Day 16 – June 16th: Zero Day in Tonopah, NV

Did my grocery shopping today. Raley’s Grocery has a good selection and is considered a “full” resupply. Grocery is located about a mile from the Hostel/Mizpah.

Someone in town told me that the Western Store in town sells cell phones, and that they might have micro sd cards for sale. I figured I’d stop in and see if I could pick one up, even though I had already ordered a few. Inside, I could see they only had the most basic selection. The owner, Paul, asked me what I needed them for and I told him about my hike. He offered to give me the 16GB card right out of his own cell phone! Unfortunately, I need much more storage than that. But what a nice gesture. He also mentioned someone that might be able to give me a ride back out to Lunar Crater tomorrow, which really caught my attention. I told him I’d come back tomorrow if/when my cards arrive in the mail.

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Basin And Range Trail, Original Thru-Hiking Routes, Thru Hiking | Tags: basin and range trail, great basin hiking, great basin thru hike, long distance hiking routes, nevada hiking, nevada thru hike, new thru hike routes, off trail thru hike, thru hike creations, thru hike journal, thru hikes, thru hikes that aren't national scenic trails, thru hiking | Leave A Comment »

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike 2020 – Section 1: Ely to Preston

Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 1 Map

Quick Facts About My Basin And Range Trail Thru-Hike

Miles: ~950
Dates: June 1st, 2020 – August 6th, 2020
Days: 67
Zero Days: 17
Highest Point: Wheeler Peak 13,064’
Lowest Point: Railroad Valley 4,851’
Starting Terminus: Ely, NV
Ending Terminus: Baker, NV
Resupply Stops: 9

Video: Basin and Range Trail Thru Hike Section 1

In addition to this trail journal, I also filmed my Basin and Range Trail thru hike. I’ve produced a detailed documentary series (11+ hours runtime) documenting this thru hike adventure, the product over over 1,000 hours of video editing. I highly recommending watching the Basin and Range Trail vlog series for an in-depth look at thru-hiking the Great Basin and central Nevada. 

Basin And Range Trail Thru-Hike Journal

This is my journal documenting my 2020 Basin and Range Trail thru hike. This is not meant to be a guide to hiking this route, rather, it tells the story of how the events unfolded along the journey. For a guide to thru-hiking the Basin and Range Trail, visit https://basinandrangetrail.com/. Additionally, join the Basin and Range Trail facebook group to connect with past, present and future Basin and Range Trail thru hikers. 

Day 0 – May 31st: Getting to the Starting Terminus

I flew into Salt Lake City, and had a friend drive me to Ely, Nevada. This is where I will start my Basin and Range Trail thru-hike across the great basin region of central of Nevada, along a new long distance hiking route I have mapped out over the winter. After being dropped off at my motel, I did some grocery shopping and spent the evening getting my gear together and going over my maps.

Day 1 – June 1st: Ward Mountain, Egan Range

I left my motel in Ely, Nevada a little after what I thought was 7:30am. That’s what my phone was telling me, as it automatically updates to the time zone. However, when I reached the post office that was supposed to be open at 7:30, it was still closed. Confused, I asked the lady inside when it will open. She said at 7:30. I looked at my phone, and it was after 7:30. That’s when I realized my phone had not properly updated to the Pacific time zone. A little embarrassed, but I waited outside for a while until it actually opened so I could send out a box with extra gear back home.

After the post office debacle, I hit the road. It was a couple mile road walk out of town from here along Highway 6. I got a lot of funny looks from the traffic driving by with my backpack on. Apparently, Nevada doesn’t see many long distance hikers. 

Next Gas 167 Miles!

Shortly after leaving Ely, there was a sign along the road that said “next gas 167 miles”. Wow! This is a record for me. That next gas is in Tonopah, where it also says “next gas 167 miles” when heading east to Ely. The majority of the state is extremely vast and empty, beyond comprehension for anyone who has not visited. I laugh when I think of my home state of Michigan, and hear people describe anywhere in the state as remote. You can hardly get to a spot that is farther than 1 mile from any road in Michigan’s lower peninsula.

Other than the occasional narrow shoulder, the road walk was actually not that bad. The road passes through a short segment of mountains, and then emerges into a more open landscape. I continued to walk until I saw signs for Ward Mountain. This is my entry into the Egan mountains.

Hiking into the Egan Mountains

I utilized one of the picnic tables in the campground and took a quick break to eat a snack. There was a water spigot here for water. I think there was one vehicle here. Leaving the campground, I followed an old Aqueduct line towards the upper Terrace. This route was not efficient at all in terms of elevation gain, as it just went up and down over every hill in a straight line. However, it was a straight line to where I needed to go. I was surprised to see a flowing Creek, until I saw a break and the aqueduct line on the hillside above. Mystery solved.

First backcountry water source along the BRT

There was another trough overflowing with water, and a couple of other small water sources along the way. So right away, I am thinking, great, water is not going to be as big of an issue here as I thought.

The Egan Mountains

Eventually I left the aqueduct behind for a 4×4 Road. This climbed steeply up to the upper Terrace. Pretty good views of the white river valley below. I was surprised to see how wooded it was. Looking out into the vast valley looked more like a sea of green than a desert. Eventually the road popped up above the trees, but not the tree line itself. It just cleared out. In fact, I saw a few patches of snow here, and nowhere else.

Looking west towards White River Valley and the White Pine Range

Above 8000ft I saw my first wildflowers. I was getting pretty tired now, having a hard time with the climb uphill. I had spent two nights in Ely at over 6300ft, and I was really hoping this would be enough for someone coming from sea level. Today I will reach elevations nearing 10,000ft, and over that tomorrow. On top of that, I had been working almost non-stop for months before I left for this hike, and had practically no time to dedicate to training for this hike. I was definitely starting this hike at a disadvantage in that regard, but I am just glad to finally be out here.

A lot of the 4×4 roads climbed steeply, which quickly took its toll on me. They didn’t look that steep on the map, but they sure felt like it. Once up on the Upper Terrace, I began to see aspen trees. There were some rather striking uplifted limestone mountains that form the upper and lower terraces of the Egan Range, and wow were they beautiful. I had seen a couple of photos online of the lower terrace, but couldn’t find any of the upper terrace. Much of the Basin and Range Trail is like that, no photos were available of the areas I plan to hike through. The topography on the map sure looks promising in many areas, but until you get there and lay eyes on it, you never know what you’re going to get. So here, I am pleasantly surprised. I will get used to this feeling along the BRT over the next 2 months.

Striking limestone formations on the lower terrace of the Egan Mountains

Plenty of Aspen trees as the elevation climbs to 9000ft

Somewhere on the upper terrace, I got my first huge sweeping view of White River Valley to the west, and the White Pine Range on the other side. Here was my first real view of Basin and Range topography: a series of parallel running, tall and narrow faulted mountains separated by vast arid basins, or valleys. It’s a stunning landscape really, providing massive wide-open views with tons of prominence above the valley below. Yes, this is going to be a beautiful hike!

Limestone ridges of the Egan Range, looking west into White River Valley

Day 1 of the Basin and Range Trail, already stunning!

My GPS said I hiked 30 miles today, but that’s absurd. It’s more like 15 (18 actually, upon returning home and looking at the GPS track). There were no deep canyons or anything, it’s all been very wide open. So clearly, my new top-of-the-line Garmin 66i can’t be trusted for accurate mileage estimates in the field. What a shame.

Beautiful aspen trees on the upper terrace of the Egan Mountains

Backcountry camping in the Egan Range – Night 1 on the Basin and Range Trail

I’ve reached an elevation of 9300ft today, and I am feeling it. I dropped down to the protection of some pine trees, to get out of the 35+ mph winds, and found camp for the night. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of sheer exhaustion felt on the first day of a hike like this… not only did I not get in very much pre-hike conditioning, but going up in elevation rapidly is also exhausting. This combination tends to kill my appetite, making it a triple whammy. After getting up tent up, I was so tired and lethargic, pretty much skipped dinner and just went to bed at 7:45. Make no mistake, the first few days are a difficult adjustment period. But once your body gets used to it, the impossible becomes possible.

Day 2 – June 2nd: Crest of the Egan Range, Willow Peak, Water Canyon

Egan Range, Upper Terrace

I got plenty of sleep, if you can call it that, last night. My body is feeling tired and sore today, as expected. The views were great leaving camp as I continued along the main 4×4 road running south. I could have taken an alternate route up to Ward Mountain yesterday, the high point of the Egan range, but with the way I am feeling, there is just no way. However, that would have been an excellent route, and had I started this hike with better conditioning and more acclimated to the elevation (perhaps coming off another thru hike somewhere else), that would have been my route. The upper terrace is still pretty nice too.

Filtering water from a small seep

I passed several springs this morning right alongside the road. Eventually the road dipped down into a valley, so I continued off-trail to avoid dropping in elevation. I filtered water from a very small spring that I had to dig out to collect from, as this was the last water before heading up to the ridgeline, over 10k feet.

Willow Peak summit looking north to Ward Mountain and the crest of the Egans

Looking east to Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park, from the summit of Willow Peak in the Egan Range

Once at the top of the crest, the 4×4 road faded and I began my cross-country trek across the ridge south. First, I bagged Willow Peak, 10,302ft. I could see Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park to the east, which is essentially the end point of the Basin and Range Trail. It’s a strange feeling to have your end point in sight, but know that it is still 2 months away.

Here on Willow Peak, I found some Rugose Coral fossils, evidence that the ground beneath my feet was once underwater, part of an ancient sea bed. I love geology, it’s fascinating!

Rugose Coral at 10k feet

Overlooking Steptoe Valley to the east of the Egan Range

At first, the route begins with some thick and often frustrating bushwhacking (although I would later come to see this kind of bushwhacking as “easy” by the end of the BRT). I encountered some pronghorn from a distance, which scampered off before I could get too close. First real wild life encountered along the trail.

Looking south/southwest from the crest of the Egans

Hiking the crest of the Egan Range south. Let the bushwhack begin!

I contoured around some hills and worked my way up to the crest, forcing my way through thick stands of curl leaf mountain mahogany. Eventually I would learn to hate this stuff, as it, along with new growth aspens, make up the worst bushwhacks along the BRT. For now, everything was new and exciting to me, and the overwhelming feeling of excitement, adventure and discovery over rides all the negatives.

Steptoe Valley from the Egan Range

Hiking south on the crest of the Egans

Hiking the crest of the Egan Mountains

This next section was the highlight of Section 1 for me. Had I taken the Warn Mountain Alternate, I think that could have been the highlight, or perhaps, even a section farther south that I ultimately ended up walking around. Regardless, the walk here to Water Canyon was awesome. The route follows the rocky crest south, with excellent sweeping views, little vegetation, and was a fairly easy walk. It also runs slightly downhill from here, and for a moment, I forgot how tired and exhausted I was.

I mentioned that I filmed the hike, and unfortunately, the footage from this afternoon to tomorrow morning was lost. I was really bummed about this. I was using a mixture of 32GB and 128GB cards, and fortunately this was only a 32GB card. What I think happened, was I accidentally cleared it at the motel when I was dumping my media after section 4, thinking I had already backed it up. Or maybe, I just lost the card. I don’t know, but it’s gone.

Approaching Water Canyon

Entering Water Canyon

Once I approached Water Canyon, my next water source (duh!), I had to bushwhack my way down into it. Steep and loose terrain with thick brush guarded the path, but once down in canyon, it began to clear out a bit as I headed downstream, Soon, it became green and lush, and all of the sudden, there was a small but strongly flowing creek flowing. The spring is so strong that a creek just begins at this spot. I stopped here at this amazing spot and took my first meaningful break of the trip. I filtered water, chugged a few liters to hydrate (much needed), and washed off the blood and sweat from the last two days. Amazing break, indeed.

Water Canyon

Creek flowing through Water Canyon

Limestone cliffs of the Egan Range

South Egan Range Wilderness to the south

I followed the creek a short ways before continuing off-trail around a hillside, which showed a 4×4 road ahead. Sure enough, I found the faded old path and followed it to something larger. This area was surprisingly beautiful. Very lush, with craggy rock formations protruding from green mountainsides. 4×4 roads provide the easiest path forward here. The crest of the Egan Range is difficult to walk overall, except in a few areas. This is one of those areas where it’s just best to take a lower route. But hey, this is pretty nice too.

Old 4×4 road in the Egan Range

What a beautiful mountain range!

Camp night 2

Made it to camp around 5:30 today. I was just absolutely whooped, now feeling worn down from the lack of calories I’ve put into my body. People say you just need to force yourself to eat when feeling appetite suppression from the altitude, but for me, I physically gag on foods I normally like. I hate this feeling. I was really lucky I didn’t feel like this starting the CDT, but the CDT also starts out around 4300ft which certainly made it easier for me. Anyhow, I know this will all pass. It’s an adjustment period, and you have to stick with it until your body gets used to the abrupt change in eating habits, sleep schedule, elevation and of course, the extreme physical exertion.

Day 3 – June 3rd: Cave Valley

Slept a solid 10 hours. I was ridiculously sore and tired last night. Did not eat dinner. Got in the tent and laid down for a minute. It hurt to move, and I just let out a pathetic whimpering sound every time I tried. I quickly passed out face first, and slept a solid 5 hours without moving.

Millard Spring

Filtered water from Millard spring this morning. I had to dig out a shallow pool to collect from at the source. Good water. The ants are getting very annoying. For the last 2 days, everywhere I stand I get swarmed with ants after 20 seconds. The ground looks clear and then they come out of the ground or something and just start growing up my leg. This was extremely bothersome while trying to filter water or breakdown camp. There is literally nowhere you can stand where ants won’t suddenly appear and start crawling up your leg.

Jagged limestone cliffs. The route I had planned runs on top of that ridge

I decided to take a low route and avoid the higher route which would have hit Egan Benchmark. With my lack of appetite and lack of proper training before the hike, it just seems foolish trying to continue along the Route I planned, I simply don’t have the energy. So instead I dropped down into Steptoe Valley to the east. Nice views coming out of the mountains, but surely, not as nice as they would have been from Egan Benchmark. I also bypassed a bunch of bushwhacking up there though, and it looked thick. Not too upset about missing that part. I passed a couple of water sources on my way out of the mountains, but was already full.

Walking out of the Egans towards Steptoe Valley

Leaving the Egans, Mt Grafton in the distance

I continued along a 4×4 Road that parallel the main road running through Steptoe Valley…. Here I found an unopened Gatorade bottle, a great find! Unfortunately, it had been baking in the sun and would need to cool off before I want to drink it. The label looked really faded, so I don’t think it was recently dropped. My guess is, it had been there over the winter. Still, little things like this are a big deal to a long distance hiker. Imagine walking through the middle of nowhere, and finding a free non-water drink. Yeah, this might make your day.

Pretty uneventful hike today. Lots of Sagebrush now in the low valleys. There is no sign of anything here. There is supposed to be a road running through this valley, but I don’t see it. And I certainly don’t see any vehicles driving through the valley. It’s pretty empty out here.

Took a break under a juniper tree, which thankfully was ant-free. Here I took a short siesta, more for the rest than getting out of the heat. It’s not all that hot, very manageable right now.

Mt Grafton Wilderness

Shortly after mu break, I joined up with the main road running through Steptoe Valley. It’s a dirt road but well graded. I walked by the Mount Grafton Wilderness area, farther to the east. This was one range I had considered walking during my planning for the BRT, but ultimately, chose the Egans. From here, boy, Mt Grafton doesn’t look like much. But that’s how a lot of Nevada is. It doesn’t look like much from the road, you have to get into it to see how beautiful and diverse is can be.

My legs are getting a lot of sun now at this point. Lots of cuts and scrapes from the off-trail hiking over the previous two days. I have hotspots and blisters forming on the balls of both feet now as well. I certainly didn’t need this on top of the way I am already feeling.

Windmill with good water

Saw a little horned toad along the road. Then saw a coyote or fox run across the road leaving the robbers Roost windmill. There were a couple of other places along the main road that had water as well, but I stopped here. The pipe feeding the trough, like all of the other ones I’ve seen so far, was positioned too far away from the edge of the trough to be able to collect from it. Fortunately, the water in the trough was very clear, despite looking extremely green… The green was on the bottom. Unfortunately, there was no shade and a lot of bugs, lots of cow shit. Filtered 2 liters and was on my way.

Campsite night 3

Walked another hour and started walking up a 4×4 road that intercepted the main road, just before a several mile stretch of private property. Found camp a couple hundred yards of the road before reaching the private land.

Still very little appetite, and just snacked on a couple things for dinner. Went to bed at 845, another exhausting day.

Day 4 – June 4th: Cave Valley, Shingle Pass

I thought my campsite selection was pretty flat, but my air mattress was sliding towards the end of the tent in the middle of the night. I switched directions and that seemed to improve the sliding. However, I was confused when the sun was on my face in the morning, since it was also on my face when I went to bed. It took me a moment to remember I switched directions.

I had camped very close to some private Ranch Land, and some cows could be heard nearby. Even through the middle of the night, they continued to make ridiculous sounds. One of them was flipping out, out of nowhere. Almost as if the cow had a nightmare. Visions of the slaughterhouse, maybe. And that was before the coyotes moved in.

Welcome to “Valley”. Cave Valley.

It was a warm morning. I was moving by 7 a.m., hoping to cover some miles before it started to get too hot. I walked through the private Ranch Land on a public Road. There was a BLM sign for Cave Valley, but a shotgun had taken out the word cave. The sign just read Valley. Those lovable locals.

Parker Station

I had wanted to leave the main road at a place called Parker station, but that ended up being private land too. I had another spot in mind to leave the road, but it would have required a crossing of Haggerty wash. Here, there was shallow flowing Creek over some very thick mud, as evident by the cow tracks in it. I’m glad this wasn’t the only way, because it would have been probably ankle to Mid Shin Deep with mud. The kind you worried about losing your shoe in. Additionally, I had some blisters forming on my feet, with no way to wash off the mud it surely would have worsened my blisters. Plus, half the mud was probably sow shit anyways. So, I turned around and went back to the main road. That is, after taking a break under a juniper tree. Never pass up shade in the desert.

Back on the main road now, the only vehicle I saw the whole time drove by, a ranch hand’s truck. He asked if I was broken down. I said no, just hiking. He said, we don’t see many hikers here. I proceeded to tell him about my hike. I asked him if he had an extra liter of water, but he said no. He gave the location of Haggerty wash further up the road, which was where I was going anyway. So that’s where I headed.

Cave Valley views

The ranch I past was the only Homestead I saw this whole section, in Steptoe Valley and Cave Valley. The Schell Creek range proved the backdrop for the ranch to the east, which was now looking more impressive. Even though my route to traverses the shell Creek range North of Ely, it’s very long and continues all the way down to the southern end of this section, and beyond. It’s the second longest mountain range in Nevada, with the Toiyabes being the longest. And I’ll walk that one in section 4.

Then I came to an intersection with a sign indicating Highway 318 was 16 miles away, over shingle pass. I wasn’t expecting a main road going over shingle pass (I hadn’t even researched the route I am on now before my hike), but it was a well graded dirt road. Not a single car drove by while I walked through it all day.

When I reached Haggerty wash, I was pleased to see that it was a flowing Creek with less cow activity than the last spot. It was also well shaded. I wasn’t in dire need of water or overly hot or anything, but it was a really nice break. I thought about how hiking makes you appreciate little things in life like this.

Road walk to Shingle Pass

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Walked the road up shingle pass. Along the way, I hunted for rocks along the road. Didn’t find anything to interesting, but had to look since the road was cut into the hillside 6ft deep.

My feet were hurting now. I took a break at the top of Shingle Pass. Took off my shoes and my Luko tape had slipped off a bit. Had a blister the size of a quarter under the ball of my right foot. Nothing to do but keep moving.

Near Shingle Spring

Shingle Spring. Yum.

Next, I encountered Shingle Spring, which was really nasty looking. A really large round trough with a tree growing right along the outside edge, over hanging half of the trough. The water was thick with green algae. Huge warms of bugs were attracted to this water. Not too appetizing, but I was really hot, and so is my water. I was eager for a cold drink, so I filtered a quick liter.

Shingle Peak and the Far South Egan Wilderness

The views of the far south Egan Wilderness and shingle Peak to the South were very impressive the farther I progressed downhill. Vertical spires and Rocky outcroppings were everywhere along the upper reaches of the canyons, below the Ridgeline. It looked extremely rugged, and made me think, who was the last person to climb that? Does anyone climb it?

Far South Egan Wilderness, making up the southern portion of the Egan Range

Far South Egan Wilderness

I’m only a few miles from Highway 318 now, where I will hitch into Preston, a small community population 16) just north of Lund. Feeling tired, sore, thirsty, sunburnt and even a little hungry now, I began to feel a second wind. This is the “high” I sometimes get when the end is in sight. Even though the last few days have been extremely rough, I haven’t felt alive like this since I walked the Continental Divide Trail in 2018. It’s a feeling I NEVER feel in my “normal” life, only out here. It’s funny how that works. But this is the feeling I chase when I do these long distance hikes. And it feels good to be “home” again, where life is exciting and fulfilling, even if your accomplishments are meaningless on the grand scale of things.  

Trying to hitch into Lund, or more specifically, the smaller community of Preston

Much of the traffic I saw on the highway was Truckers, so I knew this was going to be a difficult hitch. Sure enough, it was. Truckers never stop for hikers, Ever. Have the time they don’t even move over either, they just drive by as close as they can, almost as if you don’t exist, or if they just don’t like you for being on the side of the road. The regular passenger car traffic wasn’t any better. I had a piece of cardboard that I wrote Lund on, and had my thumb out. I tried waving my arms in an overhead cross motion, signaling for help. I also tried waving a $20 bill along with my thumb. No luck. After an hour and a half, I was about to give up.

Next I had the idea to write on the bottom of my Tyvek tent footprint with marker… “Hiker needs ride to town please help”. When the next car drove by, I tried to display the sign but it was too windy, it kept folding over and became illegible. Before the car had fully driven by, I tucked the sign under my arm and just threw out my thumb as a last resort. The vehicle drove by and I kind of threw up my arms in frustration, as if saying, what the hell man? Next thing you know, the car turned around and picked me up. It only took an hour and a half.

My ride was a single woman in her late 40s. She was on her way to Idaho, from Arizona. We got to talking and it turns out that we went to the same high school in Michigan! Just 12 years apart. What are the odds, in the middle of nowhere Nevada!

This is Preston… basically, just a truck stop that has a motel, convenience store and gas station. A bare-bones resupply stop

She dropped me off at the Lanes Ranch motel in Preston. I checked in and asked if my food box was there. It had not arrived. No problem, I’ll check back tomorrow. First thing I did was run over to the convenience store to see what kind of food they had. I was extremely disappointed when I learned that the cafe had just closed, and is closed all weekend. I was even more disappointed with the food selection in the convenience store, just a handful of microwavable sandwiches. I took a Big AZ chicken sandwich, which tasted pretty horrible.

Whew, section 1 of the Basin and Range Trail done, time to rest up a bit!

Day 5 – June 5th (zero day)

I ultimately ended up taking 3 full zero days, and they kind of blurred together. I checked the tracking number for my food box I sent to the hotel, and it updated this morning, saying my box had just been returned to Michigan, processing through the Detroit Center. Uh oh, I’m in trouble. The convenience store doesn’t have enough food for a 7-day hike (or really, a one day hike), so one way or another I’m going to need to figure out how to get to Ely to hit up Ridley’s grocery store.

Next I got started on chores, like laundry and recharging batteries. I stopped back in the motel office and talked to the lady up front, let her know that my food box was not going to arrive. There was another guy standing in the lobby talking to her, and overheard when I asked if she knew if anyone was going to Ely in the next couple Days. She did not, but the guy in the lobby was also works for the hotel, who will be relieving her later. He offered to let me take his car tomorrow and make a run to Ely. I was taken by surprise, as always when someone offers something so kind and generous. His name is Henry, and I will be seeing him all weekend.

At this point I know I’m going to stay at least all day today, Friday, and all day tomorrow, Saturday. Sunday is up in the air, we’ll see how my blisters heal up and how the weather plays out.

Not much else worth mentioning today. It was nice to relax in the motel room, really the first time I’ve been able to just sit there and relax in weeks, as I was working like a dog right up until the moment I left to come out here.

Day 6 – June 6th: Zero Day in Preston, NV

I stopped in the office this morning and talk to Henry, and grabbed his car to make a run to Ely. It was late morning now. It was cold and wet today, and perfect timing for a zero day. The skies were dark, and it began to rain, with snow likely at high elevations.

Got what I needed from Ridley’s. Then headed over to the post office to mail back some rocks and extra gear. Next, I placed an order at Hometown Pizza for an extra large 6 meat. This pizza will sustain me for the rest of the weekend. However, I wanted something right now as well. While I waited for them to cook the pizza, I headed over to Carl’s Junior and got a chicken strip combo meal. Holy shit, those chicken strips were insanely delicious! Maybe it was my Hunger, which was pretty much out of control now. I did not get to really pig out on anything yesterday, just a hoagie sandwich from the convenience store and some snacks. This really hit the spot.

Picked up the pizza, topped off the gas in the car, and headed back to the hotel. Dropped the car off, talked to Henry for a while. Pretty cool dude, we got along pretty well, talking about the outdoors and just life in general. He’s in his late seventies, but still moves around decently and gets out to explore. He offered to let me take his side by side open to the mountains tomorrow if I wanted to get out of the motel. Damn, so generous!

Spent the rest of the day in the motel room going over Maps for the next section, and debating overall Logistics moving forward. I decided to stay all day Sunday (tomorrow) too, since there were single digit wind chill temperatures up at Troy Peak for the next couple days, along with some potential snow from the storm.

Day 7 – June 7th: Zero Day in Preston, NV

Went into the front office and chatted with Henry for a while. Instead of taking the side-by-side, I took his advice to walk across the street and hunt for arrowheads. He gave me permission to look on the motel owners land, which he says has produced over 5000 arrowheads over the years. Sure, why not!

It felt a bit awkward to be on private property, but nevertheless I wandered the fields for a while. I found many chips and fragments from the Arrowhead making process, and a couple of full arrowheads. I did find one cutting tool, perhaps, so I took that with me too. It was much cooler today and looking like rain, so I only stayed out about an hour.

Back at the motel room, I re packaged my food, and continued to pine over map decisions. Went to bed around 10, a bit nervous about the next section. But you know, if you aren’t nervous about what’s coming up, maybe what you have planned is too easy? That’s how I think, anyways. I tried to clear my head so I could get some sleep.

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Basin And Range Trail, Original Thru-Hiking Routes, Thru Hiking | Tags: basin and range trail, great basin hiking, great basin thru hike, long distance hiking routes, nevada hiking, nevada thru hike, new thru hike routes, off trail thru hike, thru hike creations, thru hike journal, thru hikes, thru hikes that aren't national scenic trails, thru hiking | 1 Comment »