We drove through the middle of Nevada on what is called the “Loneliest Road in the World”. About the only people we saw were workers laying miles and miles of fiber optic cable across the state. We finally arrived at our campground late in the afternoon and grabbed the last site available. The campground was situated at 10,000 feet amidst a beautiful forest of aspens. The night sky was vividly clear, and I watched the stars for a long time.
In the morning, Jason and I got out of our sleeping bags early to hike up Wheeler Peak. The summit rises above 13,000 feet, and it’s almost the highest point in the state. After about a mile of hiking we startled about a dozen deer meandering through a meadow.
At about the halfway point, Jason decided to turn back since he was feeling the effects of the altitude. I continued to the top, and met a hiker from Germany. He told me that this was “his first 4,000 meter peak”, and he was very pleased. I gazed down at the only glacier in Nevada. It looked like the entire glacier could’ve been swallowed up by a single crevasse on Mt. Rainier!
Later in the day, Scott and I hiked to a grove of Bristlecone Pines. These trees are gnarly and ancient. Several specimens have been found that approach 5,000 years in age! In the early 60′s, the US Forest Service inexplicably granted permission to cut down one of the more well known trees named “Prometheus”. After it was studied, it was determined to be the oldest living thing on earth – at least it used to be. When the general public heard this story, the outcry was great, and this was one of the sparks that started today’s environmental movement.
Before departing, we took the full tour of Lehman Cave. It was discovered in 1885 by rancher Absalom Lehman. The limestone formations are very impressive, and I think this cave is more richly decorated than any I’ve seen before.
Indians used this cave as a burial ground, but they didn’t venture much further than the entrance. The Indian remains were removed when Lehman started giving tours, but in 1992, the Park Service re-buried them in the cave.
Popularity: 4% [?]
