Using the inadequate topo we took a longer route to the summit than necessary, going left of a ridge where we should have gone right, but we were back to the car and headed for home by 3 pm and arrived in LA 2 am.
Total miles driven were 1734, miles hiked about 36. with about 15,000'gain. The trio was easily done in four days, though we didn't spend much time lounging around.
For those interested in future trips, the following information may be of some help.
Route to Wheeler was alright as is. From Wheeler the best route to Ruby Dome is: north thru Wells and Elko, then southeast toward Lamoille, following signs to Spring Canyon Campground at the mouth of Herman Canyon. From here, best route to Mt. Jefferson is: west to Carlin, south on Hwy 5O to Eureka, west on 50 to Nev 8A, south to Nev 69 thru Manhattan, and north on Nev 82 to Meadow Canyon. Follow signs over rough but passable road to Jefferson Summit sign. For Arc Dome from the west, return south on Nev 82 to Tonopah, west on Hwy 95 to Nev 23 (24 miles east of Hawthorne), north thru Gabbs to Nev 91, north thru Ione to the Reese River R.S., then southeast as described to Columbine Camp.
The Tonopah topo is some help, but not much. Best Forest Service map for Arc and Jefferson is Tonopah Ranger District D-5, Toiyabe N.F. (P0 Box 989, Tonopah, Nev.,89049). Best map for Ruby Dome is the Humbolt N.F., Ruby Division, (Humbolt N.F., Lamoille Ranger District, Lamoille, Nev., 89828). Topos are Lee and Lamoille, Nevada.


CHARLESTON, MUMMY Oct. 6-7 by LOIS FRACISCO

Five adults and six children met at the Nevada state line visitors center at 6 am. We proceeded from here to Jean where we ate a big breakfast and filled our gas tanks. There were supposedly no stations open in Las Vegas. After Jean we went to the airport, left a car for Horace Ory who might fly in Saturday night, if he could make it.
After all the side trips we made the trail head about 9 am. We went up the Mary Jane Campground Trail rather than the usual route. This proved to be much easier. The elevation gain is spread out over the entire trip rather than all at once. The leader was in camp by 11 am and the rest by 2 pm. We took possession of a large cave. There was some discussion of climbing Mummy, but no one actually moved so we just lay around and rested.
The kids built a small cooking fire with green wood. I don't know what it is with caves and smoke, anyway the bats left and we should have. The adults were in bed by 8 pm and the kids settled down about 10 pm, after adding a few more green logs to the fire. At twelve what sounded like a bull moose thrashing thru the brush, turned out to Horace Ory. He was accompanied by barking dogs and voices all over the camp. Never did find out how many bodies he stepped on in the dark. After a long smoky night on the rocky ground seven of us climbed Mummy, while the Vogel family went on to Charleston.
We made the peak about an hour and a half behind the Vogels. This included a long lunch break. On the way back my legs went rubbery, the ground had tendency to sway upward, and things got black a couple of times. After Ron took my pack and I was fed lemonade and peanut butter by solicitous friends who were really more worried about getting out by dark than in my health, I got my second wind and walked out. This was the second week in a row I felt sort of poorly. I went to the doctor who said I had Walking Pneumonia. I thought I better not tell him that I'd hiked over five peaks since I got the pneumonia. And so it was another successful children's and adults climb of a DPS Emblem Peak.

(And there were those who said Charleston is too easy to be an Emblem Peak. Ed.)
 
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