| From our viewpoint, the approach
routes seemed vague, but a friend of Andy's had climbed up one of two chutes
(known as "Russ' chute," after Russ White, the Nevada geologist and climber of
obscure western ranges) just below and to the west of the summit. Both chutes
were filled with snow, looked very steel) and crumbly. We decided to turn
immediately west, and climb the cirque wall on the west side of the Thompson
Creek drainage. This route went very well, as we followed narrow ledges below
the northwest ridge, to the saddle below the summit. From this point, the
summit of Ruby was approximately 250' of gain. When we reached the Spring Creek Association Campground and shooting range on the return trip, a number of shooters were plinking away at the range on the other side of the campground. As we walked down the road to our car, we noticed that the shooters had left the gate unlocked and open, and that the rancher's cattle were freely roaming and running all over Pleasant Valley Road! So much for blaming the unlocked gates of the past on the climbers! WHEELER PEAK (13,063'), The Snake Range, Great Basin National Park 3100' gain, 8.5 miles round-trip. Thursday, we drove more endless Nevada highways to Great Basin National Park, where we camped at 10,0(X)' Wheeler Campground. It would have been an absolutely beautiful, quiet evening beneath the stars, except for about ten drunken German tourists, in the only other inhabited site, singing songs of their homeland in falsetto, 'til a ranger finally wandered over. The next morning, we walked from the campground up the trail to Wheeler Peak, passing through aspens in the process of turning orange and gold. The trail is well-traveled all the way to the summit. On the summit of Wheeler, we met Pete Yamagata's friends, Lilly and Anna Chaput from Auburn, California, who were |
signing into the register which is kept in a mailbox. We felt like we were picking up the bills we left at home when we opened the mailbox and added a register book. We returned to Wheeler Campground around half past noon, cleaned up, and took the Lehman Caves Tour. Legend has it, that the rancher who discovered the caves, did so while traveling on horseback over the sage-covered terrain. He and his horse fell into a hole which turned out to be an opening into the caves. The rancher, who was fast with a rope, lassoed a tree before hitting bottom and he and his horse were suspended in air for four days until rescued. When he was finally rescued, his legs were permanently bowed from holding up the horse! After the tour we bid farewell to Great Basin National Park. and drove to Ely for dinner at the Copper Queen. From Ely, we drove once again across the Great Basin, reaching Bishop around midnight. In Bishop, we relaxed for a day before returning to the southland. It was another great trip to the spectacular Nevada desert. - WBZ |
