Jewel basin Birch lake July 16, 2010

View from outside Jewel basin back towards Flathead lake

Location: Jewel basin is a beautiful hiking area in the Swan Mountains of Montana. The area has over 20 miles of hiking trails which access 20 lakes. The lakes have high populations of cutthroat trout for anglers. All hikers and backpackers need to be aware that Jewel basin and all areas in the Swan range are inhabited by grizzly and black bear. That means backpackers need to hang their food at night and hikers need to be aware of their surroundings potentially hiking with bear spray.

The hike: Today I met my friend Andrew Freeman at 8 am for a hike to Birch lake. We wanted to get started early because the parking lot will fill up with cars by mid morning. We skirted Mt. Aeneas and followed the trail 5 miles one way to Brich lake and one mile beyond on Alpine trail number seven. The weather was beautiful and views were spectacular.

Vegetation and snow around Birch lake

Birch lake and surroundings

Holland Lake trail hike July 14, 2010

Picture taken above Holland Lake with the Mission Mts in the background

Location: Today's hike is taking place at Holland Lake which is located nine miles to the south of Condon, Montana, off of Highway 83. Holland Lake is a popular recreation spot for campers, boaters, and fisherman. Hikers use the area to access trails which run into the Swan Mountains and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The trails are popular with long-haul backpackers and oufitters throughout the summer. Remember the Swan Mountains and Bob Marshall Wilderness is bear habitat. Be aware when hiking and raise food at night. It is recommended to carry bear spray.

The hike: Today I will hike on trail 42 climbing up near Holland Peak to Sapphire Lake. Leaving Sapphire I will hike to Upper Holland Lake and back to the trailhead by trail 35. Backpackers can leave trail 42 and hike into the Bob Marshall by way of Necklace Lakes near Holland Peak. The loop will be approximately 15 miles. Tree life in this part of Montana is predominately Douglas fir, Lodgepole pine and Ponderosa pine in the lower elevations and Subalpine fir and Whitebark Pine in the higher elevations.

Above upper Holland Lake in the Swan Mountains

Sapphire Lake in the Swan Range

July 9, 2010 Gray Lake East Humboldt Mountains

Above Gray lake with mountain scenery in background

Location: The East Humboldt Mountains are a range in Elko County which run from outside Wells, Nevada, to Secret Pass near the Starr Valley of Nevada. The range is overshadowed by the Ruby Mountains to the west. The main entrance point into the range is Angel Lake. The drive itself to the lake is beautiful and well worth it. The easiest hike is to Smith Lake. I enjoy hiking in them because they are less popular but very dramatic. The range has a number of lakes to hike to and dramatic peaks to climb. The tallest peak is Hole in the Wall (11,306). The vegetation is similar to the Ruby range with Aspen, Limber Pine, and Whitebark Pine as the predominate tree species.

Trail: The trail I hiked today leaves Angel Lake and ends at Gray Lake approximately seven miles into the East Humboldt wilderness. The hike is extremely strenuous with dramatic hill climbs and descents. A hiker will be rewarded with fantastic views of other mountain ranges to the west and north. Remember to carry plenty of water because the sun is intense during the summer. This hike should be tried by anyone who is not in good physical condition.

Beautiful mountain scenery


Picture taken from ridge overlooking Gray Lake

Metropolis, Nevada July 8, 2010

The town school with the East Humboldt Mounains in the background

Todays post will be about Metropolis Nevada, which is a ghost town 24 miles to the north of Wells, Nevada.

History: Metropolis has a colorful history as an agricultural experiment. It began as a joint venture in 1909 between the Pacific Reclamation Company and the Metropolis Improvement Company. To lure Utahns to resettle in Metropolis the companies started a promotional campaign claiming fertile land. It was fraudulant because the area was in the Starr Valley of Utah not Nevada.

Before the Mormon church could encourage people to resettle in the new town a dam on Bishop creek had to be built. This new dam would irrigate crops and provide water for the town. Builders used 6.5 million bricks from the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake. Wet years in 1911 and 1912 also facilitated resettlement. 1912 was the boom year for Metropolis. In town a beautiful hotel and school were built (photos below). A newspaper called the Metropolis Chronicle started publication and a daily railroad service transported people to and from Wells.

The boom did not last long for three reasons. First, Lovelock farmers filed suit about water rights on Bishop Creek. As a result, the resovoir could not fill drastically decreasing the amount of acres that could be irrigated. In 1914 the wet years ended which led to a cricket and jackrabbit infestation devastating crops. Finally, in 1916 a Typhoid epidemic swept through town killing many residents. Overtime, remaining residents left and the iconic school and hotel succumbed to fire and vandalism (information from: Old Heart of Nevada Ghost towns and mining camps of Elko County By: Shawn Hall).

The beautiful school in town

The arch in the front of the school

A ghostly image of the school with the desert in the foreground

July 7, 2010 Ruby Crest Trail Hike

Looking deep into the wilderness from Liberty lake

Location: The Ruby Mountains are a beautiful range in the eastern part of Elko County Nevada. The range is over 80 miles long and 12 miles wide. They are commonly referred to as the "Swiss Alps of Nevada" because of their dramatic terrain and alpine lakes. The Rubys run east-west from the end of East Humboldt Mountains. There are many trailheads in the range even though most of them are hard to find and the roads are unmaintained. The main location for hiking, camping, and exploring is Lamoille Canyon. The canyon is to the south of Elko and easy to find.

The hike: Today's hike was on the Ruby Crest trail which runs from the end of the Lamoile Canyon to Harrison Pass a length of 45 miles. The trail runs through the heart of the Rubys showing much of its dramatic scenery. The major vegetation of the trail is Aspen in the lower elevations and Limber and Whitebark Pine in the upper elevations.

Looking back towards Lomoille Canyon near Liberty Pass

Lamoille lake showing ice and snow in July

Floating Island and Indian Cave June 21, 2010

Floating Island with sparse desert environment

Today, I drove out the Silver Island Mountains Scenic Byway to explore Floating Island and Indian cave. Floating Island stands by itself in the salt flats next to the Silver Island Mountains it is approximately 24 miles one way from the nearest gas station. As a result, a visitor needs to have a full tank of gas, spare tire, food, and water. It is a long walk if your car breaks down. The desert in this part of Utah is accessible by dirt roads. The roads are pasable by most cars in the best conditions. Indian cave is on BLM land in the southeastern part of Floating Island. It is accessible by a 1.5 mile hike in the desert.

Outside of Indian Cave

Looking out into the desert from inside cave

Dirt road in the desert on the side of Floating Island

Angel Lake June 17

Today, I decided to go hiking up at Angel Lake. Angel Lake is 13 miles outside of Wells in the East Humboldt Mountains. The area is very scenic and a fun place to go hiking. I knew that I was taking a chance on encountering snow because Nevada has had a cool, rainy June so far. I left Angel Lake with the intentions of heading to Grey Lake (about a six mile hike one way). After two miles, I encountered steep snowfields and turned around. The trail up to Smith lake had even more snow. The weather was wonderful and ten days should melt the snow.