The playa passes quietly beneath the truck, a narrow path traced by the headlights in the predawn darkness. I had left Desna at Planet X to see what the sunrise might bring on the Black Rock Desert playa. A canopy of bright stars suggested that the desert sunrise would be…
Nevada High Points #96 – Sahwave Mountains
Juniper Mountain 7475 ft (2278 m) – 1960 ft gain 2021.11.27 Juniper Mountain – Sahwave Mountains Collection Desna, my wife and partner, was at Planet X for the weekend, it is winter sale time. Although the forecast remained stable with blue skies as far as any meteorologist could see, I…
Whitney Views – Owens Valley, CA
After coming down from the crest of the Inyo Mountains, having wrapped up our small project at the Saline Valley Salt Tram, I set up camp at a small playa on the east side of Owens Valley, north of Dolomite. Desna met me and we circled the wagons in a…
Saline Valley Salt Tram – Inyo Mountains, CA
In early November, a few colleagues and I traversed the challenging 4×4 trail that skirts the ridge line of the Inyo Mountains, from Cerro Gordo high above Owens Lake, to the remaining historic-era structures of the Saline Valley Salt Tram. Although subject of a heroic restoration project several years ago,…
Nevada High Points #95 – Palmetto Mountains
Harvey Peak 9285 ft (2830 m) – 1775 ft gain 2021.11.12 Harvey Peak – Palmetto Mountains Photo Collection I had planned to get out early for Second Friday, but because my brother, Darren, could not join this weekend and my back has spasmed oddly yesterday, I slept late. The schedule…
Fall Color – Smith Valley, NV
A storm had set in; great wind and slashing rain at StoneHeart throughout the night. And yet the Sierra seemed to have caught the storm by the tail keeping it from breaking further east. When this happens, the sunrise has promise. Hunting color at the edge of the storm, I…
Fall Color: A Rainy Evening in Hope Valley
Finally, rain. I spent the last week in the Mojave Desert, gouging around Las Vegas Valley, walking several ranges, and spending too much time in a casino conference center. I cannot complain about returning to in-person gatherings with colleagues and friends, but I still felt I needed the solace of…
Nevada High Points #94 – Bird Spring Range
Peak 5695 5695 ft (1736 m) – 1050 gain 2021.10.15 Peak 5965 – Bird Spring Range Photo Collection Thankfully, my time in Vegas was about over. Leaving the conference hotel in the early evening, I worked my way south toward Jean, Nevada, eventually turning west toward Goodsprings. I hit the…
Nevada High Points #92 – Frenchman Range
Frenchman Mountain 4052 ft (1235 m) – 2400 ft gain 2021.11.12 I slept much better in Kyle Canyon the other night. The past two nights, however, have been strange. I have a room at the Flamingo in Las Vegas; it is a perfectly fine room with a nice view, but…
Nevada High Points #91 – Spring Mountains
Charleston Peak 11,918 ft (3633 m) – 5300 ft gain 2021.11.09 We have not been on a big hill for a few months. The smaller, hidden gems are a pleasure, but nothing beats some elevation gain and ultimate altitude. I had a work week in southern Nevada, so we decided…