Nevada Wilderness along the desert trail

In summer 2005, I joined other members of Desert Survivors to conclude a backpacking relay over the desert trail, which traversed some of the most beautiful country I have ever walked through. Desert Survivors has now completed mapping and hiking all segments of this unbroken route through wild country from the southern edge of California to the northern edge of Nevada.

The desert trail has been routed to take advantages of natural water sources (documented in guidebooks available from Desert-Survivors.org online). Springs and creeks in High Rock Canyon and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge are close enough together to permit carrying a day's supply or less. Carrying all food, and lightweight camping gear, pack weights in the group varied between 38 and 50 pounds. Further reductions could be achieved if we shared stoves and tents, but somehow, the individualists attracted to these sort of treks seem to prefer their "own brand." We used vehicle shuttles at the endpoints of each segment to allow chilled rewards that surpass what would otherwise be required: "turn around and walk back four days to see if the cooler is still ... cool."

In mid-June, weather was perfect for hiking, with light breezes and daytime highs near 75 degrees. Weather adds definition to the sky, and proportion to the mesas, so the prospect of light rain is welcome. Gazing over 50 miles from a flat-topped mesa, the earth's curvature is accentuated by the arc of flat-bottomed clouds. Knee-high grass rustles softly, distinct from the dry rattle heard in fall. The smell of sage is everywhere. When the breeze slows, industrious bees carry pollen from flower to flower using their legs. Crickets play as the evening temperature falls through their "mating call" range. Bats herald the emergence of more stars than city folk could ever imagine. The occasional curious coyote sniffs at our camp from the downwind side. One wonders if it is he that we hear in the chorus later, far away.

Wildflowers abound at certain times of normal years, but since 2005 was the best wildflower year in 100, our progress seemed to be merely from one bloom's beauty to the next. The value of protection from grazing of domesticated stock becomes obvious when prolific wildflowers and natural grasses are separated by fences from nothing-much-but-sagebrush islands, set apart by wide areas of stomped-into-dust soil. It saddens me that taxpayers are forced to subsidize this sort of damage by government regulations that establish below-actual-cost grazing fees, especially when nearly all the beef raised for domestic consumption comes from non-western states.

At the end of most segments, there is a welcome chance to have a cold beverage, sit on something made to cushion the human anatomy, and share a hearty meal of something too heavy or perishable to carry in a backpack. At Bog Hot Creek, the weary found their preferred temperature by sitting in just the blend of hot and cool currents. No lights, no handrails, no dress code (you get the idea). Our big celebration at the Oregon border town of Denio, Nev., included a festive red umbrella, a chilled bottle of champagne the group barely managed to finish, and a dance on the highway's cattle guard (try that with bare feet!). It is big sky country, beckoning you to visit these so quintessentially American places.

ooo

Nevada County computer consultant Nicholas George walked a few hundred miles across western wilderness in 2005. Those wanting to plan their own travel are welcome to visit these Web sites: www.applied-design.com/nickj/desert-trail/ and http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/SierraNevada/ online.