KNPB Home
|
||||||
      |
|
|
| The
Trip:
This area was first recorded by frontier explorer Captain John Fremont in 1844. The Applegate brothers then guided emigrant wagon trains through on their way to Oregon's Willamette Valley. In 1849 and into the 1850's it was also a well-known path to the gold fields and towns of California. The trail, though fairly well established, was not always a smooth or easy one. Alvin stops at a “wagon slide” near Fly Canyon, one of the many reminders of what a difficult journey this once was. This was where the pioneers used ropes tied around large boulders to lower wagons to over the steep hillside to the canyon floor. From the wagon slide, we descend a rough slope of jagged and broken rock and find ourselves in an area of striking geology. These magnificent volcanic slabs tower above us on either side. We continue through the canyon to a geologic pothole. You can’t help but be struck, not only by the size of the holes, but by how perfectly cylindrical they are. The stone walls are almost perfectly smooth as though they have been sanded or polished clean. Which if you consider the rushing water that it took to create these landmarks, I guess they have.
With the help of the ladder, it’s an easy scramble in and out of the enormous pothole. We take the time to explore the unexpected and unusual geologic landmark before we are all back up on the canyon floor and heading back to the vehicle. It’s about 3 miles down the trail to High Rock Canyon. The road gets progressively more remote and difficult to drive. A four-wheel drive is definitely need for this. In addition, the thunderstorms and clouds that have been threatening us all day finally decide to get serious. We stop for lunch and try to keep out of the downpour and watch the lightning. During a break in the rain we continue down the road to a historic landmark in the area. The pioneers of the Applegate-Lassen trail left their mark here carving their names or signing them in axle grease as they traveled down the trail. As the rain continues and slows our progress down the canyon road, we have to decide whether we have the time to visit Mahogany Canyon. Since we still have a few miles to drive before we reach camp and the conditions are getting muddier and muddier, we decide just to proceed to Yellow Rock Canyon and our campsite for the night. This segment of road is definitely only for high clearance four-wheel drives; it is rutted and choked with vegetation. The rain makes the trail even more difficult. We hit a sticky spot that has been made slick and sticky with mud, but with a little maneuvering Alvin gets us through. Finally, we reach Yellow Rock and we have just enough time to make camp and have something to eat before dark.
With pounding hearts, we reach the base of the fallen rock. And it's an amazing site. Alvin estimates that the opening is about 40 feet high and 8 feet wide. This arch was formed when the huge slab broke off the cliff about 150 feet up and slammed into the ground, wedging itself at the bottom. The top then leaned up against the face of the cliff. The steepness of this slope and the drop off through the opening can easily make you loose your sense of balance. Alvin leads us on a second hike in the morning; this one to investigate an unusual petroglyph that is in the area. We continue along a closed road in one of the BLM's wilderness areas. We have about two miles to go before we reach our next destination. This is a great area for a hike, loaded with beautiful scenery, rock pinnacles, chuckers and hawks.
Back in the vehicle, we continue down the canyon road we drive by some striking mountains made up of basalt and ash. We also encounter some treacherous wash areas that make us glad that Alvin is a safe and experienced off-road driver. Looking down into the ditch that runs along our path, we’re also glad that the road didn’t wash out during last night’s rains. We make our way out of High Rock Canyon and head west in the direction of Stevens Camp. We can’t help but enjoy the gorgeous desert scenery and even get the opportunity to see a herd of wild horses running through the area. We leave the Applegate-Lassen trail and turn south to visit another unique feature of this area.
The stone boy figures were often positioned on the high spots in the desert making them visible on the horizon from a distance. It has been speculated by some that the stone figures were manmade landmarks; while other argue they were simply a way for sheepherders to occupy their time and to provide themselves with companionship in the lonely Nevada desert. After a couple more miles of wilderness area road, we reach Route 34. After the many miles of rutted and bumpy jeep trail we’ve traveled, this grated dirt road feels like a major paved highway.
We continue on Route 34 for about 20 more miles. We have one final stop on this trip, at Fly Ranch. This is private property and trespassing is not allowed. Fortunately, we were able to make arrangements to enter the ranch and visit the Fly Geyser. The geyser is actually a well that was drilled in the 1960s to tap geothermal energy. When the well wasn't capped, the minerals in the water were deposited on the flat surface around the wellhead. And over the years the geyser took shape becoming a colorful and amazing landmark. Thanks to the advisors and contributors of Wild Nevada Program #209:
|
||
From
Soldier Meadows, we turn northwest toward High Rock Canyon. The sky
is a bit overcast as we begin our adventure, but we can see blue sky
on the horizon, so we hope that means that the clouds will burn off
soon. The road, which takes us by the Soldier Meadows Hot Springs soon,
meets up with the 
Alvin
promises an even more impressive pothole ahead, so we follow him back
to the jeep. We drive only a quarter mile before setting out again further
up the same canyon. Alvin suggests we take his climbing rope and ladder
with us this time. Which makes us wonder exactly how big the Big Pothole
really is.
We
begin the second day of our trip with a hike up to a striking area landmark
– a fallen rock arch. There’s no trail to follow here, so
we’re just kind of bushwacking our way up. What better way to
wipe the sleep from your eyes than hiking up a forty five degree hill,
right? 
Leaving
the canyon walls behind us, we move into flatter land and follow the
drainage to a rocky area that Alvin remembers as the location of the
petroglyph panel. He points out an usual bit of art on the rock –
an elephant with a spear in its sign. You have to wonder how many prehistoric
Nevadans knew what a elephant looked like and just how old the petrogylph
really is.
This
area was used as grazing land by Basque shepherds in the late 1800’s
and throughout the early part of the 20th century. While tending their
flocks, the sheepherders would sometimes create structures of stacked
stones called "stone boys" or in Basque arri mutilla.
A
few miles down the road, we stop for a look at a few million years of
Nevada history at the