Major production funding for Wild Nevada is made possible by the Nevada Commission on Tourism, who encourages everyone to explore the Silver State's hidden treasures.

MUSIC >>Dave Santina: Hi, I'm Dave Santina.

>>Chris Orr: And, I'm Chris Orr.

Welcome to Wild Nevada.

Today, we're hiking part of the Tahoe Rim Trail.

We're accessing the Trail from the Spooner Summit Trailhead, which is located just off of U.S.

Highway 50 and not far from Spooner Junction where Highway 50 and Highway 28 meet.

>>Dave: The Tahoe Rim Trail is a 150 mile loop trail that goes through both California and Nevada on its way around Lake Tahoe, and it incorporates three national forests and three wilderness areas and, of course, has beautiful views of the Lake and the mountains that surround it.

>>Chris: Also today, we're gonna be revisiting some of our favorite excursions from previous episodes in a "Best Of" Special.

And, our first segment takes us a little bit closer to Pyramid Lake than to Lake Tahoe, but the trail offered great views along the way.

>>Dave: Yeah, one of our frequent travel partners, Alvin McLane, took us into a canyon in Spanish Springs and showed us some amazing petroglyphs.

>>Dave: There are a number of petroglyph sites in this area.

Alvin's taking us to one that lies at the bottom of the canyon.

We cross a field of brush and rocks before we see the canyon open up in front of us.

MUSIC >>Alvin McLane: Well, here we are makin' it down to the main canyon.

This is the main canyon with the petroglyphs, so we'll, they start down here and so we'll just continue on up to where the nice, where the nice, uh, panels are.

>>Dave: It's a pretty canyon.

>>Alvin: Yeah.

Interesting to get out here, hike.

MUSIC >>Chris: I don't know how many petroglyphs we'll see up ahead, but this is such a fun place to hike it wouldn't matter if there were any there at all.

I enjoy the views along the trail just for themselves.

>>Dave: The early sunlight brings out the colors of the canyon rocks and the contrast from light to shadow makes the scenery all the more impressive.

>>Alvin: Now, we're gettin' to a good area.

>>Dave: Whoa!

>>Chris: Over here.

>>Dave: Look at all of those!

Wow.

>>Alvin: One of the, uh, one of the better panels close to Reno.

>>Dave: That is incredible!

>>Alvin: You can see the different ages of the petroglyphs.

You can see where some that'll look pretty, pretty crisp and clear.

>>Dave: Yeah.

>>Alvin: And, you can see some, some looks like they're older.

>>Dave: Kinda have faded?

>>Alvin: Yeah, where the patina has developed over them.

>>Dave: Is there a way to determine from the, the fading or the, the clearness of it how old it is?

>>Alvin: The, the only thing that we can determine is, you can also see in there the, the lighter ones?

Okay, that just, uh, means that it's, was made later.

They're more recent than the older looking ones.

And, it's just a relative age.

>>Dave: Hmm.

>>Alvin: Uh, there hasn't been a technique developed yet to really date, uh, the, uh, petroglyphs.

>>Chris: Were these Washoe or Paiute or do they predate...?

>>Alvin: Well, we're, we're very close to the, uh, uh, boundary line between the Washoe and the Paiute, uh, Indians.

And, what I've seen in all the territories around in Nevada and the Great Basin, I really don't see that much difference in the elements... ... uh, between, uh, between the territory boundaries.

And, so, personally, I think that most petroglyphs that we have pre-date the, um, uh, local or the modern Native Americans as we know them today.

Coming around the corner here where we've got a few more petroglyphs, panels.

Yeah, there's another one of my cross with four circles back there.

Circles.

>>Dave: Lotsa shapes.

>>Alvin: You got a, uh, human, human figure right over... >>Dave: Oh, yeah.

>>Alvin: ... by, the shadow's almost startin' to hit it.

>>Dave: Right there.

Head, legs.

Now, we can come right up to these, but, uh, I mean, are, are people, is it bad to touch these?

>>Alvin: Yeah, you don't wanna, you don't wanna put anything on petroglyph panels because anything, like the oils from your hand, can contaminate the patina.

>>Dave: Mm, hmm.

>>Alvin: If, um, you don't wanna chalk them or, or touch them.

>>Chris: So, the best way to enjoy them is just... >>Alvin: Just enjoy them with a photograph.

[chuckles] >>Dave: Yeah.

>>Alvin: Or take a picture.

>>Chris: Just look at them.

>>Dave: Look, but do not touch.

>>Alvin: And, look at 'em.

Here, we're comin' up on a interesting solar phenomenon compared on one of the, uh, petroglyph panels.

And, I'll kind of... ... kneel down here and show how the, uh, how the interaction is... >>Chris: Shadow there in the right place.

>>Alvin: Yeah.

So, you can see the, uh, shadow from this rock right here that you're sittin' on, how it cuts, how it's startin' to cut across this.

>>Chris: So, it makes it a solar interaction because the, they're using the contrast of the shadow >>Alvin: Shadow.

>>Chris: and the light.

>>Alvin: Right.

Interacting on, so, this is called a 'indirect' interaction.

If you see the sun itself, where it comes up behind a peak or something... >>Chris: Mm, hmm.

>>Alvin: ... a sharp peak or a sharp notch, that's a 'direct' interaction.

When you see interactions like this that only interacts on, there's eight important solar dates during the year.

>>Dave: Mm, hmm.

>>Alvin: And, I think especially the winter time would be an important time to know, uh, uh, the shortest day of the year, well, when they could watch that sun slowly creepin' across the horizon, moving back, what's gonna be a renewal of life, it's gonna get warm again, plants are gonna grow, I think that was the important, to mark that, the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

>>Dave: That's fascinating.

>>Dave: Alvin has shown us a place that feels like it's isolated from modern civilization yet is only a few miles from thousands of people.

We thank him for bringing us here as we head out for Tahoe Meadows.

We'll see Alvin again tomorrow.

MUSIC >>Chris: There's a great overlook right over here.

>>Dave: Good, see a nice view.

Ah, yeah.

I do like that.

Let's see, that's Spooner Lake right there in the foreground.

And, then in the distance, that's Lake Tahoe.

>>Chris: Yep.

>>Dave: That's beautiful.

There are a lot of beautiful panoramic views of the Lake at all kinds of different junctions around the Tahoe Rim Trail.

In fact, anywhere you are on the Trail, you're not far from a beautiful view.á >>Chris: When we were traveling in Central Nevada with a friend of ours, Rich Moreno, who's publisher of Nevada Magazine, we saw some equally incredible though very different lake views.

It's an area known simply as "The Sump."

>>Dave: Yeah, The Sump was an ancient lake bed dried out and the, the drainage area from that water and as the water rushed through, it carved out some amazing natural landscapes.

MUSIC >>Rich Moreno: This is where, basically, we drop into the wash area where The Sump drains.

Um, The Sump, of course, being an unusual name because... [chuckles] >>Chris: What is The Sump?

>>Rich: ... it basically means like a cesspool.

>>Dave: Yeah.

[chuckles] >>Rich: Um, when you in the... Yeah.

>>Dave: You're thinkin', "What?

What is this place you're gonna take us to?"

>>Chris: You're takin' us to a cesspool?

>>Rich: Right.

No, it's a, it's actually a drainage area.

It's a natural drainage area which is what's, um, caused these formations in the minerals that are there to, to form.

Um, the, the towers and etc., is a harder rock has remained behind as, as the, uh, the softer material has been washed out through erosion.

So, that's where the name comes from is that, that it's basically an, a drainage area, a natural drainage area.

>>Chris: Do you ever tell anybody that your favorite place in the entire state is a cesspool?

>>Rich: Uh, no... [laughs] >>Rich: ... I usually say it's The Rubies.

[laughs] MUSIC >>Chris: So, what are we looking at here, Rich?

>>Rich: Well, um, this is, this is the entrance to The Sump.

And, basically, we're seeing the area where it drains out.

And, you can see, when I was, uh, from the way some of these formations are, these, this is what's left behind as a result of erosion, as water, elements, wind, etc., has, uh, kinda carved out.

And, the reason that, uh, they're left behind is it's made out of a harder material, a harder stone.

Generally, these are, are like the, uh, remains of petrified tree, uh, stumps.

And, over here you can see that it looks like a wood pile from a distance.

>>Dave: Yeah.

>>Rich: But, let's get up close.

And, you can see it's wood-colored rock.

>>Dave: These are rocks!

>>Rich: Yeah, these are rocks.

>>Chris: So, now, is this petrified wood?

>>Rich: Yeah... >>Chris: I mean, it was it once wood?

>>Rich: ... this is basically like what, yeah, this is petrified wood.

You can see, in some of them, some of the, uh, you know, some of the, the wood grain in it.

Look over there.

If we wanna walk up to this ridge.

>>Dave: Yeah.

>>Rich: Um, it, it just looks like a whole bunch of piles of wood.

>>Dave: Oh, yeah.

>>Rich: There are... There.

>>Dave: It looks like a... >>Rich: ... and each one of these... >>Dave: ... it looks like, uh, sawdust... >>Rich: That's right.

... falling here, and here, and here.

>>Rich: Little sawdust piles.

And, each one of these is the remains of, of where there was a tree stump at one time.

And, it's kind of eroded down.

>>Dave: How can such a place exist?

Well, the story behind it is really fascinating.

Twenty-five million years ago, this was part of an ancient lake known as Lake Esmeralda.

Runoff carried mud and other sediment into the lake and over the eons it dried and hardened leaving behind it the multicolored landscape of today.

>>Chris: But, that's not all.

Volcanos sent ash into the air which then covered the crust.

Millions of years of geological upheaval, eruptions and erosion from wind and water, then combined to create this mile-and-a-half of natural sculpture.

>>Chris: Is this the tower that you see in the photo?

>>Rich: Yeah, this is the one you see in all the photographs... >>Dave: That's... >>Rich: ... is this one right here.

>>Dave:... the one I recognize.

>>Rich: Yeah.

But, yeah, this is one of those petrified tree stumps.

And, you can see it's probably the best example in The Sump.

Uh, you can see the, the wood at the top and then the way that it's eroded down, so... MUSIC >>Rich: Now, I just dare you to climb it, Dave.

>>Dave: Oh, you know... [laughs] ... I was just about to.

>>Chris: I think you'd do a little damage to try to climb it.

>>Rich: Yeah.

>>Dave: Oh, boy, I don't think I'd be gettin' too far up there.

>>Rich: No.

But you can see... >>Dave: It's very slick.

>>Rich: ...this is a pretty fragile place.

>>Dave: Yeah.

>>Chris: Yeah.

>>Dave: I mean it's, it's >>Rich: It's kind of a clay material.

>>Dave: Even this, you know, just feelin' it... >>Rich: Yeah.

>>Dave: ... you can just feel the brittleness of it.

>>Rich: Exactly.

And, it's, you know, it's, it's so delicate you wanna leave it as is.

>>Rich: Right.

>>Dave: It's great to look at, though.

>>Rich: Yeah.

MUSIC >>Dave: Does it look like a lamb's head to you?

[chuckles] It looks like a lamb's head to me.

>>Rich: Yeah.

Kind of.

[chuckles] Or a dog's face.

>>Dave: Alright, some kind of a... [laughs] ... yeah, I can, I see the dog now, too.

>>Rich: Yeah.

>>Dave: There's probably lots of different shapes in these, in these hills.

MUSIC >>Dave: This looks like camel humps.

MUSIC >>Dave: So delicate.

You know, it's, you almost don't wanna touch it but it just, you know, just delicately touching it, it feels just like, it just feels like just a big clump of sand and if, you know, if like I pushed it, it would come apart.

But, it won't.

It's solid.

But, it's like a huge sand painting and, and the colors are so rich, and they just smoothly form all around it.

It's like nothin' you've ever seen before.

MUSIC >>Chris: The Sump is an incredible place, sublime and serene at the same time.

The textures and color of the landscape are so unusual that you really do feel like you've just stepped out of the desert into a strange and isolated new world.

It's a fascinating place to explore.

MUSIC MUSIC >>Chris: There's some great rocks.

Should go scramble up and see the view?

>>Dave: Oh, yeah.

I love jumpin' on the rocks.

MUSIC >>Dave: Hah, nice little scramble to the top of these rocks, but the view is worth it.

>>Chris: The Tahoe Rim Trail is comprised of nine different sections.

Each can be accessed by its own trailhead.

It's rated at moderate and its elevation range is anywhere from 6,300 feet to 10,300 feet.

>>Dave: The Trail's accessible to hikers of all different abilities and about 3,000 people come here to use the Trail every year.

Now, a more difficult and remote trail is the Highland Ridge Route at Great Basin National Park.

>>Chris: The Ridge Trail took us along the spine of several different peaks all at 11,000 feet in elevation or above.

It's definitely a test of our stamina and our hiking skills.

>>Dave: We reach the staging point for our hike.

Rob uses a topographical map to show us where we're going.

>>Rob Ewing: We're gonna be starting at about, our hike here at about 11,400 to 11,200.

We're gonna climb up to 11,650, and that shows it here on this big peak.

And, we're gonna drop down and go through these saddles, and that's this small one here.

Then we're gonna climb this really big one.

This is the biggest one.

This is, uh, Pyramid Peak - 11,775, and we're gonna drop down and we're gonna climb back up to this next one which is, uh, 11,772 feet.

So, we're gonna gain back everything we just lost.

This is gonna be hard on our knees and it's gonna be hard on our lungs.

[Laughs] And, then we'll be there.

[Laughs] >>Chris: This is the part I'm worried about, right there.

>>Rob: Yeah.

[Laughs] It's gonna be tough.

But, it's gonna be worth it.

All along this route we're gonna be looking down.

We're gonna be on the basically the backbone of this entire mountain range.

We're gonna be lookin' down on our left and our right at all these beautiful watersheds, and the panoramas up here are, uh, they're unsurpassable.

You can't, you can't touch 'em.

This is great.

>>Dave: Can't wait for it.

>>Chris: Sounds gorgeous.

MUSIC >>Dave: Most important part right here... ahhh... a little water.

>>Rob: And I'll be just that much lighter now.

>>Dave: This is what it feels like to gain 40 pounds in an instant.

MUSIC >>Rob: Over here is Lincoln Peak.

>>Dave: What kind of trees are these up here?

>>Rob: These are bristlecones.

>>Dave: Is that bristlecone pine?

>>Rob: Really a neat tree because you can see the bristlecone how sections of the roots die, but the rest of the tree lives on and continues to grow around the dead portions of the tree.

We're gonna hike through a bunch of really neat bristlecone groves, which is one of the great features about this hike, that are really ancient bristlecones, 4,000 year old trees.

Is this rock wall not just incredible!

[Laughs] >>Chris: Wow, that's gorgeous.

>>Rob: No place else in the state of Nevada are you gonna have anything like this.

I guarantee ya.

>>Dave: I guarantee ya.

How tall do you think that is?

>>Rob: That's, it, I've been told it's 600 feet.

Um, another neat thing about up here is you'll see a lot of these plants up here is on top of this Mt.

Washington there is a specific plant that grows nowhere else on the planet Earth except up here and it's called 'Holmgren's Buckwheat'.

If we see some, I'll point it out.

MUSIC >>Rob: An old mining adit.

Uh, right up here where, uh, they used to do mining.

Hey, wow!

That's the Big Horn ram!

>>Dave: Where?

Oh, look at that!

>>Rob: He's a old guy, he's been up here for years.

This is such a rare opportunity to see one in person and even get this close to one.

>>Chris: The ram doesn't let us get too close.

As soon as we start in his direction, and he catches our scent on the wind, he leaves the area.

We marvel at the agility and ease with which he handles the ridge top.

MUSIC >>Dave: Our initial climb brings us to the peak of Mt.

Washington and we get a good look at the route we're gonna follow.

>>Rob: We're about four miles from Baker Lake.

About three miles from Johnson Lake.

We're gonna just follow this ridge.

This ridge is like the spine of a back, the backbone or spine of a snake, it just [wind blowing] all the way from the north to the south of this park [wind blowing] this ridge, just kinda bushwhack it 'til we pick up the trail again.

We're gonna follow it right along, you can see it down here going along the top of these ridges through that grey-colored stone, through the white-colored stone, up over that red-colored stuff, along the top of that ridge, then over the mountain that's, uh, Pyramid Peak.

And, we're gonna drop down the side of that and then we'll be at, uh, Johnson Lake.

>>Dave: This is a beautiful spot.

>>Chris: It is gorgeous.

MUSIC >>Chris: It's a slow and careful descent from the top of Mt.

Washington.

Out here, you have to provide for yourself.

So, it's important not only to remember the essentials like food, drinking water and sunscreen, but to think about what you might need, like moleskin for blisters.

And, dry socks.

MUSIC >>Rob: Unfortunately, we haven't gone that far.

We are right here.

>>Dave: Oh yeah that up and down was right there.

>>Rob: We came all the way down and we're right here.

We're gonna go up over this one, down a little bit... ... and climb the big one.

MUSIC >>Dave: Everywhere you look from up here you see another breathtaking view.

We have a second brush with wildlife as a buck appears in front of us on the path.

MUSIC >>Chris: Our next climb is a tough one up loose rock.

This is a challenge for everyone and requires a deliberate pace to find sure footing.

MUSIC >>Rob: Well, I think this is a good spot to pull the map out.

>>Dave: And see where we may be.

>>Rob: It's definitely wild Nevada, huh?

[Laughs] >>Robb: Let's see what we got here.

>>Dave: This is the breezy part, right?

>>Rob: Alright.

I think, this peak right here [wind] hasn't got a name just a number 11,775 feet.

>>Dave: Uh, huh.

>>Rob: I think that's what we're on.

That's Williams Canyon, uh, Dry canyon.

Wheeler Peak.

Right up in front of us along this ridge, the Highland Ridge here, is Pyramid Peak.

That ridge lying right there is this one right here.

We drop over that ridge we're at Johnson Lake.

Then, you see over here, this big little canyon?

>>Dave: Yeah.

>>Chris: Yeah.

>>Rob: Cirque >>Dave: Uh.

>>Rob: The bottom of that is Baker Lake.

>>Dave: Oh, we're not that far.

>>Rob: Either place, yeah, great places for a hike.

>>Dave: Alright.

Alright.

MUSIC >>Chris: From this point we have to pick our way along the jagged surface for a good distance.

It quickly becomes apparent that we're not gonna make it all the way to Baker Lake before dark.

Getting trapped on the ridge top after the sun sets could be dangerous.

So, we decide to spend the night at Johnson Lake.

MUSIC >>Dave: Everything looks different from up here, even the sunset.

From where we stand an immense blanket of shadow extends to the east for miles warning us that we should get down to Johnson Lake before nightfall.

MUSIC >>Chris: The Tahoe Rim Trail was truly a labor of love.

It was built by thousands of volunteers and the outdoor enthusiasts still maintain it, keeping it in good repair and accessible to those who want to use it.

>>Dave: Accessibility was the issue in the Spring when we went to the ghost town of Santa Clara in the Humboldt Range.

There are an awful lot of well-preserved stone ruins there.

But, just to get there you have to endure an arduous off-road journey.

>>Dave: It looks like the road ends here.

>>Alan Patera: This is the end of the road.

From here, it's a walk.

It's basically a bushwhack 'cause there's not ever really a trail.

But... >>Chris: What distinguishes Santa Clara from the other ghost towns in this area?

>>Alan: Well, it never, it was never a really a very important mining camp but, uh, what really distinguishes it is you can't get there very easily.

[laughs] It's the only one that doesn't have a road up to it.

And, if you really want to see something that, uh, most people have never seen, uh, this is a good place to try.

>>Dave: This doesn't seem like a path that would lead to a town of any kind, but it is an enjoyable hike.

>>Chris: How many people lived up here?

>>Alan: Oh, probably only 80 or 100 at most.

>>Dave: The creek accompanies us all the way and in a surprisingly short time we see the first sign of Santa Clara.

>>Dave: Oh, hey, look ahead.

>>Alan: Oh, wow, yes.

We're here.

>>Dave: There.

>>Chris: There it is.

>>Dave: It looks like there's plenty of remains.

>>Alan: Yeah.

>>Chris: It's surprising just how many buildings are still up here.

They seem to go all the way up the canyon.

In fact, there are more standing structures here than there are stories about Santa Clara.

Not much is known about the town except for a few reports of weddings and shootings.

A few mines operated nearby but, like Star City, they faded quickly.

>>Dave: Well, now, Alan, Chris and I were roamin' around down here, but we saw you goin' up and down the canyon lookin' at everything.

I wonder, how has this area changed since you were last here?

>>Alan: They had a fire come through here since I was last here.

When I was first here, there was sagebrush three, four feet high and you could hardly even see the rock walls here.

Uh, with the fire gone, you can see the white and stark contrast and it's, uh, very photogenic.

>>Chris: There's a lot of ruins up here.

Why, why do you think there's so many up here?

>>Alan: Well, largely 'cause it's so inaccessible and because rock doesn't burn.

>>Dave: Hmm.

>>Alan: And, once a rock wall is there it tends to stay there unless there's a reason for it to fall down.

>>Chris: Like vandalism or someone takin' a rock.

>>Alan: Vandalism or an avalanche or something.

>>Dave: Plus, it's pretty hard to get up here.

>>Dave: Yeah.

So, uh, I think we should try to trek back down before we lose our light, eh?

[chuckles] >>Alan: Okay, let's do it.

>>Dave: As we return in the late afternoon light, we thank Alan for sharing his time and knowledge with us.

His guidance allowed us an enjoyable end to this trip.

>>Dave: Thanks for joining us for our trip along the Tahoe Rim Trail and a look back at some of our favorite journeys from the past.

We've discovered that in Nevada there's no shortage of uniqueness or scenery.

>>Chris: We're out of time for this show, but if you want more information about any of our trips you can visit our website at knpb.org.

While you're there, send us an e-mail and tell us about some of your Nevada-based adventures.

Until our next Wild Nevada, you go out and enjoy this beautiful state for yourselves.

MUSIC Major production funding for Wild Nevada is made possible by the Nevada Commission on Tourism, who encourages everyone to explore the Silver State's hidden treasures.

MUSIC