- Get ready for some really beautiful scenery because this time we're headed up to some of the lesser known pristine parts of the Ruby Mountains, the Ruby Valley, and the East Humboldt.

That's all coming up right now on "Wild Nevada".

(instrumental music) - [Commentator 1] Support for PBS Reno and Wild Nevada comes in part from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

This program is brought to you in part by the Konner Kent Robinson Giving Fund.

100 years of living in 28 years of life.

To give is life's real gift.

- [Commentator 2] And by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed.

Kristine Perry.

Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation.

Margaret Burback.

In memory of Sue McDowell.

Mark and Susan Herron.

And by individual members.

(instrumental music continues) - Hi, I am Chris Orr and those are the Ruby Mountains behind me.

In my mind, they're some of the most beautiful mountains, not only in the state of Nevada, but in the country.

And in this episode I get explore some of the remote and beautiful parts of the Rubies.

Not only that, but also the East Humboldts that are nearby and the area overall.

Now that's a lot of ground to cover, so we better get going.

Right down the road, I meet Gerry Miller from the Friends of the Ruby Mountains at a historical marker on State Route 229.

Gerry, thanks for meeting me out here.

- It's my pleasure, Chris.

- So this is kind of an interesting place to meet.

Why did you pick here?

- This is Fort Halleck.

It used to be a Camp Halleck, established in July 26th, 1867.

- Is there anything left of Fort Halleck?

- There's a few little stories, buildings , and some remnants of it.

You're basically looking at it.

In 1867 they sent everybody from San Francisco to Cottonwood Creek.

So this was actually called Cottonwood Creek.

- [Chris] And that's why all of those cottonwoods are out here?

- Exactly.

And they planted more cottonwoods and they had a nice quarters for the soldiers and door rooms and blacksmith shop and carpenter shop 'cause as soon as the railroad got here, they were able to get all these materials.

But the original soldiers were living in mud dugouts with old stinky cattle hides over the top of them.

And then they got canvas tents that absolutely, as they were keeping warm at night, the embers would set up the roofs on fire.

So you'd wake up and you'd be looking at the stars and the snowflakes falling on you.

But most of it happened right here in this parade ground 'cause that's what soldiers like to do is parade.

You know, they march every morning.

They'd invite the community over here to watch them parade and the drills- I was gonna do the parade down.

- Yeah, and do the drills and they have pianos and they had a very good 20 person band.

And so they really played the dance music.

- Today, the area where the fort stood is mainly on private property, but it's still a good reminder of the history that used to be here.

From Fort Halleck, we head a couple of miles down the road and as we cross into the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, we enter Soldier Canyon and the beauty of the Rubies is immediately revealed.

(instrumental music) We arrive at today's trailhead in Soldier Canyon where we meet Alex Coolidge and Greg Ritson.

Well I'm guessing this must be our starting point.

- That's correct, Chris.

- So where are we at?

- We're at the trailhead for Soldier Base and Trail.

- This is a beautiful place.

It's interesting that this is just our starting point.

So it gets prettier from here?

- Oh my gosh.

Yeah.

This is definitely a hidden gem in the Rubies.

- So you brought some friends with you?

- Yeah, I did.

Got a couple of horses and they're very useful employees and tools for us.

The one closest to us, his name is Bear Paw and he's actually a Mustang.

And then on the opposite side of Bear Paw, we've got a little mule named Richie.

You know, they get rounded up from federal lands and then they get sent to an inmate program in Carson City and they get trained by inmates and then we get them for the Forest Service.

And they're outstanding animals.

They're smart, they're strong, they're very tough.

We use 'em extensively.

- So now the horses and the mules, they're still used because you're heading into wilderness area, right?

So you can't drive up there.

- Correct?

Exactly right.

You know, wilderness area I'm sure is people knowing, right?

It's minimal tools, primitive type areas.

So no chainsaws, no bicycles, no e-bikes, anything like that.

- I saw the horses and I saw the pack mule and I thought, oh, I won't have to carry a pack.

But I think I'm outta luck.

Right?

I still have to carry my pack today.

- I think so today.

Yep, yep.

I'm gonna be doing a separate thing from you guys.

Greg's gonna go up and show you the trail and Magical Soldier basin and I'll be out ahead of you guys a little bit checking on things, see how our trails and wilderness are holding up, just some trail maintenance and make sure everything's still looking good for the user.

(instrumental music) - As Alex preps the horse and mule and takes off, it's a good reminder of how remote this area really is.

So it's a good idea to pack enough food and water to last the whole day.

Well Alex went on ahead of us to I guess check out the trail, so it's our turn.

- Yes, yes it is.

And the creek is down some, so we should only have maybe ankle deep water to cross.

- Now how far until we get to the wilderness area?

- It'd be about a quarter mile till we get to the wilderness pasture.

- Oh, that's not bad at all.

And then what's ahead of us?

- What's ahead of us?

Trees like the mountain mahogany and flower, limber pines.

And we open up to a nice big basin up there.

- That's exactly right.

And we'll follow Soldier Creek all the way up.

- Yep.

- All right, here we go.

- [Chris] Okay.

(instrumental music continues) - Watch your step.

- I am known for falling into creeks, so we'll see if I can do this.

Hey, I made it.

(Chris laughing) - [Greg] You did.

- [Chris] Our destination today is Robertson Lake, which from here is approximately five and a half miles.

- John Day Peak, we'll be right at the base of that at Robinson Lake.

So just a little short walk.

- You know, it's always great when you have that sense of what your destination is, but when your destination is like up there, you understand what your day's gonna be like.

- Yeah, it's up there.

No problem.

Up there, up there.

Piece of cake.

- [Chris] Well, but that means it's all downhill on the way.

- [Greg] It's all downhill on the way back.

That's exactly right.

Yeah.

(instrumental music continues) - [Chris] Less than a mile down the trail, we finally reach the wilderness boundary.

- So we're approaching the wilderness boundary right here.

- So this is kind of the official start to the hike we already started, right?

- Yep, to the Soldier Creek.

That's correct.

(Chris laughing) So we're officially entering wilderness right now.

- [Chris] Now.

- [Greg] So we've got the creek to our right, you can kind of hear it.

So beautiful.

- It is absolutely gorgeous.

It's just, it feels already lush through here.

This is my idea of a zen garden, I have to admit.

- [Greg] It is with the canopy closed over the top of you.

(instrumental music) Mountain mahogany and flower.

This is a native sup from Nevada.

- [Chris] Oh wow.

Look at that.

It's almost white.

It's beautiful.

- Looks like a frosted tree, doesn't it?

Cercocarpus ledifolius is it's scientific name.

Just a wonderful browse for deer, elk.

- You said that Latin name just like on the tip of your tongue.

I would have no clue.

So in a lot of ways this tree's older than Fort Halleck.

- It is.

Yep, by about 50 years.

Yes it is.

(instrumental music) - [Greg] What we got?

- [Gerry] Oregon grape.

- I want to try one.

Oh that one was tart.

That one's getting me right... (Greg laughing) - That was a real good face.

- Life is like Oregon grapes, you never know what you're gonna get.

Some are sweet.

Some are tart.

- That one, right there.

That one was definitely tart.

Woo, all right.

- All right.

- I'm awake now.

I can tell you, man.

(Greg laughing) A bit of trail snack advice, know your plants before you eat them to be sure that they're safe and edible.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Greg] We're starting to really climb up here.

It's opening up.

Check out that view over your shoulder.

- [Chris] Wow.

That's gorgeous.

- Yeah.

- Great basin range.

- [Chris] And you can really feel that we've been climbing, too.

- It's gonna feel great going down.

- [Chris] So when a person comes out to visit a wilderness area, what should they prepare for?

- [Greg] It depends on what their goals are going out into the woods.

Are they planning on an overnight?

Are they planning on a day hike?

You want to be prepared.

So that means first aid kit, adequate water, snacks, extra layers, sunscreen, long sleeves, a hat with a brim.

- [Gerry] Be prepared for weather changes.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- [Chris] I admit, I've got a rain layer in my bag.

(upbeat instrumental music) Oh wow.

Look at that.

That view ahead is just very... - [Greg] It's really special back in here and this is the Rubies.

We're still in the Rubies.

- [Chris] The wild flowers along here, my head is just like, "Oh my God."

- [Greg] It's brilliant, isn't it?

- [Chris] Desert paintbrush.

- Yep.

(upbeat instrumental music) Well we're coming up now on the junction for Krenka Creek, which goes behind us.

- [Gerry] And Ross Creek.

- [Greg] And Ross Creek.

So at least we're headed in the right direction, right?

- [Chris] Well and that tells me I got more trail to come back to do.

- [Greg] Yeah.

There's plenty more on that side.

We don't even have time for today.

Lots of trail.

- [Chris] There's so much to see and experience.

(upbeat instrumental music continues) - [Gerry] Remember pine, beautiful species.

- [Chris] It is a gorgeous tree.

- [Gerry] Yeah.

- [Greg] Well Chris, are you ready for the grand reveal?

- [Chris] Oh wow.

(Chris chuckling) - [Greg] What we came for, huh?

- [Gerry] Yep.

- [Chris] Look at this.

This did not disappoint.

This is beautiful.

- [Greg] Oh yeah.

We got ripples in the wind.

It looks like it's sparkling out there.

- [Chris] It really does.

- [Greg] It's one of my favorite spots in the Rubies.

- [Chris] This is really pretty.

- [Greg] Yep.

It's beautiful.

- Well and it's beautiful because you're at level with it.

Everything in the Rubies is beautiful, but this is really, really pretty.

- [Greg] Yeah.

(instrumental music continues) - [Chris] We're not done hiking just yet.

As pretty as Soldier Lake is, we have one more lake in store.

Just a short hike and a small hill later we reach Robinson Lake, our final destination for the day.

- [Greg] Wow, Robinson Lake.

This is it.

- [Chris] That is beautiful.

I have to admit, it did not disappoint.

This is gorgeous.

- [Greg] It's worth the hike, right?

- [Chris] Yeah.

- [Gerry] Absolutely.

- [Greg] Look at that backdrop of the mountains.

- [Gerry] Holy wogs.

- [Chris] Holy wogs.

(instrumental music continues) - [Greg] Lake is like a mirror.

- [Chris] I know.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- This is beautiful up here.

- It is.

I mean it's framed beautifully with this rock outcropping behind it.

I mean it's well worth the hike up here.

Remember pines all around here too.

Just sentinels up here.

Holy cow.

Just garden it.

- [Chris] And you really feel like you're just a world away from everyone.

Since we left Alex, we haven't seen anybody up here.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- We've had this whole range to ourselves is what it feels like.

Well when it opens up landscapes like this- - Yeah.

- For exploration and enjoyment, you can understand why it is so important to not only preserve those trails, but preserve this access because- - Yeah.

- It's really a beautiful place.

We're so lucky to have it in the state.

Well I wanna thank you both for bringing me up here.

It is absolutely beautiful.

It's one of those places that next time I'm gonna camp, so I can stay a little longer.

- I highly recommend it.

I'm so glad we were able to do this.

Thank you for having us.

(upbeat instrumental music) - With the views that we've experienced today, I can't think of many places that can top the beauty of the Rubies, and I can't wait for my next visit.

But for now, we'll say goodbye to these beautiful mountains and get ready for another adventure tomorrow.

(upbeat instrumental music) The next day, I'm headed east on Interstate 80, past Wells and onto State Route 231 to Angel Lake Campground.

But Angel Lake is just a starting point for our hike to the more remote Smith Lake.

I'm hiking with Greg Ritson and Larry Hyslop, a local hiking guide author and a member of the Friends of the Ruby Mountains.

Larry, thank you for coming out to meet me and Greg, it's great to have you back.

- Great to see you again too, Chris.

- So what are we gonna do today?

- We're gonna take a nice hike to an alpine lake on a windy day.

(Chris chuckling) - Well, you know, after a little bit of heat yesterday, I think a breeze is gonna be kind of nice.

From my understanding, we're gonna get some really pretty views of Angel Lake as we hike?

- We will.

Yeah, we'll get up above and look back at it.

- I'm excited to see what's ahead.

So how far are we gonna go today?

- It's a little less than a mile and a half and it's quite a bit higher.

It's a pretty good climb.

- So it's a mile and a half.

But you're not saying it's easy.

- No.

What's nice though is I've seen days where there's 100 people down here and you get up to Smiths Lake and there's nobody.

- So should we get going?

- All right.

- [Greg] Gorgeous day for a gorgeous hike.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Larry] You've got these avalanche aspens.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- [Larry] That only get up maybe six feet.

- [Chris] Didn't occur to me that they're Aspen.

- [Greg] Yeah, they're just shrubby Aspen.

(Larry laughing) (instrumental music) - [Chris] Well this gives us a really nice view of Angel Lake and it's just beautiful to look at.

- [Greg] Yeah, Angel Lake is kind of the gem that everybody's going for.

Not many people realize that there's some hiking up here as well.

- [Larry] And that lake, of course, is the leftover glacial features.

There were two glacial periods, one 150,000 years ago and it was very extensive and it created all of this.

The other one was 15,000 years ago, the glacier only came about as far as where the dam is now.

It pushed the material up there and that's what created the lake.

- [Chris] And it's a really amazing example of some of that geology connected to the Ruby Mountains.

- [Larry] And that's why there's so much beauty here, is 15,000 years in geology.

That's a blink of the eye.

- [Greg] Absolutely.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Larry] This is a glacial bench.

It's actually formed after the glacier melted away and this slope was so unstable that rocks would tumble down and they collected here.

- [Chris] It's amazing how glaciers make such beautiful locations.

They really did a good job sculpting our geology.

- [Larry] Yeah, the Rubies are the most glaciated mountain range in the Great Basin.

- [Chris] Not only do you get beautiful lake views, but you get beautiful valley views in this trail too.

- [Greg] Absolutely.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Chris] Back up into the wildflowers.

- [Greg] Oh yeah.

Got some looping again.

- [Chris] What I love is, again, nobody up here except for us.

You can hear the birds.

- [Larry] I think one of the best things about this trail, I have left Angel Lake with dozens of people around it.

Gotten up to Smith's Lake and nobody.

Solitude.

It's a nice little lake.

- [Chris] Until we started talking about coming out today, I really hadn't heard about Smith Lake at all.

(upbeat instrumental music) Wow.

That view.

So there's Wells down there.

- [Larry] Yep.

Greg can probably see his house.

- [Greg] Oh that's me.

(all chuckling) The small humble town of Wells.

- [Chris] That's another reason why going for a hike, getting up on a mountain is worth it, because you get views like this.

- [Greg] The basin range is just such a dramatic landscape you see just flat forever and then you see just these kind of mountain islands just poking up.

(upbeat instrumental music) - Before you know it, we arrive at Smith Lake.

You know, I love a good trail any day, but when it brings you to a spot like this, it makes a trail even better.

That trail was a lot of fun, but this is just an amazing spot to hike to.

- What I always enjoy is talking to the people that have, maybe it's their first time to the Ruby Mountains and they're amazed at what's up here.

- Absolutely.

All the beauty and glory of just like Angel, but a little bit smaller.

- Yeah.

- And a lot more solitude.

- A lot more solitude.

Absolutely.

- You know, and it's amazing the work that both the Forest Service and the Friends groups do to help keep these areas so wild and untouched.

When you've got this kind of work to do, do you ever get tired of work?

- Oh never.

I mean, obviously the public is a huge help just by practicing principles of the principles of Leave No Trace.

- We have a goal.

We say that we try to increase the enjoyment of visitors to the Ruby Mountains doing whatever we can.

Whether it's work parties to make sure that an area looks good or holding events - Well, you know, both of your organizations are such resources to people wanting to come out and learn about this area.

So I can't think of two people I wanted to spend the day with more.

So thank you for doing this with me today.

(upbeat instrumental music) We say goodbye to Smith Lake and head to our next destination, Jiggs, where I meet Cheryl Turner, a longtime resident with family roots in the area.

Cheryl, thanks for meeting me out here and telling me a little more about Jiggs.

- Well it's kind of fun to share about Jiggs.

- I've driven by so many times, but it's kind of nice just to take a moment and learn more about the community.

How long have you been part of the Jiggs community?

- I've lived in Jiggs now for 39 years.

My family, my dad was raised here.

He was born and raised here.

Jiggs is my home.

- So if someone asked you what the heart of Jiggs is, which building is it?

- [Cheryl] It'd be either the Jiggs bar or the community hall.

- [Chris] So how long has there been a community hall in Jiggs?

- On the front of the sign it says it was built in 1911.

It used to be they had dances and people from different valleys came and they whooped it up.

(Chris laughing) - Do you guys still whoop it up at the community?

- Sometimes.

(Chris laughing) Yeah.

Yep.

Some people choose to have weddings there.

Some people choose to have funerals there.

We have a Turkey carnival every year the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

- [Chris] So when you talk about Jiggs history, you talk about the bar.

What was the role of the hotel to the community?

- [Cheryl] Well that was way before my time and actually the bricks were quarried I think in the Jiggs area 'cause there were a couple of brick houses around.

It was the hotel, but it was also where you picked up your mail.

- The hotel, built in 1916, is a private residence now.

It's one of the five places in Elco County that's listed on the Nevada State Register of Historic places.

So with the Rubies being so close and the beauty of that area, do you get the chance to sneak away and go enjoy?

- We do.

We live right at the base of the Rubies.

So we go into some of the canyons, we hunt and we ride up there a lot.

We appreciate those mountains.

- [Chris] They're beautiful.

- [Cheryl] Yep, they really are.

- We leave Jiggs and head towards the other side of the Ruby Mountains through Harrison Pass.

This road isn't maintained and is often open only late spring through late fall.

Depending on conditions, it can be slow going.

But this four wheel drive shortcut is well worth it, providing striking views and vistas as it winds up to the pass.

(upbeat instrumental music) From Old Harrison Pass Road, we turn right onto Ruby Valley Road and in a few short scenic miles we reach Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

At the Visitor Center, I meet Hilary Swarts and Daniel Dewey.

Well thanks for having me out here.

This is a beautiful view that you guys have.

- [Hilary] We're so glad that you could make it out here to check it out.

- So what is your work here at the Refuge?

- Well the refuge was established in 1938 and its mission is the protection of migratory birds and wildlife.

But the real star of the show in terms of protecting our wildlife on site is our amazing wildlife biologist, Dan Dewey.

- So what do you do, Dan?

How do you protect these amazing animals that we have in this area?

- So we do a lot of habitat surveys and assessments every year to kind of assess where the habitat's at.

The main purpose of the refuge is the waterfowl.

So that's the kind of star of the refuge is the managed wetlands we have here.

There's over 300 species on the refuge and over 220 species of birds.

But we've paired it down to about a dozen or so of our kind of focal species.

And they're the ones that are kind of the indicator species.

So we look to them to see if they're doing well then we kind of assume that a lot of the other species that are like covered 'em under their umbrella are doing well also.

- So when people come to visit the refuge, what is the best way for them to experience it?

- Just driving the auto tour route and stopping in and seeing what's been seen recently.

We do get a lot of birders come out because we have so many species of birds here.

So a lot of people do e-Bird checklist.

Spring and fall we get a lot of migratory birds.

We'll get sea ducks here from time to time.

- So if a person's coming out to visit the refuge, is there camping nearby that they can stage from to enjoy the refuge for a couple days?

- So just adjacent to the refuge, just two miles south of this building is the South Ruby Campground, which is operated by the US Forest Service.

It's a great campground.

It's got a lot of spaces.

You're looking down on this gorgeous marsh.

- So when a person comes out to visit, what is some of the most important things that they should do to treat the refuge properly?

- So there are certainly a lot of ways, simple things people can be doing to just keep it nice.

First of all and just take your garbage out.

You know?

It's such a basic thing.

It's so simple.

- [Daniel] It's a very unique and special place.

It's kind of described as an oasis in the desert.

There's not a lot of habitat like this in Nevada.

And protecting it is very critically important to wildlife, not just in the Ruby Valley, but in So Flyway.

- We say goodbye to Daniel as Hilary and I head out to take a closer look at the marshes.

Back on Ruby Valley Road, we turn into the scenic auto tour entrance.

The auto tour route includes approximately 10 miles of roads for wildlife viewing, photography, and in the appropriate seasons, hunting and fishing access.

This is one of the most remote refuges in the lower 48 states.

The refuge supports six different wildlife dependent activities including environmental education, interpretation, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, waterfowl hunting and fishing.

Hilary, I have to say it was beautiful from the Visitor Center, but actually getting to get out and make that loop and enjoy the marshes, it's beautiful.

It's really pretty.

And the amount of wildlife we saw is amazing.

- I gotta say, obviously I agree (Hilary laughing) and I think one of the coolest things we can offer people is actually to be able to take that auto route where you are down in the marsh.

'Cause we always see marshes, you know, from afar and obviously you're not gonna walk in 'em, but this way you can kind of see on eye level, you know, what the wildlife and really be down in the marsh and be almost really eye level with the waterfowl.

And I think that's a especially unusual and exciting experience for people to be able to get out here and actually get in the marsh, not just look at the marsh - And it's so serene.

It's even as you drive along there, it's just so quiet.

I think the next time I come through, I'm just gonna pick a spot and sit for a little bit and just see what happens out there.

- I think exactly what you're saying, if people have the time and inclination, getting out here, just stopping for a minute and letting your eyes and your ears adjust to all of the things that are going around.

Because at first, sometimes it doesn't look so active, but really there's so much stuff going on.

Take your time.

It will really pay off.

- And it's absolutely so worth it.

And thank you for taking the time with me to show it to me today.

- Well, we're so glad we could host you guys.

Well, we're so glad we could host you guys.

It was absolutely wonderful having you out here Thank you.

- That's all we have time for in this episode.

But if you put me near the Ruby Mountains and in this area, I could keep traveling for days and days 'cause there's so much to explore and enjoy.

If you want more about this episode or any in the Wild Nevada series, visit our website at pbsreno.org and stream us with the PBS app.

And until my next "Wild Nevada", I hope you enjoy some Nevada adventures of your own.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Greg] So they're gonna be really sweet and really ripe.

- So this will take care of that Oregon grape that was so tart?

- Exactly.

- Okay.

- I hope so.

- Yeah.

- That's like a pretty good trail snack right there.

- [Commentator 1] Support for PBS Reno and "Wild Nevada" comes in part from the William N. Pennington Foundation.

Bill Pennington was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and gaming pioneer who built a legacy of community service in Nevada.

This program is brought to you in part by the Konner Kent Robinson Giving Fund.

100 years of living in 28 years of life.

To Give is life's real gift.

- [Commentator 2] And by Millie Hopper and Millard Reed.

Kristine Perry.

Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation.

Margaret Burback.

In memory of Sue McDowell.

Mark and Susan Herron.

And by individual members.

(upbeat music continues)