On today's episode of Outdoor Nevada, I travel to Soldier Meadows and meet with Mike Cox from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

While in the area, I check out the town of Gerlach, some local hot springs, a remote cabin, and then track a herd of bighorn sheep with Mike.

This is an incredible adventure you don't want to miss.

♪♪♪ I'm Connor Fields, your new host for my favorite show Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪ The town of Gerlach was settled in 1906 when the Western Pacific Railroad was built.

It was named for Gerlach Land and Livestock company from the Gerlach and Waltz Ranch owned by Louis Gerlach.

At its peak in the 1950s, the population totaled over 1,000 residents.

Gerlach was home to two restaurants, five bars, two motels, and a handful of other small businesses.

In 2011, the nearby U.S. Gypsum mine in Empire, Nevada, closed, and the population declined to roughly 100 year-round residents.

And that is where it stands today.

The town has a rich history intertwined with the region's unique landscape and cultural heritage.

However, Gerlach gained widespread recognition as the gateway to the iconic Burning Man festival, drawing thousands and thousands of artists, adventurers, and seekers of alternative culture every year.

Gerlach holds a prominent place in Nevada's cultural tapestry.

Beyond its association with Burning Man, the town has retained its frontier charm with historic buildings lining its dusty streets and a resilient community.

The surrounding Black Rock Desert with its stark beauty, expansive vistas continues to shape the identity of Gerlach and its inhabitants, offering a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and a backdrop for artistic expression.

After spending a little time in Gerlach, we head in to Soldier Meadows and meet with Mike Cox from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Before I left Gerlach, I reached out to Mike and left him a message about where we were headed.

The road was paved and beautiful.

That is, till you turn off the paved road.

Then it's 50-plus miles of dirt, rough dirt, with nothing but nothing around you.

Nothing.

And when I say nothing, I mean nothing.

The drive to Soldier Meadows, it took almost three hours.

This is not a drive for a standard vehicle.

You'll need something with aggressive tires and plenty of fuel.

When this adventure started, the plan was pretty simple.

We head north to a place called Soldier Meadows and meet up with Mike Cox from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

From there, we would hike out into the wilderness and track a herd of bighorn sheep.

That was the plan.

Well, as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

And that is what happened.

Our plans went awry.

Or should I say our cell phone reception went away.

But we made the best of it.

Soldier Meadows is a remote and pristine destination steeped in history and natural wonder.

Named after an incident involving a skirmish between soldiers and Native Americans in the mid-19th century, Soldier Meadows boasts a rich heritage shaped by the interactions of indigenous peoples, explorers, and pioneers.

We kept an eye for Mike as we drove and drove and drove and drove.

No sign of Mike, so it was time to set up camp.

Then off in the distance sat a little structure.

It looked like nothing, but I was pretty sure I knew what it was.

I read about it... a cabin.

And sure enough, it was a cabin, the Soldier Meadows public cabin.

♪♪♪ This cabin is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and has been in use for over 50 years.

It's here to provide shelter to visitors who need a break from the Nevada desert.

Today it's a free-use cabin and open to the public.

It is first come, first served, and visitors are allowed to stay up to 14 days.

The cabin has picnic benches and a camping fire ring.

No one was there, so the cabin became home base.

♪♪♪ The sun was starting to set, and it was beautiful.

I also knew that it would be dark real soon.

And by dark, I mean dark.

♪♪♪ There is no light pollution out here... none.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ The sun came up early, and it was time to get the day started.

The other thing in this area are the hot springs.

We are here in Soldier Meadows on the edge of the Black Rock Desert, 61 miles from Gerlach.

And this is the Soldier Meadows Hot Springs.

The hot springs are warmed by geothermal activity going on deep beneath the earth's surface.

And I would say that that water is at least 100 degrees.

You can see it bubbling up from right here.

And then it flows downward, and the stream goes on pretty far.

And in the morning, you can see the steam rising from this, from miles away.

The hot springs scattered throughout the Black Rock Desert offer a soothing oasis amidst the stark beauty of the desert landscape.

These natural geothermal wonders provide a welcome respite for travelers exploring the expansive playa and surrounding volcanic terrain.

Whether nestled within the remote canyons or bubbling up from the earth's surface, each hot spring carries its own unique charm and therapeutic properties.

Beyond their rejuvenating qualities, these hot springs serve as gathering spots for adventurers, providing a communal space to relax, unwind, and share stories beneath the vast expanse of the desert sky.

As a cherished feature of the Black Rock Desert, these hot springs exemplify the harmonious intersection of nature's power and human appreciation, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the timeless allure of Nevada's wild frontier.

Sounds nice, but that was not happening right now.

Mike showed up.

He located a herd not far from here.

We had to go.

The road only took us so far.

The rest of the way would have to be on foot.

One of the sheep in this herd was collared with a radio transmitter, and Mike had a signal.

I followed Mike.

We had to move with care and as quietly as possible.

This went on for a while, a few miles.

♪♪♪ -Then Mike spotted them.

And I gotta tell you I could not see them.

They blend right into the environment.

It's amazing.

Finally, with a bit of direction, there they were, a small herd of bighorn sheep grazing and making their way along a bluff.

♪♪♪ After watching them for a while, I sat down with Mike.

What are some of the terms that I need to know when we're talking about these animals?

(Mike Cox) Well, we've got terms for who's what.

So the rams are the males.

We typically only speak about rams when they're two years or older.

And then we have ewes, e-w-e, are the females.

And then the lambs are the babies versus like deer, you have a buck, doe, and fawn.

Predation is when a predator--like a mountain lion, a coyote, a bobcat--is killing a bighorn.

That's predation.

And we actually had bobcats that only weigh 40 pounds kill an adult ewe.

Forage is the grasses, the flowers, and the shrubs that bighorn eat.

Nursery groups, most people would know that.

That's the group of ewes and lambs that hang out together.

And they hang out together because with more eyes, they can be more successful alerting the whole group if there is a predator, a mountain lion nearby.

-It helps to avoid predation.

-Very good.

The rut or the breeding season is when the ewes are bred by the rams.

When I caught up with you guys, we were, what, five miles north?

And I had left them and they had been feeding and they typically bed down midday.

So I was hoping they would still be here.

And of course we drove, and we were able to see them still feeding about the same spot they were.

And then we went on a little walkabout, snuck up where they couldn't see us.

They were just doing their normal daily activities.

They bed down, sleep, on typically a nasty slope.

They get up sunrise and feed.

And then they'll bed down, and then they'll feed off and on during the day.

-So eat, sleep, eat, sleep.

Sounds like they have a life.

-Yeah.

But then you know, it gets kind of rugged when a mountain lion is chasing them or a pack of coyotes.

-That's true.

Today we saw a bunch of female sheep.

We didn't see any males.

We didn't see any with the big horns.

-The big curled horns.

-What they're famous for.

-Yeah.

-So why is it that they don't hang out together, you know, with the rams and the ewes?

How come they stay separated?

-Well, there's other species that are pretty similar that they, the women and the kids are together, or in our case ewes and lambs.

And it's called a nursery group.

And they're, the ewes are taking care of and raising the kids.

-How does the historical data describe this ecosystem and the populations within the ecosystem?

-Well, historically, we did have bighorn here for thousands of years.

They actually survived past the Ice Age, where a lot of animals like the mastodon, woolly mammoth, they all died out.

Saber-toothed tiger.

But come the early 1900s when this land was being settled by miners, ranchers, a lot of our sheep herds died out, and entire populations were wiped out.

And it was from primarily disease with domestic sheep that were brought here to feed mining camps and towns.

And so that's historically what we know.

But this current ecosystem is still intact.

It has still got great escape terrain, still got forage, good forage, still got springs dotted all over the place, and it's still good for bighorn sheep.

So we actually translocated, reintroduced bighorn to this mountain we're on in the, probably the early 1990s.

-Are the populations changing over time?

-Yes.

This population actually was more numerous than it is today.

The droughts that we've had impacted the population.

We also had a fair amount of mountain lion predation on this herd.

And so it's probably half of what it was a decade ago.

But it's still doing well.

As we saw, there's the lambs.

There was a lamb for every ewe.

That's what we want to see.

So I'm hoping it's building.

And it ebbs and flows.

It's, they naturally will cycle up and down.

-You want the overall trend to be up?

-Yes, yes.

-How might these strategies impact the ecosystem as a whole and not just the sheep?

-One of the, one of the other management efforts that we do on occasion is predator management.

So when we have small bighorn herds, they are vulnerable to dying out.

Like this herd, this small group, is eight animals.

And if we had a lion kill three of those adult ewes, then those lambs wouldn't know what to do.

They wouldn't learn where the waters are.

And so occasionally when we see high lion mortality, especially off our collared animals, we know it's real.

We will try to remove a lion or two.

And, you know, there's a balance in the ecosystem, but it's on a grander scale.

And we've got these small populations that are trying to survive.

And we're trying to get these herds to be 60, 70, 100 animals because we know once they get to that number, they can sustain a little pathogen.

They can sustain predation.

But when they're small, less than 20, then chances are that population may blink out because the predators can sit on their water, especially in the summer.

They know they have to come to water.

So that is one thing that we'll do, but typically, it's only 5% of our herds that will have that problem.

The rest of them, they're big enough.

They can sustain the natural ebb and flow of life and death.

-And what are they eating when they're over there?

-They're eating, this time of year, grasses.

So we were looking.

We've got some native grasses, like the Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheat grass, and then we've got this cheatgrass.

It's non native, but it's really succulent.

Cheat as in c-h-e-a-t?

-Yeah, like they cheat the soil moisture from the perennials.

And then they outcompete.

But it's really succulent.

And from all of the rain we had from those hurricanes-- -It smells good.

-Yeah.

You should-- I think it'll taste good.

You should try it.

-Why-- you're smiling.

You're laughing.

You're not really giving me confidence here.

-I was eating some earlier.

-I'll do it if you do it.

-Okay.

-All right.

Cheers.

[laughter] I'm going to-- -I could see this in a salad.

-I'm gonna let the sheep eat this, and I'm gonna stick to human food.

[laughter] How did we even find these sheep, because they're over there, and I know they're over there.

We looked at them through the binoculars through the sight, but I can't see them.

How did you find them?

-I cheated.

Technology.

-Okay.

-So we, we try to mark a few animals throughout all of our populations with a GPS collar, and it helps with doing lamb surveys.

And even during our helicopter surveys, we can tell where they're at.

And they'll lead us to others.

-Just like a GPS?

Do you use your phone, or what do you use to find them?

-You can use your phone, your tablet, your computer, as long as you have coverage.

So they communicate with a series of satellites called Iridium satellites, and we get anywhere from four to eight locations a day.

And so I was able to get a location of these animals before I left Gerlach.

But once we got up here, we had no service.

I had no ability to know-- -To find the sheep or us?

-Yeah.

I needed to put a collar on you guys.

-That might have made things a little bit easier.

-Yeah.

So when we're in the field, like now, there's also a very high frequency that's being transmitted.

And I can have a receiver and an antenna, and that's how I found them this afternoon.

It was a really strong signal right off the two-track that we were driving up and down this valley on.

And then I got my binoculars out, and bam!

They were right in line with where the antennas said they were.

And they were up in those big boulders behind us.

-Yeah, you found them right away.

You put your binoculars out, and you said, There's one.

There's two.

There's three.

It's like you've done this before.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I have.

I don't get out in the field as much as I'd like.

So it's always a treat to get out here.

-Absolutely.

Well, Mike, this has been one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I never in a million years thought that I would be doing.

And I cannot thank you enough.

I had so much fun.

-It was great.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Connor.

-It was time to head back to camp, back to the cabin, back to home base.

I will say this: Driving through these ranges and seeing just how big and beautiful they are is a treat.

The area's rolling hills, expansive meadows, and volcanic features provide a picturesque backdrop for outdoor enthusiast, offering opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and stargazing under some of the clearest night skies in the region.

This part of Nevada is amazing.

We were only supposed to spend a day here.

It was a meet-up point to a different adventure.

I'm not complaining.

We only had to hike a few miles versus the alternative, which was an estimated 10 to 15 miles to the herd of sheep.

I'm very happy they made their way closer to the road.

That's the thing with adventures like this; you have to be prepared to adapt.

The sheep do not care.

They have their own schedule.

This trip has been full of twists and turns with a few curveballs thrown our way.

It's a reminder of how dependent we are on cell phones and being in constant contact.

It's the reason why we always travel with a handheld satellite phone in case of an emergency.

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Thankfully, it all worked out.

And we stumbled across this... a chronolog.

This post is set up specifically in this area by the National Conservation Lands to document the area.

It's set up for a cell phone to be placed in a cradle and an image taken.

Later you upload the image for the public to see in a time-lapse video.

It's also a tool for land managers and scientists to view the condition of the land at different times throughout the year.

The photo that you take becomes part of a time-lapse video for the public to see and enjoy.

It's super smart and pretty cool.

So my cell phone did come in handy out here.

Just over 45 states have these, and there are over 600 active time lapses to see.

To check out the amazing library of videos, visit chronolog.io.

You will love it.

Okay.

Now, it's back to home base.

This cabin is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, and it is a welcomed luxury out here in the rugged and isolated backcountry.

The cabin is maintained by you and me, the public.

So make sure that you leave it better off than you found it.

Any garbage that you bring in, pack it up and take it out with you.

Come on inside, and let's check it out.

Pretty sizable in here.

You could fit a few people in here.

There's a wood-burning stove.

I'm sure in winter months when it gets cold out that is nice to have.

It's got a little workbench.

Some people have left some food.

If you do leave food, make sure you leave canned goods that won't spoil.

Also remember there's animals that call this area home, and you don't want them to be able to get to the food.

There's also a logbook, where you can read about other people's experiences as well as leave your own and any recommendations that you might have.

♪♪♪ One very key feature and important thing about this cabin is that it has its very own vaulted toilet.

You have no idea how excited you are to see one of those when you haven't seen one in a while.

If you do make the trip out here, make sure that you let somebody know where you're going, how long you'll be here, and when to expect you back because it is extremely remote.

When you do make it out here, you have access to hot springs, hiking trails, and your very own personal cabin for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will not leave you disappointed.

I'll see you next time on Outdoor Nevada.

♪♪♪