This week we went on a seven day trip to Great Basin National Park in Nevada. While we were there we did some amazing hikes, a 3 day basecamp, and a 3 day backpack. On the first day we hiked up to a glacier at 10,800′ and saw Bristlecone pine trees. Some of the trees we saw were close to 5,000 years old and are the oldest living organisms in the world. We also did a loop that took us to a couple of beautiful alpine lakes.
The second day we hiked up to the top of Wheeler Peak, which is the second tallest mountain in Nevada. Wheeler peak stands at 13,065 ft. It is by far the tallest peak that any B2B group has ever summited. The hike was grueling and we all celebrated our accomplishment at the top. After getting back to the trailhead we headed down to the visitors center and began a guided tour of the Lehman Caves. The tour was amazing and the cave boasted some of the most rare and impressive stalagmites in the lower 48!
For the second half of the trip we embarked on a three day, two night backpack. The first leg was 5.5 miles and we gained over 2,000 ft of elevation putting us next to Baker Lake, another incredible alpine lake. We camped here for a night and then headed up and over an 11,200 ft pass. Once we reached the top of the pass we were able to see the other side of the valley and look down into Johnson lake. It was hard to believe but Johnson Lake was even more beautiful than Baker! There were old remnants of a mine from the early 1900’s and a few old log cabins. We hiked up one more pass and this really pushed us to the limits! Everyone was exhausted and after over 7 miles of hiking we made it to camp. We made dinner and soaked in the meditative sounds of the babbling brook we were camped next to.
