Great Basin National Park

Yesterday, we crossed the Nevada border, and rolled into Great Basin National Park. The change in landscape was mind-boggling as we moved from flat desert sagebrush country to Alpine Rocky summits at 10,000 ft. We settled into our beautiful little campsite at Upper Lehman Creek, complete with changing fall foliage, cool temperatures and a babbling creek. Great Basin is an international dark skies park, perfect for viewing the night skies. We went to a ranger-led talk in the evening, though weren't able to see many constellations due to the biggest source of light pollution In the area, the full moon!

In the morning, we were greeted with a glorious sunrise and prepared for our full day of hiking. We were able to see two Alpine lakes, Stella and Teresa and proceeded on to the Bristlecone Pine Grove. These ancient trees live at elevations between 9500ft and 11,000 ft and live to be thousands of years old. What a privilege to share space with these ancient survivors! Next our trail led us to a glacier nestled beneath Wheeler Peak. At nearly 11,000 ft, the wind was gusting and the temperature was falling so we took a few pictures and headed out. We hiked back on the same trail we hiked in on and clocked 8 1/2 miles by the time we returned to our truck.

We headed back to camp, had our celebratory beer, and fixed burritos for dinner. What an amazing day in the Great Basin Alpine Forest!Read more