Great Basin Karma Restoration Trip with LVMC

pics by Harlan W. S. and M.A. Haghi
Aug 14-17, 2008

This trip had two parts.

First, Ali and I went to Upper Lehman Campground, N of Wheeler Peak, for a loop over Jeff Davis Peak (JD). One of our primary goals was to return a Nepalese Rupee note to the register on JD, after a 5 year absence. The note was removed by accident in 2003 (pocketed on a windy day), and the universe was destined to be unbalanced till the return. We started together, but I looped over Bald Mountain; Ali waited a bit, and I caught up to him by Wheeler. Then we went to JD. On the way, the bad karma spirits tried to slow Ali by breaking his trekking pole; but he persevered, and we survived the miserable, blocky talus slog back to the Bristlecone Trail.

For the second part of the trip, we joined an LVMC backpack trip to Baker Lake. We went on some hiking forays from the lake; some went to Baker Peak, and two even went all the way to Wheeler. I went to Pyramid, then later to Quartzite Peak (M. Kelsey name).

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100k topo map with all trips.	24k topo with GPS traces.	Day 1; Wheeler behind Ali.
On top of Bald Mt, there is a very good view to JD (L) and Wheeler (R).	After Bald, I cut south and rejoined the Wheeler trail. Ali is up there somewhere.	Cinquefoil
Ali took these great shots of deer resting on the ridge. By the time I came by, the deer were still visible, but had moved farther off the trail.	Late season sky pilot.	View NNW to the Schells; Ali chugs up.
Arrogant and fuzzy? On top of Wheeler.	Ali nears the summit.	View S. Baker is the peak just R of center (dark shadows on N side), and Pyramid is just to L, slightly in back.
	View E, as Ali heads down.	JD, where we are going next (view E).
Down the unstable quartzite blocks.		This is the Nepalese rupee we will return to JD. Tom Sewell is a well-known peak-bagger
Window N from Wheeler-JD ridge.	View N to Bald Mt, through another gap	View back WSW to Wheeler (R) and Baker (L)
	View S from top of JD.	More arrogance; N from JD.
View N, with Bald Mt at L, Moriah in the back at R.	Down into the main Wheeler cirque.	Ali on top; karma restored.
The Schells in back, above Bald.	View S. Now the descent N off JD, on the awful blocky talus	Finally, almost down, and a look back to the Wheeler Cirque and the ice field.
Our camp, that night…	The next day, we joined the rest of the LVMC crew at 8:30AM for The hike to Baker Lake. Ali’s pic.	Allium sp?
Heading W up the sage-covered meadows.	Baker Peak is in back.	We stop at a stream for break.
Ali’s pic of me/.	After we set up at Baker Lake, I made a quick trip to Pyramid Peak and back.	This panorama is SE from Pyramid.
This view N from Pyramid shows Baker L. in the deep cirque at L, then the little point of Baker Peak, then Wheeler, then JD at R.		This is the view E.
Ali captures the magic of Baker L near sundown. The lake shrinks back each summer, and was perhaps a third of the springtime area. That night Heather and Jose had either couscous or cuscus for dinner.	On the third day, Chris led a tough hike from the lake to Wheeler. I accompanied them on the 1^st leg, then backtracked to the S to climb remote Quartzite Peak.
Now I’m back on the ridge W of Pyramid, looking S to Johnson Peak. The rocks turn to quartz monzonite (sort-of like granite), and the ridge is a jagged jumble of granite outcrops. This rock hosts the local tungsten mines.	View NE to Pyramid (which is made of quartzite) with Johnson Lake below.	Panorama N to Baker, Wheeler, JD, and Pyramid (L to R).
View S from “Johnson Peak” to Quartzite. After the rough ridge, the rock changes again to – you guessed it—quartzite!	View W as I go up Quartzite Peak.	From Quartzite Peak; view S to Mount Washington (R), which is made of limestones, with Lincoln to the L (center of photo). Granite Peak (which is made of limestone!) is visible at L in the back.
View N from Quartzite Peak.	\ More arrogance.	The register on Quartzite.
	Someone didn’t like the name “Quartzite” and crossed it out.	View W.
View back N over typical overhanging monzonite on ridge.	I got back before 1PM, and chilled at the camp. Ali and Heather had gone to Baker, and Jose and Chris later returned from Wheeler.	My tent, with Pyramid in the background.
Fourth day… view across lake to Pyramid.	Asters.	Another view of Pyramid; my tent is in the shadows, at R.
Male bonding; Chris, Chris and Jose pump water. The western headwall of the cirque is behind them.	OK, we start backpacking home.
Thistle,	A recent avalanche has wiped out the cabin.	Swamp onion.
The beautiful trail and stream.	Finally, the sage flats near the cars.	Thanks to Chris R and the rest of the participants who made such a good trip!