South Ridge near Mercury, NV

A great scoot down memory lane with Anji.  In 1990, I worked at Mercury, NV (just to the west) taking soil samples to help model groundwater transport from areas in the old Nevada Test Site. At the time, when I drove up route 95, I couldn't imagine climbing all these desert mountains.  Since I moved here in 1998, I've climbed a lot of them.

Harlan WS
March 1, 2017

0map0
Our hike. We took a
mainly-2WD road to
the old Aliquot Mine,
ceded back to BLM
in 1989.		 DSCN3795 DSCN3798
This peak looked
impressive from early
on, but actually has
little prominence.
DSCN3799
First peak, with only
about 150' prominence		 DSCN3801 DSCN3803
Telescope Peak
across Death
Valley.
DSCN3805
SW end of
Spring Mts.		 DSCN3807 DSCN3809
Lone bighorn
DSCN3814
Mercury NV, a
closed town I last
visited in 1992.		 DSCN3816
Something was
flying tight loops
on the Creech USAF
base.  Some drones
can handle this thrust.		 DSCN3822
South Ridge, our
destination (over
many little peaks)
DSCN3823 DSCN3824
South Ridge
in back		 DSCN3825
Another view of
Spring Mts
DSCN3826 DSCN3827
Yet another view
of Willow.		 DSCN3828
Telescope again
DSCN3831
Bald Mt.		 DSCN3832
Sheep Mts		 DSCN3835
View east from
South Ridge
summit.
DSCN3838 DSCN3839 DSCN3841
Mercury
DSCN3843
Area 5, where I
once took soil
samples		 DSCN3847
North Ridge		 DSCN3849
DSCN3850
Heading back		 DSCN3851 DSCN3852
DSCN3855
Target Tires for
USAF, on BLM
land.		 DSCN3858
One of MANY
smoke grenades. USAF
probably wants this
land so they don't have
to write EISs for dropping
junk on it.  In the past,
there was no real penalty.		 DSCN3859
DSCN3861 DSCN3863 DSCN3864
The old Aliquot
gold mine
DSCN3865
Our trusty steed.