2005 Nevada Desert Trail Dispatches

Segment W: Selenite Range
Leader Paul Menkes

May 23-26, 2005

Our visit from the spirit oha was brief and quiet. Bound, bound, bound, and he was gone. Nonetheless we were quite moved by this and all of the other wonders we saw on segment W, which runs the northern length of the Selenite Range in Nevada from Kumiva Pass to the edge of the Black Rock Playa a few miles west of Trego. Four of us made the four day, 33 mile journey (plus side trips up mountain summits).

The first day was awesome, if a bit tiring. We walked about 8.8 miles, mostly on jeeps roads going up and down, up and down, not following the contours of the range but built with the logic of the internal combustion engine. Still, we hiked amongst many different kinds of flowers and visited several springs. We also found time for a sidetrip up Luxor Peak, with fantastic views of the trail ahead and behind. Our camp was near "Pebble Pass".

The next morning we hiked cross-country, sometimes on wild horse trails, 1,000' off of the crest to "Empire Pool". Due to the constant rain there was more running water then expected and we loaded up with two-and-a-half days of water. Then we trudged back to the crest, and once on the crest to its lowpoint and thus began the climb to the shoulders of Selenite Peak. While climbing a ridge we witnessed two stallions battling. A couple of dozen horses watched the fray, paying four hikers no heed. We got to "Granite Pass" and, looking over the other side of it, discovered it was not 24 horses but 68+ horses peacefully grazing. After watching the herd for a while one of the stallions finally signaled it was time to go. All of the horses left. We continued in our granite and flower wonderland to "Wedge Pass". We decided this was the optimal jump-off point to climb Selenite Peak, which 3 of us did the next morning. Selenite is not as high as Luxor, but its placement north of Luxor at a bend in the range gives it even more spectacular views. We placed a peak register (as we had done at Luxor) and continued hiking around 9:30 AM in the morning. We got around the bulk of Selenite Peak and started losing elevation. All of our traveling was on wild horse trails and it was really easy going. Our camp that night was still at 5200', but it was warmer. It was also a bit buggy - another consequence of the rains, besides the great flowers.

Day 4 we continued along the ridge, losing elevation but with constant stunning views of the Black Rock Playa. We observed a lake in the western side of the Playa. Segment X hikers would have to deal with that. Too bad I couldn't join them! We also observed recent motorcycle tracks and came upon an abandoned art installation of mirrors that had to be Burning Man related. It was designed to catch the last rays of the sun and reflect them towards the Burning Man encampment. Some mirrors are still in position; other are broken, littering the wilderness. As we got to the end of the ridge, we could see the north trailhead and the cars. Interestingly, the route suddenly veers southward away from the trailhead, towards a wave-cut platform near the bottom of the ridge. I was ready to give the guidebook writer, Steve Tabor, who was hiking with me, an earful. Most hikers will head straight to their cars. But I must admit it was very nice taking a last rest in wilderness with great views before heading to the trailhead. All in all segment W is one of the crown jewels of the Nevada Desert Trail.

At the trailhead, Jerry Goss was there to meet us, provide us with shade and grab the GPS to download our route. The next day Steve Tabor, Jerry Goss and I helped with the car shuttle for the segment X hikers. It would have been great to continue with them!