Day 5 - Roads Not Maintained In Winter
Cool morning bid us out of our teardrop to cook breakfast, pack up and find our way back to the bridge on the opposite side of Swales Mountain. Our route was sometimes elusive with even the 2-track path disappearing into the vegetation.
Prettiest drive ever through fields of Indian paint brush, asters, and many others too numerous to name (especially since none of us knew the floral names) - purples, pinks, yellows, and whites. We finally came upon the bridge - our starting place yesterday- some 55 miles looping around Swales mountain.
We made our way back to NV 225 and headed northbound for Dinner Station. The turn of the century house had suffered fire damage and was restored by its current day owners. Around the turn of last century, 1900, upwards of 75 people per day frequented the place for a meal and a rest for their horses. Today the beautiful stone building is occupied and is a working ranch.
Next destination was Cornocopia mine but our trail ended in a locked gate so we headed to Humboldt National Forest to find a camp spot for the night. Climbing through the mountains on a path that the Benchmark map book cautioned "road not maintained in winter" we encountered snow and then happened upon an impassable snowbank covering the road.
Luckily an alternate path with a muddy slide down a steep hill, across a stream and back up a steep climb and we were on the other side of the snow bank.
Rounding the next bend we came upon yet another snow drift, this one flatter and shallower than the previous. We pulled out the shovels and dug a trench for the right side tire path to keep the trucks from sliding down the canyon while crossing the snow drift.
Gary was the first one to cross and while we lined up to follow, he radioed back that at the next bend, he had come upon the biggest snow drift yet which would not be passable, not in the winter, not even in June. The "roads not maintained in winter" warning which we didn't think applied to us June travelers came into play.
So, after getting the trailer turned around, we made our way back down the steep descent, over the stream, and up the muddy slope with a little help from Frenchie and a trusty tow rope (and this is really important -- if one can remember -- low range can be extremely helpful in such places!).
Retracing our path to a lower elevation, we found camp at an embankment near a rushing stream with snow at a safe distance away. Sipping on cranberry drinks (yes, again!), we enjoyed a hot meal of black beans, chicken and rice. The evening was short as night was upon us. Camp was at 7200', and we had traversed 45 miles.
