Ruby Crest Trail - DHMH #12

Poisonous cacti, tornadoes, broken ribs, an angry miner.  Thankfully, we didn't encounter any of those things on this year's Dan Hoffman Memorial Hike.  Though we did see a Diamondback rattlesnake and Jake got a blister. 

If you stumbled across this blog because you were looking for helpful information about what to expect in the Ruby Mountains, well let me tell you, you came to the wrong place.  Better hit the back button and revisit the google results.  Why?  Because the Ruby Mountain Wilderness is an unknown gem of an outdoor destination which we had completely to ourselves over Labor Day weekend and I promised this old hunter that I wouldn’t go promoting it on social media and make it all popular. 

Normally Nevada is associated with things like dusty desert and mind numbing boredom.  Because normally that's all there is.  And other than a few crystal clear alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls, white glaciers, and lush green forests, the 40 mile Ruby Crest Trail is no exception.  Well, and also that it's about 10,000 feet above sea level. 

It took us four days to shuffle our heavy packs up and down the craggy peaks, ending at Lamoille Canyon.  Though it would have saved a little confusion and a couple minor arguments, we really didn't regret not bringing a map, since the trail was fairly obvious and surprisingly well graded.   We slept in forested campgrounds alongside mountain brooks and despite displaying some of the world's clearest night skies, it also sprinkled on us at one point. 

At the end of the third day we were moving slowly and coming into camp at sunset.  We were near the high point of the trail (about 11k ft) and this surreal golden light illuminated everything around me.  My feet were sore, my stomach was growling, and I was in Nevada, but I felt a real sense of awe and wonder as the temperature started to dip and the sun started to sink.  This is the kind of beauty normally reserved for ginormous crowds at famous national parks or world travel destinations and here it was in this moment, stretching out as far as I could see, only visible by the eyes of myself and a few of my closest friends.

So despite our location being a real bust, the 12th annual Dan Hoffman Memorial Hike of Ruby Crest Trail in Nevada was yet another epic success!