Hiking the High Desert

High altitude hiking is exhilarating but there is always the chance of altitude sickness. Elevations over 8,000 feet offer less oxygen. A hiker leaving home at 3,000 feet, driving to a trailhead at 7,000 feet and hiking up to 9,500 feet, the elevation of many Ruby Mountains lakes, can face symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping and dizziness.

Symptoms of mild altitude sickness may appear that first night or the next day and go away a day or two later, as your body adjusts to the change in altitude. These symptoms can take the fun out of a trip.

A better plan might be to stay that first night in a town at 5,000 feet, or camp in a campground at 7,000 feet. Then hike the next day, giving your body an extra 24 hours to adjust to the altitude.

Even at high elevations inside wilderness areas, it is advisable to filter drinking water. No confirmed cases of Giardia have been reported in the Ruby Mountains but filters are so cheap to buy, and so easy to use, that it is not worth the risk of contracting this nasty intestinal disease.

Soldier Canyon offers a good trail giving access to Robinson Lake at 9,100 feet and Hidden Lakes at 9,500 feet. Most of the trail is inside the Ruby Mountains Wilderness. Dispersed campsites can be found in the canyon before the trailhead. Soldier Canyon dirt road is accessed off of the paved State Route 229, using the gravel Lower Lamoille Road. Get a map of the Ruby Mountains or stop at the U.S. Forest Service office in Wells or Elko.

Smith’s Lake trailhead can be reached by a paved road beginning in Wells. The lake is at 9,100 feet elevation and inside the East Humboldt Wilderness. The 1 ½ mile trail begins next to the Island Lake Campground at 8,400 feet.

Jarbidge Lake lies at 9,500 feet elevation and is surrounded by peaks over 10,000 feet. The Jarbidge River trail is mostly inside the Jarbidge Wilderness. The six-mile trail requires wading a stream close to the trailhead. The trail is most easily accessed by driving U.S. Highway 93 to Rogerson, Idaho, and then driving east through the town of Jarbidge to the trailhead. Jarbidge offers lodging, restaurants and bars. Dispersed campsites are available farther up the canyon.

A good hiking source is my “Hiker’s Guide; Trails in the Elko Area.”

by LARRY HYSLOP

This article first appeared on http://elkodaily.com. The original can be read here.