It seems the older we get, the more adventurous & spontaneous we've become; that's not a bad thing, we're just creating memories. Last week we decided to make one last trip to Nevada for the year and hike
North Schell Peak. It is the highest point in the
Schell Creek Mountains at 11,884 ft. The Schell Creek Range extends 142 miles North to South; while driving along HWY 50 at Connors Pass we traversed the mountains. The hike was difficult, we gained 2,600 ft. mostly without a trail, through talus and tundra. We took several breaks and inched our way to the top. Once we reached the ridge-line we weren't sure if we were looking at
North Schell Peak or not....thankfully we were.
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We were treated to an amazing sunset on the drive to Ely |
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I think the West has the best sunsets |
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The top of North Schell Peak was our intent |
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Starting out before the sun comes over the mountains |
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The sun is slowly inching its' way into the valley |
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We are starting to get warmed up now |
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The trail was nice while it lasted . . .
Uinta Peak (11,545) lies directly ahead of the path |
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Then there was no trail . . . |
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It was tough hiking, we took several breaks |
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We're just about to the ridge-line, it has not been easy |
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So we think this must be North Schell Peak, we sure hope it is |
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Kent leads the way |
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It was unbelievably windy the last mile of the hike |
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Great views make these hard hikes rewarding |
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We can almost taste victory |
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We made it to the top . . . 11,884 ft. Notice the spelling "Shell," today it is Schell. |
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Kent checking his GPS, we have hiked 3 miles |
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It was so windy, but we had to get a picture |
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Looking towards Mt. Moriah a hike we did in June 2014 |
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Following the ridge-line south you can see Taft Peak & South Schell Peak in the distance |
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It may not look that far to our car, believe me it is |
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It's fun to read the names & comments of those who have reached the top |
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We added our names to the log |
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North Schell in the background |
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Heading back down the trail |
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Fall has already peaked, but we did see some color |
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Almost back to the car . . .
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Aerial view of the route we took |
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There must be a lot of deer around here, we did see a few on the hike |
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Sacramento Pass Recreation Area |
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Jeff Davis Peak & Wheeler Peak, which we hiked in Sept. 2012 |
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Strawberry Creek |
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We drove to the Blue Canyon trail-head along Strawberry Creek |
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This tree looks like it's on fire, it's the sun shinning in just the right spot . . . cool |
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View of Mt. Washington from Hidden Canyon |
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The car was a bit dusty, Kent decided to wash the tires in Snake Creek |
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A herd of antelope north of Cedar City on the drive home |