Great Basin National Park - Lehman Caves

Great Basin is also home to the Lehman Caves.  A pretty cool cave system. 

 

 They call this the Chandelier.

The full moon ruined our stargazing opportunities, but, it was awesome itself.

Great Basin National Park - Wheeler Peak Summit

Wheeler Peak is the 2nd highest peak in Nevada at 13,065 ft.  Scott and I summitted it 13,065 ft.  It is steep, the last mile you gain about 1200 feet in elevation which is about a 22% incline.  Completely exposed, high altitude, it was awesome.  The view up there is amazing.  As you can see from the pics, weather is always a factor.  Had we started 30 minutes later, we probably would have had to turn back and not summit the peak.

They call Great Basin National Park an "island in the desert" because it truly is completely isolated by the desert.  The trout in the lakes and streams as well as many of the mammals and insects have been separated from their species for 8,000 years.

 Our final destination is in the background.

 The push to the summit.  This was steep!

 Jeff Davis peak to the east.

  Victory! 

 Probably the best sandwich ever eaten at 13,000 feet.

 Storms were all around us, luckily, nothing huge hit us way up there.

Great Basin National Park - Bristlecone Pine Grove

Bristlecone Pine Trees are some of the oldest living organisms on earth.  These trees can live up to 5000 years.  They are amazing.  I took these photos in Great Basin National Park.  These are such unique trees.  They grow in rocks and their root systems require the harsh environment. The trees don't decay, they are weathered and eroded away.  Great Basin National Park is worth the drive, just a few hours away in western Nevada.  For more on these awesome trees click here.