Monday 23 July 2018
We sleep wonderfully well in Wglwof. By 5:30 am we are awake and ready for the day. I guess we are still on Mountain Time. Breakfast is the last of our pie, plus yogurt and coffee. Then it is off to Lehman Caves for our 9 am tour. Kevin, our guide, tells us that the limestone layer in which the caves formed was laid down 550 million years ago and subsequently covered by thousands of feet of other sedimentary layers which eventually slipped away due to tectonic plate movement and then eroded. Underground rivers formed the cavities and then drained away as the land was uplifted. Next, ground water, aided by carbonic acid, and sometimes sulphuric acid, added “decorations” over millions of years. The passages in this cave are sometimes narrow and slippery, but we experience no mishaps. Because there is less visitation here than at other national park caves only one or two tours go through each day. The park rangers do their best to turn lights off as we go, to avoid too much disruption of the cave’s ecosystem with their brightness and warmth. This cave is more dimly lit than others we have visited so I set my camera to take darker photos in an attempt to better convey the atmosphere.
After our cave tour we emerge into the bright sunshine and drive the scenic route up Wheeler Peak, the highest point in Nevada at over 13,000 feet. The paved road ascends to 10,000 feet at which point there are several hiking trails leaving from a parking lot. We stop at some of the viewpoints on the drive up and then elect to walk the Bristlecone Pine Trail. Bristlecone pines are hardy trees that can survive in the harsh alpine environment. Their wood is very dense and is filled with resin so that they weather rather than decay. Although portions of the tree may die, other branches live on. Some trees live as long as 5000 years. Scientists can tell the age of these trees by taking core samples. It is awe-inspiring to stand next to and touch something that has been living on this earth for so many thousands of years. Even after they die, the remains of the tree continue to weather rather than decay. We see some smooth dead trunks that were seedlings 5000 years ago.
After our hike we return to camp for dinner. We are visited by a hummingbird and a small lizard as we dine. Now it is again time for reading and journaling. Tomorrow morning I’ll be able to tell if our 3.2 mile hike helped to limber up my leg or worsened the inflammation.
