Sleeping in Mizpah Hotel was not too bad but I didn't have enough stimulation the morning I woke up! I made myself a cup of coffee in the room before checking out and headed west. I took US 95, a major highway in Nevada which although goes from south (Las Vegas and before) to north (Reno and beyond), runs from east to west when you exit Tonopah and aim for Boundary Peak.
It was a bit scary but not a kind of fear that a coward feels. A fear that someone who is alone and suspects they will be in a hole, feels. I continued on US 95 until I reached US 6 which continues to the west and then turns south. This time the number of vehicles on the road decreased even more!
I drove until I reached Queen Canyon Road, a gravel narrow pass which takes you to an abandoned mine. It took painfully long. Both because I was by myself and it was hot. I started going up. Nissan Kicks is a sort of small SUV which does not have much clearance and it was then where I realized that I had made a mistake! I had selected the wrong time of the year and going there alone was a very hick risk especially when you drive a tiny little car. If the vehicle breaks down or you get injured the chances you come out alive are next to zero! One might ask why there's a road there? The answer can be seen at the end of the very same road: There used to be an active mine there. We saw the mine the last time I was there with Alphonse a few years ago. This time, though, I didn't even make it to the mine entrance! I was terrified that something might happen to the damn car and that would be the start of a very miserable day!
I don't know how far I was from the sort of parking area in front of one of the entrances to the mine but I found somewhere that I could turn and headed back.
I know this is so stupid and idiotic but there was a huge risk involved and that would not have been even because of the climb! I felt very bad but while I was going back to Las Vegas, I planned for another trip, hopefully next year, to do the hike but this time from the California side. Here's one plan:
1) Fly to Sacramento.
2) Drive to Hawthorne, NV. It's longer than driving from Las Vegas to Tonopah but the drive will be a new one for me and I won't get bored.
3) Drive to Queen Canyon Road.
4) Do the hike.
5) Buy a reliable Satellite Phone, obviously before the trip starts! In case something happens you can contact an emergency, unless the incident is so bad that you can't use the phone!
This hike would be perfect, if combined with a trip to Japan because there're flights from San Francisco but I think my next year long trip plan is set for Europe, not Japan. So unless there's another opportunity to make the trip to northern California happen, the hike cannot be done.
(Photo: Boundary Peak, the third one from right, not seen the tallest, from the intersection of US 6 and Queen Canyon Road)
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