pronghorn
wild horses
The trail quickly split into east and west trails. The trails converged on the crest, but I took the west trail since it went through an aspen grove. There were a lot of downed trees across the trail and tall wet grass that soaked my legs from the knees down. After a mile, I passed through an open fence and was out of the forest. The rest of the hike was on immense, sweeping plains. It made the gain easier, but distances hard to eyeball. This section was along the Toiyabe Crest Trail (TCT). I didn't see Arc Dome until I was closer to the crest. The trail made a sharp turn east to avoid a 1500' drop into a canyon. There were two signs down at the TCT intersection with the Arc Dome trail. Rumor has it that wild horses knock these down. I continued toward Arc Dome and took a short side trip off trail to North Arc Dome where I discovered a register.
I angled down from North Arc Dome to the trail as it dropped 600' to the saddle. The last mile was a 1000' gain. Though not visible on the approach, the trail switchbacks were masterful and made the ascent easier than expected. Kudos to the trail builders. The summit had two reference marks (stamped Toiyabe Dome), but the benchmark was missing. The register was in a plastic jar and had ascents from earlier in July. It seemed quite popular. The views were amazingly green. After a brief stay for rituals, I started down. The trail gained 600' on the return. Back at the TCT intersection, I met the only other person I saw all day. He was headed for Arc Dome and had backpacking gear. It was a tough and tiring day with the drive tacked on, but worth it. I don't know if there is a more beautiful area in Nevada.
Gas Gamble: When I got back to pavement, I Googled the nearest gas and it pointed me to Middlegate Station, 30 miles in the opposite direction of Bishop. I was skeptical, but it was my best option. When I pulled in, my heart sank. The two dusty pumps in the yard were 1970s style and looked like ghost town relics. There was no self serve payment system and the gauge was analog. I went inside and asked if they had gas. The bartender said yes, to use the pump, take a photo of the amount and come back inside to pay. When the gauge dials started to spin, I felt suddenly elated. Now I had plenty of gas and no worries about loss of cell service. I stayed at the bar for a beer and dumped all the cash I had on me into a donation jar for a local family. It was a bonus adrenaline rush I didn't need, but will never forget.
