By Joe Bell
With 10 days' worth of supplies on my back, I was weighed down and frustrated, unsure of my hiking direction. Earlier in the morning, I had driven three hours from a hotel to a remote spot in the Nevada backcountry, reaching a distant trailhead. According to a state wildlife biologist and hunting outfitter, this lightly used pack trail went straight into prime mule deer habitat. The problem was the trail was so overgrown with vegetation and intersected by crisscrossing cattle pathways that I had no idea which way to go. My only hope was to follow a nearby creek that barely trickled downward from the sage-covered valley. It wasn't the best plan to follow, especially without cell phone coverage, but it was all I could think of at the time.
Several hours later, after bushwhacking my way across several sections of stream bottom, the main trail became more and more apparent. It wasn't long before my hiking speed and motivation greatly improved. I now knew I would make it to the top of the mountain before nightfall.
