5th Hiking Day - Nevada State Parks

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Geo: 37.9297, -114.451

Actually spent last night in the End of the Trail...er again. We're be in the Overland Hotel and Saloon in Pioche tonight. So far no ghosts. Supposedly rooms 6 and 4 are the ones haunted. Our room is # 2 but it is next door to # 4, so could happen I guess. Traveled from Baker to Cathedral Gorge State Park this morning and hiked about 4 miles there. Not very impressed with it - scenery all the same - very similar to Bryce Canyon NP but much smaller. Had time so drove on to Echo Canyon State Park, near Pioche. Much more enjoyable hike - at least until the end where we saw a dead cow and we tried to detour around it. Decided we couldn't so ended up backtracking and going along a road back to the car. Hike was supposed to be 2.5 miles but with our meandering ended up with about 3.5 miles. The hike was nice. Parked in the campground and climbed up a fairly steep rise to a point over the campground then descended through a small canyon to a larger canyon with a road through it back to the campground. Brochure made it sound like a nice easy hike. It was easy until the small canyon. That was pretty challenging.
Up tomorrow and to Vegas for the last night. May go to Valley of Fire State Park or go on into Vegas and tour a Museum about the developement of the atom bomb. Can't remember the name.
May wait to do a final update after we get back home. These updates are hard to do after a hard day of hiking.
Lee

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Photos

Sunrise
Sunrise over the desert from the End of the Trail...er. About 5:10 AM.

The End of the Trail...er
Will now always add an 'er' when thinking of the phrase 'End of the Trail'.

Lori's Place
This is a picture of Lori's home. It is close to the End of the Trail..er but hard to see. Most of it is underground. Currently one circular room in a hole in the desert covered with logs, rocks and sod. No water or electricity. Minimalist in the extreme but so amazing. Lori has done ALL the construction herself. The home is under the small rise left center in the pic.

Cathedral Gorge SP
Pretty much all the scenery was the same here. This was taken from a spot looking out over the gorge.

A crevice
at Cathedral Gorge.

Echo Canyon SP
From the top of the rise over the campground showing the Echo Canyon resevoir in the distance.

Ash Canyon
Begining the hike down the small canyon.

Ash Canyon #2
One of the tougher spots in the canyon.

Ash Canyon End
Finishing the Ash Canyon portion of the hike.