A couple weekends ago Friends taught a Leave No Trace “Train the Trainer” course in the Lava Beds area, which consists of a little valley and spine that lies about 1 hour east of the Black Rock National Conservation Area. We base camped at a cool sheep inholding on Friday night, the weather ranged from rain to hail to snow but the 5 participants were hardcore and the mood was upbeat. On Saturday morning we backpacked about 4 miles to an awesome (but windy) overlook near elephant head rock. There are trails that run all over the range and make for really smooth cross-country hiking, and the granitic buttes and formations were candy for the eyes. On Sunday we put down a hearty dinner at Bruno’s, the spaghetti was marvelous. Special thanks to NCA Wilderness Ranger Justin Robbins who represented the BLM in a very positive way. Also, thanks to Catherine who took the dare and licked the salt like a trooper.
