Sitting here in my apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, I am thinking of places I’ve been that have reminded me I am alive. The Arc Dome is one such place. It’s the highest point in central Nevada’s little known(among Midwesterners) Toiyabe mountain range, in the Toiyabe National Forest. You have to walk in or go in on horseback, which is how I’ve done it the two times I’ve been there. No vehicles allowed.(Horseback saves a lot of time!) Here is what the Arc Dome looks like: Arc Dome is the centerpiece of the Arc Dome Wilderness Area. It towers over very lush, alpine canyons which could fool you into thinking you are in the Alps or Canadian Rockies. They are a stark contrast to the desert below. You can climb the Arc Dome in a day from the edge of the Wilderness Area, but it’s more fun to pack in and camp the night before among the thick Aspen trees. The hike up to the summit is so worth the view of thousands of square miles of scenery. Both times I’ve been there it was clear enough that I could see the Sierra shimmering in the distant West. Check out this view: At the summit there is jar in which people have left notes of their experiences and feelings once atop the summit. There is one note in the can left by an 80-something year-old retired judge who says he still climbs the Arc Dome once annually to remind himself that he is alive. Here is a picture of the summit, in the middle of which if you look closely you can see the jar where I found this man’s note about being alive, and it stuck with me.
