Fall Drive to Potosi Mountain

The Spring Mountain Range is God’s gift to those living in and around the Las Vegas and Pahrump valleys. As a young man, it wasn’t until my college years at UNLV that I began to explore everything they offered. While hunting and fishing with my brother Neal during my high school years, he introduced me to topographic maps, and they in turn revealed the secrets of the Spring Mountains. My discovery of its eight creeks and 100-plus springs provided many hiking “targets” that challenged my map and compass skills. Kevin McGoohan and I spent countless weekends enjoying all the range offered up.

My primary reason for visiting the Potosi area on this lovely Sunday afternoon was to run through my Toyota Tacoma’s four wheel drive system by engaging the Hi and Low ranges of the transfer case while driving on loose dirt (and a little crawling). While my “Fish Taco” has an adequate 4×4 system, it does not have locking differentials (the TRD Off Road model has a locking rear differential, whereas my SR5 model does not). Driving on pavement in four wheel drive without locking differentials can cause damage when the tire rotation is different due to sharp turns (i.e., the outside tires rotate longer than the inside tires). Locking differentials would be great when off roading because regular unlocking differentials will transfer all axle torque (or power) to the tire that is easiest to spin, thus an axle with one tire on firm ground will cause the other tire on loose or slippery surfaces to spin. I’m sure this is more than most care to learn, but just know it was a good excuse for a nice drive.

Sometime in the 1970s, Neal took me on a varmint hunting trip just south of the area in the previous photo. Varmint hunting can be described as “the practice of hunting vermin as a means of pest control.” The Nevada Department of Wildlife still allows the hunting of “vermin” such as coyote, black-tailed jackrabbit, badger, weasel, and others. While this is not a popular sport for most all Nevadans, one has to consider that about 85 percent of land in Nevada is owned by the Federal Government (which provides range land, national parks and recreation, mining, and national security). Except for military bases and testing ranges, most of the federal lands allow hunting and fishing. The vast majority of the state was uninhabited in the 1970s, and even 50 years later its much the same.

Over the years I have taken some of my kids, and a few other interested parties, on the Potosi road. In 2008 my son Brian and I tested his Jeep Cherokee 4×4 wagon on this very same road, and we did some target shooting with a rifle and a pistol that shot .22 long-rifle cartridges. Potosi is also the site of my first climb ever, sometime around 1978, where Bill Bergan’s top-roping skills calmed my nerves.

In the early 1980s I took my wife Denise and a neighbor’s daughter to this area in search of a spring the topographic map labeled as “Mexican Spring.” After driving into the Potosi area for 8 miles or so, we then hiked about 1.5 miles into the canyon before we found the spring we were seeking. On the way back to the truck I discovered a Desert bighorn sheep scull, which I believe was from a ewe (a female). I kept the skull and placed it in our backyard, and I took it with us from home to home until it eventually disintegrated in the backyard of our current home after about 30 years.

For most of my adult life there was a Boy Scout camp located near Potosi. The current Clark County Assessor records reflect that the 656 acres are still owned by the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Not sure exactly why, but it appears they are leasing the use of their property to a private “for profit” entity (perhaps it was the maintenance cost for the camp, or maybe the popularity of scouting was waning). Regardless of the reason, a national company called “Bronco Off-Roadeo” operates an off-road training course for Ford Bronco owners, or wannabe owners, on those 656 acres. They operate in five states (including my home state of New Hampshire). Sadly, I’m sure that the wildlife that enjoyed the fruits of this unique portion of the Spring Mountains are none too happy with all the raucous noise and activity.

Other than the disappointment of the Bronco Off-Roadeo land use, I very much enjoyed my visit with Potosi Mountain, much like visiting with an old friend. I didn’t witness much wildlife on this trip, but I did run into two guys in a white Tacoma truck with a similar bed cap as mine. On my second pass by them I stopped and rolled down my window to say hello. The driver was a guy with a head and full beard composed of white hair, probably around 60 years old, give or take 5 years. I immediately took an affinity to him. His passenger was a younger man of about 45 years. During our short conversation, the older man revealed they had been climbing on some of Potosi’s crags. They were relaxing and recovering from their effort. The driver said that they climb what they can while they’re still able. My short conversation with them brought back sweet memories of Bill and I climbing in Potosi and Red Rock during the late 1970s.

P.S. – A little research discovered that the land used by Bronco Off-Roadeo is still owned by the Boy Scouts who are benefitting from a 100% property tax exemption while it appears the current operator is a for-profit entity. I will update this post once I receive an answer to my inquiry with Clark County’s Assessor, Treasurer, and Business Licensing departments.