Updates
1998 to 12-1999
Current updates
2000 to 12-2002
The Days are Short
This is the time of year you must be very
concerned about running out of daylight. It starts to get dark around 4:30
pm. If you are doing a long hike, plan to get an early start.
Now it is more important than ever to dress
in layers. Many of our recent hikes have seen temperatures vary as much as
30 degrees. The wind and shade can drop the temperature drastically.
Do not wear cotton. It retains moisture,
and that's the last thing you want. If you are wet and the wind kicks up,
you will be cold. Wear clothing with the labels Thermax or Coolmax (trade
names). They wick moisture away from your body and keep you dry.
Did you know you lose more heat from your head than any other part of your
body? A
Balaclava, sort of like a ski mask, will keep your head warm and is
lightweight.
On 12-5-99, our plan was to hike to Muddy
Peak via Lovell Wash. We drove on Callville Bay Wash road until it narrows too much
for a vehicle to continue (5.8 miles). We hiked about four miles
in a wash before intersecting what we thought was Lovell Wash. It turns
out Lovell Wash was still to the west, at least another 45 minutes away.
We ascended (Class 2 - 3) an unnamed wash.
It took us four hours to reach the top of a broken ridge line, which might
continue to Muddy
Peak. Lovell Wash, which was visible, was over 1,000 feet
below to the west.
I don't know if you could hike from the
trailhead (end of Callville Bay Wash road) to Muddy Peak and back in one
day. It took us over seven hours to complete our hike. I figure it's at
least two hours from where we stopped on the ridge to Muddy Peak, and
that assumes the ridgeline goes (a big assumption). Hiking all the way to
Lovell Wash and then to Muddy Peak appears to be a longer route. The main
problem is the lack of daylight. You can't try this hike in the summer when
the days are longer because of the heat (100 + degrees).
So, what's the route to Muddy Peak? The
standard route is from the north through Hidden Valley. The Member's
Only section contains the route. Another possible route is to follow an
unpaved road that ends just west of Lovell Wash. I saw this road from the
ridge. I think if you could start from this point, the hike could be done in
less than nine hours. If anyone has information about the road, please contact
me.
Update: We found
the route to Muddy Peak through Lovell Wash on 01-18-01.
On Halloween (10-30-99), we hiked to the
toughest peak in Red Rock. This bad boy is called Mt. Wilson. You
boulder and rock scramble over 3,000 feet to the peak. I had not done the route all
the way through First Creek in two years. Normally, I take the shortcut;
however, I want to rewrite and photograph the original route for the
Member's Only section. We had heard rumors about how bad the brush was. We
prepared for the worst and got an early start.
What brush? I never got a scratch. The route
through First Creek is in good shape. Hikers run into brush because they
don't know the secrets. First, there's a fast and
brush free way into the wash. Click here to read
about it. Second, they don't know how to find the secret wash. It's a
brush-free wash in the heart of the canyon. I have explicit details in the Mt. Wilson hike, which is in
the Member's Only section.
On 10-9-99, we scrambled to
Juniper Peak, one of the best hikes in Red Rock Canyon. We did a lot of work on the
route. All spur paths along Juniper Peak Path (JPP) have been blocked off and
cairns have been placed along the path. This should
make it much easier to follow. Remember, the overall direction is
SW.
We have extended the path into the canyon.
It's much easier to follow than the old bouldering route into
the canyon. The path meets up with the bouldering route about 150 yards into
the canyon. I have two photos and text to help you follow the new route into
the canyon. Below is the text and links to the photos:
"As the Juniper Peak path (JJP) draws near the mouth of Juniper
Canyon, a major wash appears to your left. Do not be lured down into the
wash. Photo 2 provides an
overview of the route from the JJP to the enhanced path in the photo. That
path is your next major landmark. It travels deep into the canyon and is
free of brush.
Continue west on JJP walking up a candy-striped
boulder and down the other side. The trail resumes and becomes easier to
follow. Continue another 40 yards to a hole created by boulders. (See
Photo 3.) Squeeze through the hole. From this point, follow the original
route through the wash, which takes you to the path in Photo 2."
It's been a great summer at
HikingLasVegas.com. We hiked and documented eight trails and routes in Mt.
Charleston. Here's a list of hikes added to the Member's Only section:
Charleston Peak Cross Country (via Big
Falls), Charleston Peak via Carpenter Canyon, Cockscomb Ridge, McFarland via
North Canyon, Mummy Head to Toe, Mummy via North Loop trail and
Scree Slope, Mummy The Hard Way (southern approach), and Stanley B.
Springs.
Hiking Las Vegas branched out during the
summer and documented three great hikes in Great
Basin National Park. We have added an information page
about each new area to help plan your trip. Two other hikes added were: Mt. Whitney - Mountaineer's Route
and Boundary Peak.
Mt. Whitney is the highest peak in the continental
United States. The Mountaineer's Route is tougher than the Mt. Whitney trail
and
far less
crowded. It's a strenuous, all-day hike, but I think the multi-peak hikes in Mt.
Charleston and Red Rock Canyon are harder.
Boundary Peak is the highest peak in Nevada.
You don't have to worry about crowds. It's a true wilderness experience. The
hike description also includes Montgomery Peak.
That's 12 additional hikes added to the Member's
Only section, which brings the total number of hikes to 100. I figure it
would cost about $100 if you were to buy different guide books
covering those 100 hikes and the topo maps. Of course, many of the hikes in
Red Rock and Mt. Charleston are not in print anywhere, except in the Member's
Only club.
We will keep expanding our coverage to make
this site the best hiking site on the Web. Our future plans include Zion
National Park, additional hikes in Great Basin National Park, and Humphrey's
Peak, the highest peak in Arizona. See ya in the mountains.
Update: All the above has been added to the
Members Only Club.
On Sunday, July 25th, we hiked through
Carpenter Canyon to the South Loop trail. (We had planned to go to the peak,
but a late start and the threat of descending in the dark stopped us from
making it to the peak.) This is the ultimate route to
Charleston Peak. Peak Spring flows through Carpenter Canyon making for some
awesome sights and sounds. This is a mighty spring unlike many other
springs in Mt. Charleston . In fact, there's too much water in some
areas making hiking slow at times.
The route gains over 5,000 feet and
eventually
intersects South Loop trail about three-quarters of a mile before the peak. An early
start is mandatory, since the hike takes at least ten hours and in many
cases it could take up to 12 hours. The best plan of attack would be
to camp at the trailhead the night before and get an early start the
next morning. The complete route along
with six color photos of key landmarks and an enhanced topo map is in
the Member's Only section.
Mummy's Forehead (7-24-99)
On July 24th, 1999, a small group
hiked to Mummy's Forehead, the least climbed peak in Mt. Charleston. This is the
highest peak of the three peaks that make up the "head" of Mummy
Mountain. It is also the northern most peak. Since leaving a sign-in
book at the peak in 1997, only two other parties have scrambled to the peak.
Wow!
The scree slope near the peak is very loose
and steep. Descending it is dangerous, because of the loose rock.
You will cause rocks to tumble down the slope; it cannot be avoided.
It is mandatory to limit your group to four people. I can just about guarantee
if a large group descends someone will get hit by a tumbling rock. Because
of this we tried to find a different route down. We scrambled north to a
lower peak/ridge. It was a steep, but otherwise easy trek to the unnamed
peak. Between this peak and Mummy's Forehead lies an east traveling gully I
named Heartbreak Gully. It looks promising, but ends at a 500 foot
cliff. I have not found another way down from Mummy's Forehead
that would loop into the ascent route.
Flash Floods
Las Vegas received more rain in one hour than it normally gets in six
months. Over two inches of rain fell in many parts of the valley.
Almost 1.50 inches of rain fell in Mt. Charleston. Some of the trails may have been destroyed. I will keep
you posted.
Today (7-8-99), looks like the start of the monsoon season. Normally
it starts in late July or August. Be very careful hiking in the mountains during the
monsoon season. The rule of thumb is to be off the peaks before noon. Usually the
thunderstorms due not start up until the afternoon. See the safety
page for more information.
We Did It!
On July 4th, 1999, we successfully completed our 4th annual Multi-Peak
hike in Mt. Charleston. In the past we had done three peak hikes, but this year we wanted
something very challenging. And we got it. This was our first and only Five
Peak endurance
hike, at least doing this route. We started at the South Loop trailhead, hiked to Griffith
Peak, Charleston Peak, and Mummy Mountain. We then descended the scree slope and followed
the North Loop trail back up to Charleston Peak and over to Griffith Peak. Finally, we
took the South Loop trail back to the trailhead. I figured we hiked a little more than 28
miles and the elevation gain was almost 7,500 feet.
Below are our times for future reference. I don't recommend doing this hike. It was
very hard and abusive to the body. We took about 90 minutes for breaks, food,
and signing the registers.
Start: 5:46 am
Griffith Peak: 7:38 am
Charleston Peak: 9:33 am
Mummy Mtn: 12:16 pm
Charleston Peak: 3:31 pm
Griffith Peak: 5:51 pm
Finish: 7:56 pm
Mummy Head to Toe
On June 17th, 1999, we hiked to Mummy's Chin,
over to Mummy's Tummy, across to Mummy's Toe, and descended the North Loop trail. This is
one of the hardest hikes in Mt. Charleston, and I think, it rivals the Three
Peak Hike
(Mummy, Charleston, and Griffith). It took us a little over eight hours to finish. The
route will be in the Member's Only section.
We descended the gully hikers ascend to climb to Mummy's Tummy. This
is the same gully in the Mummy Mountain Hike, which is in the "Member's Only" section and in the book "Hiking Las
Vegas." There was snow in the gully. I kicked steps in the snow
during our descent. This should help anyone trying to climb the gully. I believe all the
snow will be melted by the end of June.
It snowed in Mt. Charleston in June!
A freak snow storm dumped as much as eight inches of snow on some parts of Mt.
Charleston on 6-4-99. As I reported in the next article, the trails were almost clear of
snow. I have not been up to Mt. Charleston since May 31st, but I can see the snow from my
office window. I'm planning to hike in Mt. Charleston on 6-9-99. I'll report on snow
levels then.
Friday's high temperature of 67 degrees set a record for the lowest high
temperature ever recorded in the month of June. The normal
temperature for this time of year is 100 degrees.
Today, 6-5-99, the temperature is in the 80s.The forecast is for temperatures to be
in the mid 90s by next week.
The Monument, at last!
On 3-28-99, we found a third class route to The Monument, which is located
on the north side of Black Velvet Canyon. A number of obstacles had prevented us from
reaching the peak on other attempts. This is a very long scramble, since you can't access
The Monument from the desert to the north. Spring Mountain State Ranch owns the desert
north of The Monument. The trailhead is at Black Velvet parking area. The hike starts at
the trailhead and traverses around the west side of The Monument to the NE. A hidden
Class 2 gully takes you to the NE base of The Monument. A very short Class 3
climb brings you
to a hidden catch basin that's larger than the catch basin on Bridge Mountain! A
short class II scramble and you're at the peak. I rate this hike as one of the top five in
Red Rock Canyon. This hike is in the Member's
Only club.
First Creek Canyon
First Creek Canyon, which has been called "Brush Creek" for
obvious reasons, is the traditional route to Mt. Wilson. I have been making improvements
to the route. The new route from the trailhead to where you drop into the wash is
different than in the book. It cuts off about 15 minutes and is easier to follow. Here's
the description starting from the trailhead:
Follow the signed trail as it heads SSW toward the mouth
of First Creek Canyon. When the trail forks, take the left (south) fork. Follow the trail
when it goes down a hill; do not stay up high on the south side. The trail passes under a
branch of a 20-foot desert scrub oak. From this point the trail divides
into numerous paths. Follow any path that stays near the creek. When the path divides,
take the south (left) fork, which goes up a hill. At the top of the hill, take the south
(left) fork. Continue west on the path toward the canyon. Near a 20-foot juniper the path
divides. Take the right (north) fork, which goes down a hill. At the bottom of the hill, a
log has fallen across the path. In 75 yards path weaves around large
boulders making it harder to follow. Keep heading west into the canyon. Eventually the
path goes across a band of red sandstone. About 15 feet past the band of
red sandstone turn right (north) onto a path. Looking across the canyon you should see the
"turtle" boulder circled in Photo
1. The path weaves between two boulders and then makes a sharp left (west). Numerous
cairns help keep you on course from here to the wash. Follow the path through the brush to
a large slanted boulder. Climb the boulder and continue on the path. Huge boulders force
the path to head north to just above the wash. Instead of dropping into the wash turn to
your left (237-degrees) and look for a tall cottonwood tree that stands behind huge
boulders. Scramble SW 40 yards to the tree. You are finally in the wash.
(See Photo 2.) It should take you
about five minutes to hike from Photo 1 to Photo 2.
On page 234, in Hiking Las Vegas, I wrote about finding the
"brush-free" wash. The opening through the brush is now very obvious. Once
through the opening turn left. You'll see a pile of rocks confirming you are on course.
Walk 30 yards and turn west (right) into the brush-free wash. Unfortunately, there's a
large pool of water at the start of this wash. The route around the water still needs
work. To avoid the water climb out of the wash on the left and parallel it for about 30
yards before dropping back into the wash. You will encounter some brush along this detour.
Once back into the wash, it's smooth sailing all the way to the cascading dry falls. (See
Photo 9 on page 234 in Hiking Las Vegas.)
Moapa Peak
On 2-28-99, eight of us hiked to Moapa
Peak, which is located about 60 miles NE of Las Vegas. It's a tough peak that sees
only a handful of hikers each year. The 3,300 feet of elevation gain and a
knife-edge ridge makes Moapa Peak one of the classic hikes in southern Nevada.
The weather is important when climbing Moapa Peak. You don't want a
windy day along the knife-edge ridge. The hike is best done in late winter / early spring
or fall. It's too hot for summer, and the days are too short in winter. It's
a 90
minute drive from Las Vegas. Allow at least six hours for the hike.
You'll need a high-clearance vehicle to reach the trailhead.
The complete route description along with color photos is in the
"Member's Only" section. For more details click here.
How Long Does Litter Last?
Thinking about throwing that apple core, plastic bag, or piece of
paper on the trail? Here's a list of common litter items and how long they take to
decompose.
Aluminum
80-100 years
Cigarette butts
1-5 years
Glass bottles
1,000,000 years
Leather
50 years
Milk cartoons
5 years
Nylon fabric
30-40 years
Orange/banana peels
6 months
Paper
2-5 months
Plastic film containers
20-30 years
Plastic bags
10-20 years
Rubber boot sole
50-80 years
Styrofoam
NEVER
Wool socks
1-5 years
Do you want to see this trash on the trails? Of course not! So don't
ever throw anything on the trail. Never, no exceptions. Bring a large zip lock bag and
pack all of your trash in it. In my opinion, there's one item (some may say two items) in
the above list you should never have on a hike.
Snow in Red Rock Canyon
On 1-27-99, a winter storm dumped three to five inches of snow in the
higher elevations in Red Rock Canyon. This is a typical amount of snow Red Rock receives
during these winter storms. Normally, this area only sees a couple of snow storms a year,
but last year (1998) was one of the worst in recent times. Snow covered the peaks
throughout March and part of April.
My thoughts about rock
scrambling in the snow are simple: don't! Obviously, the snow makes things slippery,
but there's a greater element of danger: ice. During the afternoon the snow melts. At
night water from the snow melt turns to ice and doesn't start to melt until late morning
or early afternoon. The ice sometimes blends in with the sandstone making it hard to see
it.
Are there any parts of Red Rock Canyon that receive less snowfall or
have quicker snow melts? Yes. The lower elevations, which contain all the trails, receive
less snow and the snow melts faster. trail hiking in the snow is not nearly as dangerous
as rock scrambling. Snow melts the fastest along the east facing routes, and slowest along
the west and north facing routes.
Here are the hikes that have the best chance to be clear of snow:
Whiskey Peak, Indecision Peak, any hike in Calico Hills, and any of the BLM trail hikes,
except Turtlehead.
The hikes that are the last to be clear of snow or ice are: Bridge
Mountain, Mt. Wilson, North Peak, Rainbow Peak or Wall, and any hike that goes high
into any of the canyons (First, Oak, Ice Box, and Pine).
The best alternative is to hike out at Lake
Mead. Snow is extremely rare around Lake Mead. If you are into snow shoeing, Mt. Charleston would be the place to go when it snows.
Camping reservations online!
You can now make camping reservations online to many national parks.
Unfortunately, you can't make reservations online with any of the parks in Nevada. The Web
site address is: www.nps.gov
Happy New Year - 1999
On New Year's Day 15 people hiked to the summit of Bridge Mountain. This hike has always been one of the
top five hikes in southern Nevada. I found it rewarding that 15 people wanted to get up
early and hike rather than staying up late and partying. What a great way to start 1999.
The route is in good shape. Cairns make it easy to find the way down
the shoulder, across the bench, and up to the summit. Some might say that it is over
cairned, but for first-timers the cairns are helpful.
We took a different approach than normal. Usually we scramble to the
"top of the escarpment" via the North Peak Wash. Due to ice, we had to hike the
North Peak path. Even washes in lower elevations might have ice. Be very careful when
hiking in Pine Creek, Ice Box, Oak Creek, and First Creek Canyons this time of year. Ice
can blend with sandstone making it very difficult to see. At night, the temperature in
those canyons drops below freezing, and during the daytime many of those canyons are in
the shade most of the day.
Search and Rescue Called Out at Red Rock Canyon
On 12-21-98, the shortest day of the year, two young rock
climbers ran out of daylight on a technical climb in Red Rock Canyon. They made a
lot of mistakes. A late start, no emergency equipment, and they picked the wrong day. Not
only was 12-21 the shortest day of the year, it was one of the coldest days so far in Las
Vegas. The snow and the wind made it impossible for Search and Rescue's helicopter to fly
until the next day.
The teenagers had to spend the night in a cave to keep from freezing.
They were trying a technical climb on White Rock Hills Mountain. The climb is called
Tunnel Vision on Angel Food Wall.
What saved the teenagers? They had told their parents where they were
climbing. This is one of the most important safety rules
when hiking or climbing. The teenagers were cold, but did not suffer any frostbite.
This is a tricky time of the year for hiking in Red Rock Canyon.
Yesterday, 12-21, it snowed and wind gusts were reported as high as 50 mph. Last week, I
was hiking in a thin polypro shirt in Red Rock Canyon (see Bridge Point, the next section
on this page for more details). The best strategy is listen to weather reports, come
prepared, and if it's too cold, consider hiking around Lake Mead.
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