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 The Monument Arch has been a quest of mine for several years. At first I thought it might be an illusion. As time passed I forgot about it until Davis just happened to catch the Arch in a photo taken from Black Velvet Peak. After inspecting the photo, the hunt was on again! From previous hikes to East Monument Peak I was convinced the Arch was a technical hike (ropes) from the east. Davis and I figured we would approach it from the west, which meant hiking to West Monument and then somehow find a route down to the Arch. Not an easy task for an illusive Arch that might not exist! Attempt 1 On December 7th, 2001, Davis and I tried to find the Arch by ascending to West Monument and then descending the Gully of Death. About halfway down the gully the sun started to sink and we got out of there. Attempt 1 was a dismal failure. The only thing we learned was this was going to be a long hike. Also, we learn that our combined IQ's during the hike didn't reach into double digits! Attempt 2 On an early morning in January, Davis and I tried again to find the Arch. This time our trailhead was off of Lovell Canyon road, the same trailhead for "The Park" hike. We figured this was a quicker approach than from Black Velvet trailhead. We hiked to West Monument and started the descent. Once past where we turned around last time, the going became tough. It was loose and brushy and death was in the air! Finally, we were just around the corner from the Arch. We turned the corner and... No Arch, it was an illusion! There was an Arch type structure without the Arch. Maybe in a few thousand years it will become an Arch. I don't thing we'll wait. We were disappointed to say the least. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes. Photos Don't Lie We tried to return the camera that took the photo of the Arch claiming it was defective. The store manager promptly threw us out of the store. We looked at the photo again and realized we were defective. We had stopped about 75 yards shy of the real Arch. We were almost 100% sure there was an Arch. We planned to wait until the long days of April to nail the Arch. Attempt 3 On a warm day in mid-April we started at Black Velvet trailhead on our quest to stand in the Arch. We both agreed the hike in from Black Velvet was better than the hike in from Lovell Canyon road. It didn't matter to us that it was longer. As we approached the "Ledges" Davis hurt his ankle. Having watched several episodes of Marcus Welby, MD when I was a kid, I offered to operate on it. Davis declined. The Arch got us again! I think it was smiling! Attempt 4 On May 14th, 2002, we were certain the Arch was ours! We were both in good shape and the daylight stretched into the evening. We departed from Black Velvet trailhead, ascended to West Monument, and descended the Gully of Near Death. This time we walked the additional 75 yards and... there was the Arch. The only thing that separated us was a 60-foot, class 5, wall! Where did that come from? It was not apparent in Davis' photo. We both collapsed. I am sure the Arch was laughing at us. Time To Bring In The Professional Ed Forkos has been climbing mountains for 40 years. He's very knowledgeable and puts safety first. I told him about the Arch and he wanted to conquer it. Bringing ropes and webbing with him, we planned to approach the Arch from the east and descend into a ramp that leads to the Arch. From my previous trips I knew if we could get to the ramp, we had it made. I talked Peter and Anna into coming along. Suckers! On Halloween 2002, the four of us started walking toward East Canyon in our hiking costumes on route to the Arch. On an previous hike I had descended Arch Canyon, so we decided to climb it instead of following the traditional route. Part of the climb was class 4. Once near the Arch, I showed Ed all the routes down to the ramp and we decided on one. After finding an appropriate anchor, Ed tied me into the 100-foot rope and I started descending to the ramp. Peter thought it would be a good idea to tie the rope around my neck. I disagreed and kicked him off the hike. I believed it was going to be a class 3 descent. I was wrong! It was class 4, at least. The rope was very reassuring. I inched my way down to the ramp and started running toward the Arch. Slam! I forgot to untie the rope. Thankfully it wasn't around my neck. After untying the rope, I walked to the Arch. Wow! It was taller than I had thought. I was finally standing in the Arch. I wanted to find a better way to the Arch. I looked where I descended and did not find an easy descent route. Ed yelled down to me about coming in from above the Arch. I scrambled up a chute next to the Arch and walked east toward a small drop-off. Ed and Anna were at the bottom of the drop-off. They climbed up the awkward face and we descended to the Arch. We had made it. The Arch is NOT on topo maps. I believe we are the first to stand in the Arch. I have never talked to anyone who knew about the Arch. We figured the Arch was at least 100 feet tall. It's more impressive than the Arch at Bridge Mountain. It seems like a long time ago, and I guess it was. During the spring of 1996, I called Eva with a crazy idea: Let’s try to hike to Mummy, Charleston, and Griffith Peaks in one day. She thought I was kidding. I wasn’t. On July 28th, 1996, Eva, Susan, and I did the first Multi Peak Hike in Mt. Charleston. It has always been my favorite.
Fast-forward to July 6, 2003. It's now time for the 8th Annual Multi Peak Hike. This year we had more participants than any other year. Beside Susan and me, (we have done all eight Multi-Peak Hikes) Nick, Debbie, Anna, and Valentina joined us for a “little” walk in the mountains. I wanted to do something different this year. We decided on Mummy’s Forehead, Chin, Tummy, Charleston Peak, and Griffith Peak. The route was approximately 18 miles and over 7,000 feet of elevation gain. The first half of the route was cross-country. The hike was essentially Mummy Head to Toe without the Toe, but adding the Forehead. Once at Mummy we would descend to the North Rim Ridge and followed it to Devil’s Thumb. A quick climb of Devil’s Thumb and then on to Charleston Peak. After taking a break at the highest point in southern Nevada, we would descend the South Loop Trail, bagging Griffith Peak on the way down. A perfect Sunday morning in early July found six hikers (Anna, Debbie, Susan, Valentina, Nick, Myself) at the trailhead just before 7 asking themselves: Why am I doing this? After preparing for the hike, we followed the standard route through the woods and into the drainage. After ascending the drainage within 100 yards of the saddle, we encounter the first Class 4 climb. Once up, we continued to the summit of Mummy’s Forehead. The route from Mummy’s Forehead to Mummy’s Chin has never been good, and, in my opinion, it still isn’t. It’s either a descent of hundreds of feet only having to make it up or traverse along very loose scree chutes. Since we would gain over 7,000 feet, we opted for the traverse. It’s not pleasant. (I will try to find a better route later this summer.) Some 45 minutes later we were standing on Mummy’s Chin. In the past when hiking from Mummy’s Chin to Mummy Mountain (highest point on Mummy), we have descended hundreds of feet into a gully only to ascend back up. We took a gamble and stayed high near the east wall. After negotiating one easy Class 4 downclimb, the gamble paid off. We were now at the start of a long ascent to Mummy. Valentina and I decided to climb, instead of following the traditional route. After some fun Class 4 and a short Class 5 pitch, we were on the summit plateau. We all met at Mummy and signed the book. Valentina started her collection of animal-looking logs here, which she carried all the way down to the top of the scree slope! In my mind the physically challenging part was over, though I knew the long walk down the South Loop Trail would be a challenge for my feet. It was now a scenic walk along the North Rim Ridge to Devil’s Thumb. One of the oddities along this route is The Landing. I swear you could land a small plane on it. (Dave disagrees, but he did not fly in the Civil War like I did.) Once beyond The Landing, we picked up the North Loop Trail and followed it about 0.5 mile to Devil’s Thumb. It was along this point Valentina left the group. Only being to elevation once before and hiking boots that were giving her trouble, she decided to walk down to the trailhead at Trail Canyon. We gave her a two-way radio and said goodbye. I wasn’t worried about her. Having a black belt in karate and been a professional boxer and kick boxer, she could whip anyone’s butt on the mountain. The route from Devil’s Thumb to Charleston Peak is a classic and avoids the tedious switchbacks of the North Loop Trail. Once up the initial climb, we got spread out. Some of us climbed, others avoided the climbs, and others just took off. Just before the steep part of the summit ridge, there’s an idyllic camping spot in Mt. Charleston; however, it would be a challenging hike with a full pack. Debbie, Susan, and I reached the peak and relaxed for a few minutes. Nick and Anna had already left. After a bite to eat and a change of socks, we took off down the South Loop Trail. Though it’s an easy walk, it’s boring. To make time go by I tried to coordinate how we were going to get everybody back together and get the cars. I really wasn’t sure where Valentina would end up: the trailhead, the wrong trailhead, Vegas, or Moscow! The 2-way radios were indispensable. We met Nick and Anna at the junction before Griffith Peak and confirmed our plans. They took off down the South Loop Trail and Debbie, Susan, and I went to bag Griffith Peak, the final peak. Some where along the path to Griffith Peak the altitude got to Susan and me as evident in the summit photo. A non-eventful walk down the Old South Loop Trail had us standing at the trailhead around 8 pm. We had completed another Multi-Peak Hike in Mt. Charleston without incident. Lessons Learned: Duct tape works great for preventing blisters. Eat and drink often to keep energy up and stay hydrated. Two-way radios are vital when attempting long hikes with several hikers. Even the best plans can change. History of the Multi Peak Hikes in Mt. Charleston 1996 Mummy, Charleston, and Griffith Route: Up Mummy Springs to Mummy, over to Charleston, down South Loop to Griffith, continue to saddle, down drainage to summer homes. Hikers: Susan, Eva, and Me. 1997 Mummy, Charleston and Griffith. Route: Trail Canyon to Mummy, over to Charleston, down South Loop to Griffith, and down to the trailhead. Hikers: Eva, Richard Baugh, Susan, and me. 1998 Eva, Richard Baugh, Susan, and me. Rained out after reaching Mummy. Hikers: Eva, Terri Melquist, Susan, and me. 1999 Griffith, Charleston, Mummy, Charleston, Griffith. Route: South Loop to Griffith, continue to Charleston, down North Loop to scree slope, up scree slope to Mummy, back to Charleston and Griffith, down to trailhead. Hikers: Len Zane (first three peaks), Susan, and me. 2000 Cancelled bad weather. 2001 Mummy, Charleston and Griffith Mummy via the southern route, North Rim Ridge to Charleston, South Loop to Griffith, and down to trailhead. Hikers: ??? 2002 Mummy, Charleston and Griffith. Route: Mummy via the Southern Route, North Rim Ridge to Charleston, South Loop to Griffith, and down to trailhead. Hikers: Nick Nelson, Susan, and me.  As promised here is my follow up review reporting on the durability of Columbia's Crestwood hiking shoe. I have done 20 scrambling hikes in this shoes to date, including one hike in Zion that had very rough terrain. As you can see the soles are holding up quite well. They have never slipped on the sandstone rock in any of the 20 hikes. All my hikes except for the Zion hike were in Red Rock Canyon on sandstone rock. For those who don't know Red Rock Canyon is just 15 miles west of Las Vegas, NV and is the premiere scrambling location in the country. What about the other parts of the shoe? These parts are holding up well. No tears, the stitching is holding up well also. The front of the toe is in great condition as is the rear of the shoe. The laces are in good shape. The Verdict: Columbia's Crestwood hiking shoe is a great scrambling shoe. They stick to the rock well. They are comfortable and durable. The best part is the price. Currently, they are $70, but will probably be on sale for Father's Day for $52. Columbia does have a 20% off code currently:EXTRA20. I do not know how long this code will be valid. If you become a member (it's free), you get free shipping. It’s not overnight shipping, but they should be delivered in 4 to 5 days. Of course you can do trail hikes in these shoes. To purchase: https://www.columbia.com/p/mens-crestwood-hiking-shoe-1781181.html These shoes are a great alternative to the more expensive approach shoes.  |
AuthorBranch Whitney is the author of Hiking Las Vegas and creator of the 52 Peak Club where members hike to the best 52 Peaks around Las Vegas, NV Archives
June 2025
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