Storage Cabin (Cowboy Wash / Tin Can Alley) - 10/02/24

Old storage bunker near Telephone Canyon Road

Double Notch log cabin Construction

After a bit of research on Telephone Canyon Road in the Spring Mountains NRA, I have concluded that I will write this entry according to lore. As lore would have it, Telephone Canyon Road was built and used when the cabins at Deer Creek were built and supplied with phone lines and electricity. Between the dirt road (Telephone Canyon Road) and the "new" Deer Creek Road lies a storage cabin or bunker where workers kept supplies for their construction. In reality, the cabin lies very close to where the old Deer Creek Road passed by. I had a friend who told stories about traveling the old Deer Creek Road with his military buddies that was, at that time, also a dirt/semi-paved road. It was a very difficult road to travel and was probably used by only the most adventurous ... especially in the snow! Thank goodness the new road (8.8 miles) was built in 1976 connecting Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon and providing an easy way to access many beautiful trails and campgrounds. Parts of the old partially "paved" road can still be found not far from the new road construction. We use the road remnants on a few of our hike routes. 

The storage cabin can be reached in various ways. However, on this particular hike, I began at the Stepladder Trailhead and headed up the Cowboy Wash Trail to the saddle junction above. Continuing up the Cowboy Trail that runs parallel to the established Deer Creek Road, I reached the cabin in around 2.5 miles. It sits off to the left as you are climbing. From there I connected with the Tin Can Alley Trail and followed it all the way down and back to the trailhead by use of Telephone Canyon Road and the Shady Hollow Trail. An excellent morning hike!

Stats: ~6.5 miles; ~1300' gain

Entry Point

Robbers Roost TH to Stepladder TH v Trough Trail - 9/30/24

Old tin cans hanging on trees in Tin Can Alley

View up from Hike a Bike Trail

Archive photo of Rita and Ralyn cleaning out the Trough

Tin Can Alley view Down

As we continue to roam the area around Telephone Canyon Road trying to catch sight of Onyx, we have hiked a couple of interesting routes. Yesterday, my husband and I left a car at Robbers Roost Trailhead and dropped down behind the sign. Taking a left, we hiked up Hike a Bike to the top of the hill and took a right at a four-way junction. This put us on the Trough Trail on a pathway downhill. It's steep at first but after you pass the wildlife trough, the steepness lets up a little. Passing up the Equestrian Switchback Trail, we descended straight down Trough Canyon. (We didn't see any dog prints.) At the bottom we crossed Telephone Canyon Road and turned to the left on Tin Can Alley Trail. Veering left, we started on a steady descent of the well worn trail. Finally, after 2.75 miles into the hike, we reached Onyx Point. After resupplying the food and water we have there, we continued down on the same route we have used for almost 3 weeks now. (We don't want to change our scent trail by using other routes back to the Stepladder TH.) As predicted, the afternoon heat was almost unbearable but we made it down to Telephone Canyon Road junction, turned right, followed the road down to the Connector Trail junction which is marked by a small cairn on the right. We follow the Connector back to the Shady Hollow Trail, checked another food and water bowl station, and continued back to Stepladder Trailhead. Having two cars, we drove up to retrieve our other car. It was a very nice hike albeit hot! We thanks everyone who continues to look for Onyx. It is very strange that there has not been any sightings of her by now. 😢

Stats: 5 miles; 500' ascent; 1700' descent; 3 hours

P.S. The photos on this entry are all archived photos from 2011 & 2022.

Tin Can Alley view Up

Telephone Canyon Road view Up

Born free to follow your heart - 9/26/24

Morning fall color from high on Stepladder Loop

View from near Stepladder Peak

Onyx is still lost. We are not giving up. We are leaving dog food and water out every day but are only feeding the bushy tailed foxes. Now that we have laid a good amount of scent in the area, please feel free to go out to the Telephone Canyon area looking for her if you have a mind to. We have been told that a chihuahua was lost up there for 30 days one time and was found alive. The Mt. Charleston PD said that everyone on the mountain is looking for Onyx at this point. The word is out and still no sighting. Hmm. It is beautiful up there right now with the leaves changing. It might be a little warm for a few days in the afternoon but the mornings are wonderful. Keep good thoughts.

Fall color below Griffith Peak in Kyle Canyon (Deer Creek Road bottom left)

 

This is the area she may come back to in the Spring Mountains NRA, Nevada.

Onyx is still Lost - 9/20/24

 

Onyx

Telephone Canyon Road view toward Kyle Canyon Road Today

My dog, Onyx, has been missing from Tin Can Alley in the Spring Mountains NRA since Sunday (15th), 2024. We have had many wonderful people out looking for her this week but to no avail. The club members as well as the dog finder people of Mt. Charleston have worked tirelessly around the trails out of Stepladder Trailhead on Kyle Canyon Road. This has been greatly greatly appreciated by me and my husband. My husband has been sleeping in his car on Telephone Canyon Road all week. Rita and I have been hiking back and forth from the Trailhead to the runaway point. And, many others, have been hiking up and down Telephone Canyon on the network of bike trails there. 

What happened? Rita and I were hiking down Tin Can Alley on a quiet morning when three bikers came quietly fast up behind us and did not slow down (nor announce themselves). At the same time, a jeep revved on Telephone Canyon Road as it passed by. My 10 month old puppy, who is already anxious about everything, got spooked and started running down the trail with all of her strength from her 45 pound body. I was flying! and finally flew down to the ground. This knocked me out for a second or two and my hand relaxed on the leash just long enough for her to take off running like a bat out of hell. Two of the three bikers went around me and kept going. Rita saw Onyx running the trail with the bikers behind her. I can imagine she was terrified.

Where Onyx went from there is the painful question. Throughout the week, several of our search and rescuers heard a single bark which they pursued with earnest. The bark was never repeated and it left the rescuers questioning themselves about whether or not a bark was what they heard. 

Onyx is a very spirited dog as I have heard poodle mixes are. But, she is naturally scared and anxious as a rule. If you have a siting of my dog, do not chase her and please call my husband at 702-609-5875. If you have the time, just sit quietly and wait for her to come to you. Maybe she will and maybe she won't. Anything you say or do will probably impress her fight or flight state. We will continue to visit the area and wait for her to come to us. She has to make that decision in a calm state.

Telephone Canyon Road view up canyon toward Ground Zero

Onyx on Alert

Mummy's Nose - 9/3/24

View from climb to Nose of the rest of Mummy Mountain

Small peak area view of Lee Canyon Road

Summit Celebrations

Tough outing today. Enjoyed the hike and the company. With all our meandering, I came up with 4.9 miles, 3100’ vertical and 6 1/4 long hours on those ‘unkind’ trails.   ~MOC

Great hike. Enjoyed every 375 minutes of it. Thanks Mike.   ~ Ralph

On the Ridge Trail

Climbing the Wash

Between 3rd Class area and Summit

Rita: all were duly impressed with your eponymous ridge. (Rita's Descent) 

May it go down in history that Rita fell down this descent several years ago breaking her arm. She completed the hike with the help of her friends and still hikes today! Tough girl!

Stats: 4.9 miles; 3100' gain; 6.25 hours

Rita's Descent

Finishing Rita's Descent

Mama Burro (waiting for her time) welcoming the group on their Descent

Griffith Peak - 8/29/24

Griffith Peak from approach to Saddle

Charleston Peak from Griffith Peak

Griffith Peak day pack in front of the north ridge of Charleston Peak

Charleston Peak from the 3rd Overlook of the South Loop Trail

Upper Griffith Peak drainage Crossing

Yes. We finally got to Griffith Peak this year! Although we started with five, we reached the summit with four. Gone are the years when we climb this behemoth 2 or 3 times in a summer. The weather is cooling off a little and the animals are changing their locales. We saw burros grazing down near Harris Springs Road and we saw deer frolicking near the ranger residences at the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead. But, ... the wild horses seem to have run for warmer nights. There were not any seen at the Cathedral Rock Trailhead, nor the next day at Lee Meadows. Evidence, yes. Horses, no. Wildlife in the Spring Mountains thrive year round but they have their seasonal homes. We started at the Cathedral Rock / South Loop Trailhead around 7am.

Morning light rising in Kyle Canyon

Switchback #7 Fossil Rock

Taking on the Switchbacks

Sun rising in the Echo Cliffs

Arriving at the 1st Overlook (Echo Overlook)

My brother, Mike, and John H. joined Ralyn and I to hike up past the 1st Overlook (aka Echo Overlook). We felt good at a steady slow pace. Mike decided to stay with the group until the wilderness sign where we stopped for a group photo. He returned to his car as we continued up the long switchbacks to the 2nd and 3rd Overlooks and on to the South Loop ridge saddle. We had separated by then but we weren't that far apart. The trail appeared the same as it did a few weeks ago when we only climbed up to the saddle before returning to the trailhead. This part of the climb takes perseverance as the switchbacks are long and sometimes arduous. However, the views in the cool early morning are dreamy as the sun is rising through Kyle Canyon below.

Short gathering at the 1st Overlook

Morning at the 1st Overlook

2 miles Up

John deals with a Switchback

Harris Peak along South Ridge

One by one or two by two, we wound our way through the log jam at the old Griffith Peak Overlook campsite. Then we singly trudged up the last couple of switchbacks up in the elevations. I was the last to arrive at the saddle so, as soon as I made it up, the others started their climb to the peak. With little rest, I started up after them. Slowly, I enjoyed the views that I had not seen since two years ago. It is intoxicating to be on the top of an 11, 000' mountain peak to see everything around you ... including Charleston Peak which is almost 1000' higher than you. We took our break, wrote in the book, spoke to another hiker who was enjoying the view from a camp chair he had carried up and noted the tiny seabed fossils in the rocks underfoot.

Log jumble at the Campsite

Last switchback to Saddle

Arriving at the South Loop Saddle

The hollowed out tree after Hilary

View back to Charlie from the Griffith summit Climb

Before long, we turned to head down. Again, Ralyn took off in the lead. She had reluctantly agreed to stop at pre-assigned landmarks and wait for us. It is the safe thing to do. This worked until the meeting at the 1st Overlook. Even though the cloud cover was cooling the mountain, everyone decided they wanted to go down the remaining switchbacks and the steps section at a fast clip. I had already done the fastest descent I could do so I gave up at that point and "enjoyed" my solitude. Thankfully, my brother kept an eye on me and we all made it safely down to the cars. This climb to Griffith Peak was probably the most difficult climb I had ever done to the favored peak. Due to various issues (including closed trails, injuries and COVID) I was not sufficiently trained for it this season. But, we did it!

Mummy's Toe from the Griffith summit Climb

Following the group to the Top

View back from last Climb

Tim and Ralyn greet at the Top

Summit Conversations

The next day, I tried to do a small 6 mile hike with my brother but ... noooo way! I didn't get very far! The Spring Mountains are a beautiful resource for Las Vegas and it is a shame that the various park government organizations are dragging their heels at getting the remaining trails back open (particularly Trail Canyon) from the damage that was made by Hurricane Hilary. Something about coordination and cooperation between agencies. 🙄 

Stats: 10 miles; 3325' gain; 6.5 hours (long hike because of me)

Starting down from the Saddle

Intermediate rest at the 1st Overlook

Echo Cliffs

End of long Day