"CLEAR FOR LANDING!!! Yum! Yum! The Queen will really like this stuff!" said one bee to another as several bees chowed down on graceful blooms along the Rainbow Loop Trail below Mt. Charleston.
Fifteen hikers were brave enough to stare down the rain clouds this morning to hike the 5.65 mile loop hike which travels around the Rainbow community, up 1170 feet of elevation to the South Loop Trail and down through the residential area. With the exception of a few scattered sprinkles, we were successful in temporarily holding back the raindrops. After leaving the trail around noon, however, we looked back to see a thunderstorm enveloping the recreation area of Kyle Canyon where we spent our morning.
At the peak of our hike, at 8270 feet, we stopped to take a break where we were able to overlook Kyle Canyon and see Mt. Charleston past the wildflowers on the hillside.Fire Rangers and young men from the nearby youth camp were out in force around the area working to thin the forest and keep the trails maintained. And, what fine looking and hard working young men they were!
We took a nice wooded trail down the mountain and ended up at the summer cabins located above Rainbow. The cabin to the left is, perhaps, one of the oldest. Old, yet well-kept. After passing the cabins, we hiked down through the more modern summer homes. As you will see in the GPS waypoint/GoogleEarth picture, we arrived at the confluence of the loop at the bottom of the hill then hiked back to the cars which were parked across from the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead.
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