 |
| Tall Walls of Fletcher Canyon Narrows |
 |
| Ten Happy Hikers |
 |
| Fletcher Canyon Walls |
 |
| Hiking the Fletcher Canyon Trail |
All the water that flowed through Fletcher Canyon during the snow melt season has vanished underground and left a beautifully green display of trees and flowers. A few small logs and rocks have been either misplaced or uncovered but the canyon remains basically the same. Eleven hikers arrived in the morning coolness at the Fletcher Canyon Trailhead parking lot to delve into the wonderland between tall limestone walls.
Ron and Sandi were in attendance and Ron took these fantastic photos of the hike. Thanks Ron! We are looking forward to the both of you returning to the coordinating post in late September.
Our pace today was intentionally slow taking stops whenever we wanted. There were a couple of hikers that had not been hiking in any kind of elevation for a while so we didn't push it! The air was decently cool as we made our way up the first mile of the trail into the canyon. It was here that another hiker arrived from behind. I had listed conflicting start times on the schedule and he read the other one. Please shoot me an email if this happens again. I would like to correct it!
 |
| Peering up at Surrounding Peaks |
Here, the trail begins undulating on the left side of the canyon wash. We made our way up and down a couple of times.
 |
| Hiking through the Mt. Charleston Angelica |
At the bottom of the last undulation, we hiked out from between two large boulders. On the way up to the turnaround spot, we took the trails offered on the right side of the wash.
 |
| Columbines in front of Roses |
 |
| Hiking up through the Narrows |
The trail continues into the beauty between the walls. Watch for the scratchy stingy nettles that are very present at this time. Next, we began seeing a lot of the angelica that is special to the Mt. Charleston area. It is just beginning to bloom. After that, we began seeing a lot of orange/yellow columbine growing and blooming in the wash. The canyon is alive!
We hiked up through the narrow narrows and stopped at Obstacle Rock for our break. A newbie in the group checked out the rabbit hole and ended up able to climb the other side of the obstacle. Perhaps the water flow has improved this climb.
On the way back out the canyon, we stayed in the wash until the right turn between the boulders. The heat was beginning to rise as we hiked down through the last mile of trail. It was a wonderful morning and a great group of hikers. So relaxing!
4.5 miles; 850 feet elevation gain; 2.75 hours
 |
| Mt. Charleston Angelica beginning to Bloom |
 |
| Enjoying the Beauty of the Canyon |
 |
| Walls below Fletcher Peak above Canyon |
No comments:
Post a Comment