On this frozen morning, thirteen hikers gathered down near Lake Mead for a hike up the Seven Falls wash and over to Cholla Forest with a return down another wash with more dry waterfalls. This was another hike lead by Chuck and Joan who know the hikes at Lake Mead very well. As the hike progressed, the weather warmed up to the mid-40's and we were all quite comfortable with our layered clothing.
We parked at the large water tank sitting at the base of the mountains above the lake just past the fee booth at the Railroad Tunnels and closed Visitor's Center. We took a look at an old gunnery bunker ... not sure why it was there ... passed rusty old large digging equipment and headed into the canyon wash where there are at least seven large dry waterfalls to climb.
The first two waterfalls came quickly and they were both around twenty to twenty- five feet in height. The second waterfall ended with a "rabbit hole" through which we helped each other climb.
The scrambling angle of the hike was a pleasant surprise to many of us and we enjoyed our hike through the canyon, counting the waterfalls as we went. In addition to the large falls, there were many "half falls" that we climbed quickly barely noticing the obstacle. We began perspiring in the cold air as we worked almost every muscle in our body!
The morning light filtered through the creosote bushes. Every time we passed a creosote, we thought of last night's talk that J. Boone gave at the club meeting. He said that there are long- tailed lizards that reside in the creosote bushes and as a hiker passes by, the lizard circles the stem while hiding from prying eyes. We peered with amusement but never did find one of the critters.
Each waterfall had a different challenge. Kay found this waterfall to be especially fun as she hugged around the rock on the side of the wash. One by one, we found our foot and hand holds so that we didn't fall down the ten feet below us before reaching the top of the falls. Perhaps this was a favorite challenge.
As we approached the cholla forest, part of the group of hikers flushed a large jack rabbit from the road to a small side trail on which this writer was standing while taking photos with the auto focus off. The rabbit came straight for me, looked up at me about fifteen feet away, did an about face and ran back to the road and out of sight. Would have been nice to have the auto focus on, huh?
After reaching the top of the wash, following a sheep trail, traversing some desert and climbing a short distance on a dirt road, we found the destination of the hike, the "Cholla Forest." Sure enough, there was a cluster of large and healthy teddy bear chollas on the hillside. Photogs scrambled around looking for angles and one found more than he bargained for as seen in the photo to the left.
We sat at the forest for our snack break then continued up the dirt road to the high point of the hike. Descending over the saddle, we found another wash with the most difficult dry waterfall of the day as seen to the left. There were several methods of negotiation depending on the length one's legs but, at any rate, it required a free drop of around two feet at the end. A couple of hikers stood at the bottom filling the roles of spotters.
At the end of this short section of wash, we crossed over to a parallel dirt road and quickly hiked down the road for about half a mile. Then, we crossed over the desert to a wash where we climbed up and found another sheep trail. We took the trail for only a short distance then dropped down into the final wash of the day.
This wash was picturesque with small and medium waterfalls to drop over. There were views of Lake Mead at times and we passed by a miniature delicate arch sitting up on the ridge to the left. The fun hike continued as we faced each of the continuous obstacles with quick decisions on how to go over, around or through them.
The finale dry waterfall lays in bright red rock as seen to the right. It was described as the "bacon" of the hike ... perhaps because of its coloring. As soon as we were through this last obstacle, we came to the junction of the Seven Falls wash. From here on out, we reversed the first half mile of wash and road. We hiked into the parking lot with six miles and 1150 feet of elevation gain under our boots.
Fun! Fun! Fun! Fifty- five hikers showed up for an unusual trip to Liberty Bell Arch on a Saturday. At the trailhead, we divided into three groups. Don led the fast hikers. Chris led the medium hikers. And, Jane and Ann led the hikers who must have found some roses to stop and smell! Just kidding. The writer participated in the fast group, therefore, this entry will report on that portion of this morning's event. We parked at the "spanking new" paved White Rock Canyon parking lot, dropped down to cross under the Highway 93 bridge in Arizona, and hiked down the wash which is the beginning of the Arizona Hot Springs Trail. 
Nine-tenths of a mile from the parking lot, we took the turn-off to the right which is marked by cairns. This is a small wash which leads over to the Liberty Bell Trail which can no longer be accessed from the highway as it used to be unless you do some scrambling to get over to it. Upon meeting the old trail and climbing the first hill, we saw our first big horn sheep. She was standing alone. She looked at us warily and cautiously walked away. At the second siting, she had joined her friend and they both disappeared over the edge of a steep hill.
We visited the old World War II era mining operation site where all the old relics still reside. In the photos above, you can see the skiff used to transport the mined ore; the buckets hanging outside the mine; and, a blurry photo of buckets still inside the mine where a small bit of light filters through from openings above. From the mine, we continued down another small wash. At the end of this wash, we spotted the big horns for a fourth time. It was now a herd of around eight females and they were headed in the same direction that we were going.
We began the upward portion of the trail from this wash. We could see the rock outcropping that contained the arch, however, the view was of the side of the outcropping. We would not be able to see the arch until we hiked up past this outcropping. Once we got past the arch and looked back, we could see the view in the first photo. Part of the new Hoover Dam bridge was also in view.
A shout from a few feet away alerted all of us of the fifth and final siting of the big horns. They were coming up over a nearby hill and we watched in awe as they skimmed the hillside like they were dancing on feathers. We stood there until they were out of sight then continued up the hill beyond the arch.
This hill had around four sections of climb. By the time we got to the top, we had climbed around 400 feet of elevation from the wash below. Add this gain to three other climbs throughout the 5.5 mile hike and there was a total of around 1000 feet in elevation gain. From the high point of the hill, this view of the bridge could be seen with the Colorado River flowing around 700 feet below us.
We took our break on this magnificent perch. Many photographs were taken of the river where kayaks and a motor boat could be seen. Twenty minutes later, the second group arrived from below. We stayed another five minutes then took our leave passing the third group on the way down to the arch area.
Reaching the arch area again, several hikers decided they wanted to stand inside of the arch which sits on a very high steep and slippery hill. Don led the small group up to the saddle then showed them how to access the arch from the other side. We watched from below where we were rewarded with a few photos of their accomplishment. Retracing our steps, with the exception of the visit to the mine, we returned to the cars the same way as we had come.
