Window-in-the-Cliff - 10/8/09

On Thursday, the Around the Bend Friends hiked up to the Window-in-the-Cliff as seen in the photo above. This hike involves 4 miles of "UP" (including 55 switchbacks), 1/2 mile of serious scrambling over sharp limestone to the 30 foot wide arch, and return for a total of 9 miles and 2400 feet of elevation gain. The trailhead is at Cold Creek and requires a tough high clearance vehicle to get to. The hiker approaches the arch from the opposite side of the view above and provides a nice view of Pahrump and California beyond. Looking out from the side that is shown above the hiker sees all of Nevada. (Well, almost all of Nevada!)

There have been no reports on the hike, however, it was probably very cold and extremely satisfying to have accomplished!

SMYC / Ice Box Canyon - 10/6/09

Back in beautiful Red Rock, 20 hikers hiked with the Red Rock team leaders from the Lost Creek parking lot (found at around the 7 mile marker on the Scenic Loop), down the SMYC Trail, up to the end of Ice Box Canyon and back for a 4 mile hike with around 500 feet in net elevation gain. Since this is not an Around the Bend Friends hike, the photos will be largely scenic. This photographer rarely likes to pass up an opportunity to find new pictures in the natural surroundings of Las Vegas.




After junctioning from SMYC to the Ice Box Canyon trail, we began the hike into the cold canyon which rarely enjoys sunshine. We climbed down into the wash bottom of the canyon and boulder scrambled up to the waterfall. There wasn't a drip of water to be seen unless you climbed into the cliffs above the waterfall where a small pool sat still.




After taking a leisurely break at the waterfall, we scrambled back down to the SMYC junction, turned left and returned to the Lost Creek parking area. It was a chilly morning but the sun warmed us when we could find it. Fall color seems to have already faded in the desert. Maybe it will surprise us in the coming weeks.

Stanley B / Fletcher Canyon Loop - 10/01/09

Today's hike was a loop which began at the Fletcher Canyon parking area, lead up the roadside wash to Rainbow, crossed the Kyle Canyon Rd. to the Stanley B trailhead, up to the lead mines, up to the ridge, down through upper Fletcher Canyon, through the "rabbithole," and, finally, out.

The climb up to the ridge from the lead mines, went steeply up the wash which has been recently "washed out" from thunderstorms. At times, the going seemed easier than before. Other times, the route was interrupted by fallen trees or moved boulders.

The closer we came to the ridge, the steeper the hike became. We headed out of the main wash at a point where there were two fallen trees ahead. Climbing up to the right, we found another smaller wash and followed it to the top where we gladly took one of two snack breaks with a gorgeous view of Mummy's Toe. (For future reference, always be prepared for two snack breaks lest you run out of food!)



After this first break, we crossed the ridge and headed steeply down into the wash which becomes Fletcher Canyon. We carefully hiked down the slippery slope, walked the tree which was lying in the way of the trail from root to limbs, and came to a screeching halt at a 30 foot dry waterfall. The view was nice but the obstacle meant we needed to go around. In the picture to the left, you will see a portion of the trail we encountered as we went around the waterfall. The hillside was very steep and slippery but everyone got down with hiking aplomb.

Scenery in the next portion of the hike was some of the best that the area has to offer with waterfalls and slot canyons. The picture at the beginning of this entry comes from this segment. Since October is rather late in the season for this hike, the sun was not shining on a lot of this segment and the shade provided a new look. We could also feel it getting colder and colder as we neared the narrows of Fletcher Canyon.



The stream provided accompaniment to the song birds which seemed abundant throughout the hike. The eight hikers were cool and happy as we strode through the fairyland of an alpine scene. Finally, we arrived at the narrows feeling like we had been funneled into a whirlpool of cold air. One by one, we literally slid through the "rabbithole" created by Obstacle Rock. The rock surfaces were extremely slippery from use and there was very very little stopping you once you committed to the jump of a foot or so onto the pile of rocks meant to catch you at the bottom. We kept knocking the rock pile over and each time, we reset the rocks as best we could. After the last hiker came through the hole, we sat for another break.

The hike back out to the road and our cars was uneventful except that we were thankful for the sun as it hit us at the end of the canyon. As a side note, the graffiti that had been marked on the canyon walls is now cleaned up. The people who did the cleaning did an excellent job and you could not even see where the graffiti had been.

The hike, as we hiked it today, was around 6 miles with an elevation gain of around 1700 feet as the graph below confusingly shows. (I'm not sure how we ended higher than we began!)

South Loop Overlook - 9/26/09

Hopefully, all had a great time hiking the South Loop Trail. Don't forget to email Guy about picnic attendance coming up next Saturday.

The Old South Sister Route - 9/24/09

The hike to the top of South Sister began at the Old Mill Picnic Area off of Lee Canyon Road. It was a very nice hike for viewing fall color while getting an extremely good workout. The hike is only about 5.25 miles but the elevation gain is almost 2000 feet. The hike began as an easy "Stroll" through the picnic area and up a rock-lined trail. We left this trail for our "Warm-Up" on a faint trail that led up through the wash ending at the saddle. It was clear that we were all "warmed-up" as we finished the steep climb.

Next, we turned right and headed up the next hill for "The Test." There was very little trail but we all understood that if you were going UP then you would get to the next part of the hike. This climb was not extremely steep but after the "Warm-Up" it was a challenge none-the-less.

Next came a sort of respite called "The Ridge." That's just a fancy name for the ridge that crosses over to the "Real Deal" which is shown in the picture to the left. This is the top of South Sister and the steep scree climb that you see going up the middle is none other than the "Real Deal." Aside from this view, there are several very nice views from this portion of the hike including Mt. Charleston, the ski area and the Bristlecone Trail.

This view is found on the "Real Deal." The steepness of this climb is difficult to capture in the lens, however, there is still beauty all around.

At the top of the mountain is an old bristlecone stand and a rock outcropping that we climbed up on for a snack and views. The moss seen to the right, was found throughout the hike and also on this rocky mountain top. If anyone has any information on the type of moss this is, please make a comment below.

After a short rest and much picture-taking, we came off the top. It was quite cool up there at 10,300 feet so we were ready to start the steep descent. In the picture to the left, you see 3 of the 13 hikers surrounded by outstanding views of Mt. Charleston and yellow aspens lining avalanche zones in the surrounding mountains.

Again, the steepness of the "Real Deal" is difficult to always see through the lens, however, if you look past this happy hiker to the right, you can get an idea of one technique used to make your way down the scree-filled hillside. After getting down this portion of the hike, it was just a matter of crossing "The Ridge," going down "The Test," cooling down on the "Warm-Up" and "Strolling" back to the cars.

Oscar the horse was seen walking down Lee Canyon Road on the way out. Oscar didn't seem to mind the camera and stayed for several posed pictures. Don't you just love the evil eye he's giving us??

Hollow Rock Peak - 9/22/09

Although this was not an official hike of the Around the Bend Friends Hiking Club, there were many club members attending this hike today to Hollow Rock Peak. Twenty-one hikers were very excited to be back to their first hike of the season at the Red Rock Canyon area. The early morning began very cool and stayed cool throughout the four hour hike. There was some wind during the middle of the hike.

The trailhead was located off of Hwy 160 at the top of the pass to Pahrump. We began the hike going up around 800 feet within the first mile and a quarter. At this point, the trail began ascending and descending a few times. Each time we lost elevation, we would gain it back with another steep climb. The total amount of feet climbed during the complete hike of 5 miles (out and back) was 1941 feet.

About 2/3 through the hike, the ground under our feet changed from limestone to sandstone. In the picture above, you can see the line of change being carried through on around the Escarpment which we were standing above. Word has it that the limestone is creeping ever so slowly into Las Vegas from the Death Valley region. But, don't worry! It has taken it thousands, maybe millions, of years to get this far!

After reaching the sandstone portion of the hike, there was a steep descent into a small crevice or wash followed by a steep climb up to the final destination. The footing was loose but everyone made it through without problems.

The views from Hollow Rock Peak included the Las Vegas Strip in the distance, Grapevine Spring Canyon below and Mt. Potosi pictured at the top of this entry.

The peak is topped off by a large boulder. A few hikers attempted to scale the beast, however, it wasn't to be done today. We sat here taking in the view and chattering about everything and nothing while just enjoying being in the desert once again.

Cathedral to Mt. Charleston Hotel - 9/19/09

The hike for today began at the Cathedral Rock Trailhead parking lot. Twenty-nine hikers began by climbing the hill just up from the actual trailhead to a small trail that led to the Cathedral Rock Picnic Area. It was a cool morning which made the hike very pleasant.

We hiked through the picnic area to site #47 where we stopped for a moment to admire a hut someone had built with sticks and logs. Then we continued our hike through the site and ended up on a portion of the Rainbow Loop Trail. Here, we headed downhill with a nice view of Mummy's Toe across the canyon. The hike travelled through the lower part of the Rainbow community and went into the first of two campgrounds.


All around us, there were blooming rabbitbrush and aspens with leaves changing to bright yellow. Fall is in the air ... if not in the valley temperatures which are still hanging around at the one hundred degree mark. But, the Spring Mtns. are dipping below fifty degrees every night now and the leaves are responding.

After passing through the first camp- ground, we hiked past the Visitor's Center where we took a small break. Then we took a trail behind the Visitor's Center that led to the parking lot for Fletcher Canyon. We hiked through the second campground then stepped into the main Kyle Canyon wash and continued down the mountain. By the way, there was no water in the wash ...!


At the end of the wash section of the hike, we took another small break. One hiker spotted bones lying in the brush nearby. It appeared that a small deer had had an invitation to dinner that it could not refuse. Perhaps the recent invitation was offered by a mountain lion.

After the break, we began the old golf course portion of the hike. We found ourselves hiking on a cart path of the course which had been in existence a short 5 or 6 years ago. The steps to the left probably led to the next tee or something. Rabbitbrush had grown up all over the fairways and it took a large imagination to see anything that resembled a fairway, bunker or tee; much less to imagine golfers swinging their clubs.



The one way hike was a total of five miles which was virtually all downhill losing around 1000 feet of elevation. When we reached the hotel, it was sprinkling a little rain which didn't last too long. Drivers of carpool cars were shuttled up to the Cathedral Rock parking lot to retrieve their cars and head back downhill to pick up their riders.

The GPS waypoint map show the trail we took from the left to the right. The lighter areas show where the satellite authorities are updating the images.