Snow at the Grand Canyon - 12/12/09

On a visit to the Grand Canyon last weekend, these pictures were taken. The visibility was low to non-existent during this time but the scenery was still awesome.

The temperatures were ranging from 40's down to the teens and there were several snow squalls. On the morning that we left, a blizzard attacked. But, thanks to the former UPS driver among us, it was not a problem for the 4WD and a loaded car!

It is a unique experience to see the Grand Canyon in snow. There were a lot less people and a lot more parking spaces! The service was excellent and the roads were kept passable. 4WD helped!

Above, you can see that the fog parted just long enough to present Indian Gardens and Plateau Point. One of my favorite experiences was drinking hot chocolate at the Desert View snack bar! Here, the visibility was so bad that we even had a difficult time finding the parking lot where five cars were parked!

This visit to the Grand Canyon will never be forgotten.

Ash Canyon & Oak Creek - 12/(10 & 12)/09

This week, the Around the Bend Friends will be hiking Ash Canyon on Thursday and Oak Creek on Saturday. For anyone who does one or both of these hikes, feel free to comment below on how they went. We would love to hear from you!

Badger Pass & Bird Spring Range - 12/05/09

Okay. (You must do this without a calculator.) You meet with a group of 29 hikers and on your way out to Cottonwood Valley, you pick up 8 more hikers from the nearby AFB. You hike with the whole group on the Badger Pass Trail until you reach Badger Pass, then 17 hikers of the group split off to return to the cars via the Dead Horse Loop. The remaining group of hikers begin a climb up to the top of the Bird Spring Range. What's the name of the hike leader? ... Oh, you've heard this one.

Today's hike was a very chilly one that began with the temp- eratures in the low 40's. The climb to Badger Pass went quickly. After the two groups separated, the group of hikers that explored the Bird Spring Range were rewarded with seeing many fossils in the darker rock found on top of the ridge. The total climb was around 1000 feet in elevation gain.



On top of the range, we saw a nice view of the Las Vegas Strip in one direction, Mt. Potosi in another direction, the Red Rock Canyon escarpment and the small town of Good Springs in other directions. The cloud cover made all the views somewhat hazy. However, the sun did finally come out by the last 2 miles of the 7 mile hike.

Along the rugged, steep cliffs of the ridge, we revisited the wrecked car that someone shoved off the edge a couple of years ago. In the right side of the picture to the right, you will find the car between rocks. The car is now burned and completely demolished unlike how we found it two years ago.



After viewing the car and having a quick windy break, we climbed one more summit on the range then turned right for a long descent to the valley. This section of the hike was the coldest and windiest. It is safe to say that there were more than a few hikers who felt somewhat miserable. But, I think it is also probably safe to say that most of them would not have wanted to be anywhere else.

Reaching the valley, we turned right again and began our return on the Dead Horse Loop Trail about a mile and a half further south than where the first group of hikers entered the trail. This is a fairly flat trail with beautiful views which leads the hiker through the boundary of the 2005 fire which burned much of the vegetation that we saw today.

Juniper Canyon - 12/03/09

Nine hearty hikers were absolutely "WOW-ed" by a chilly hike into Juniper Canyon today!

We began the hike at the Pine Creek Trailhead off of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Loop. Passing the old Wilson house foundation, we caught the Arnight Trail which led over to the lead-off for Juniper Canyon. On the way over, we spied an elk carousing among the chollas on the canyon floor between us and the Oak Creek parking area. We were amazed to see an elk this far down in elevation as they usually reside in the higher altitudes of the Spring Mountains.

After 1.75 miles, we, finally, dropped down into the Juniper Canyon wash where we immediately began some really tough scrambling over large boulders up a steep incline. There were a few spots where some of the hikers needed a helping hand. The challenge was enjoyed by everyone as the wash got steeper and steeper.

Soon, we had to climb a large rock fall up to a level made of sandstone slab which was inclined at about 30 to 60 degrees. The exposure created by the sandstone was exhilarating as our hiking boots held on well to the rock.

Our climb ended near the rock face on the right side of the wash in an area where it was obvious that big horn sheep frequented. There were many prickly pear and agaves growing on the steep slope in the sun.

Another point of interest loomed large on the left side of the wash. Rainbow Wall, a popular and challenging rock climbing destination rose about 1000 feet above the wash. If you looked closely, you could see different colors in the rock. Beyond our view and higher into the canyon wash, is Gunsight Notch. A little further is where Juniper Peak is located. (Definitely a hike for another day!)

We sat, contentedly, on the sandstone slab eating our lunch and enjoying a spectacular view of the Red Rock Canyon floor and beyond. The hike down was strenuous and we took a slightly different route back to the Pine Creek parking area. The hike today was almost five miles with an elevation gain of around 1300 feet.

Arnight - Knoll Loop - 11/28/09

Twenty-nine club members hiked the Arnight - Knoll Loop Trail today which starts at the parking area for the Oak Creek Trail located just past mile marker 12 of the 13-mile Red Rock Scenic Loop Road. It is a desert hike at the foothills of the Escarpment just under Rainbow Peak and crosses the wash which comes out of Juniper Canyon. Also in view, in the distance, during the last half of the hike is Potato Knoll.

The 3-mile desert hike is a relatively easy trail, however, the path is filled with rocks which have to be negotiated. It is a good hike for hip muscles as the hiker is constantly swerving this way or that way to keep their balance among the rocks.

The trail is decorated with an abundance of chollas, yuccas, sandstone boulders and several juniper trees here and there. The juniper trees are covered with their blue berries and they add to the desert's color.

As the trail headed into Red Rock Canyon, there were beautiful views of the Calico Hills, Turtlehead Peak and the La Madre Mountain Range. Dark clouds hovered above the view and were heading our way. The air was crisp and the forecast included a few showers for the afternoon.

Juniper Canyon is seen in the distance to the right.

During our break, we saw three burros grazing about a quarter of a mile away towards the scenic loop.

After reaching a junction, we turned left to head back toward Potato Knoll as you can see in the distance in the picture to the left. This is the part of the trail which crosses the Juniper Canyon wash. As we hiked by the entrance to the canyon, we heard voices of rock climbers having their fun on the side of the rock walls above. Juniper Canyon is one of the popular locations for the many rock climbers based in Las Vegas.

We could see the parking area and our cars long before we reached them. The final part of the loop hike started with a left turn onto Oak Creek Trail. With Oak Creek Canyon behind us, we headed out on the trail passing many cairns that had been erected recently. The Arnight - Knoll Loop Trail is a nice trail that can be done in as little as 2 hours.

Thanksgiving - 11/26/09

Calico Hills - 11/21/09

There were thirty-five hikers on the 4.5 mile tour of the Calico Hills today. The hike included parts of the Calico I Trail, the Moenkopi Loop Trail, and the Calico II Trail. We also touched on the Grand Circle Trail and the Red Springs Loop Trail. The hiking that the trails at the base of the Calico Hills provides is colorful and interesting.

It is easy to lose yourself in the sandstone even though you never leave sight of the Red Rock Scenic Loop. We began at the new Red Rock Visitor's Center and soon crossed the loop road to climb to the first parking area which is called Calico I. After hiking down from the parking lot to the sandstone, we began hiking at the base of the sandstone up towards the second parking area called Calico II.


This portion of the hike was the most beautiful as we got an up-close and personal examination of the red and white sandstone hills. Just before we reached Calico II, we climbed down into the wash, found a good rock seat and took our break. We were sitting amidst a part of the Red Springs Loop Trail where there is a maze of canyons, slots and scrambling.

From there, we crossed the wash and headed back the way we came using the trail closer to the loop road. We climbed back up to the Calico I parking area then crossed the loop road and used the Calico I and Moenkopi Trails to return to the Visitor's Center. The route we took may seem a little vague, however, there are many trails in this area that are available to take. The weather could not have been better and there was a small breeze that came and went.