Big Horn Sheep at Gold Strike Canyon

One of our newest members of the club is naturalist Jim. He sent this picture of the big horn sheep seen recently on the Gold Strike Canyon hike. Jim has done a lot of exploring in and around the mountains of Las Vegas and has a "go to" website that he would like to share. Next time you are on the trail with Jim, ask him about it. We are sure you will find it interesting.

Hamblin Mountain Has Been CANCELLED

Due to the inclement weather, the hike to the peak of Hamblin Mountain for January 21st has been cancelled. This hike will occur with other groups in the near future.

Pinto Valley Wash - 1/16/10

Remember folks, you saw it here first! On our way out to Lake Mead this morning, we were delayed for several minutes by a one car accident just before the turn-off from Lake Mead Blvd. for the Lava Butte Trail. We are very sad to report that the ambulance went away slowly.

Forty-three hikers came to hike the Pinto Valley Wash whose trailhead is located on Northshore Rd. near mile marker 18. We headed out towards the lake in a wash which was once the old Arrowhead Hwy. that people used as the only "highway" in the 1910's between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. This particular section of the highway is absolutely beautiful sporting many colors and rock formations.

Above, you can see one place where the highway was shored up to prevent erosion.


The highway wound its way around and between the colorful hills. It is a wonder how long it took people to reach Salt Lake City! And, can you imagine how desolate it must have felt out there in the middle of nowhere? But, there was plenty to look at and this section of the road must have been enjoyed.

After hiking 3 miles in, we stopped for a break before returning the same way we came for a total of 6 miles. There was minimal elevation gain (300-400 feet). Only one place on the hike could be called scrambling and that was a 10'-15' dry waterfall about one mile from the trailhead. Some people hiked around this obstacle but going up and down was doable for most.

The old Arrowhead Highway.

Cryptobiotic Soil Crust

Below, find a portion of an article found in the Arches National Park newspaper which the National Park Service gave out at the gate in July 2005, Vol 1, No.8. It is entitled "Biological Soil Crust."

"...In some places, the ground around and between the widely spaced plants appears to have large patches of dark, knobby, brittle crust. This same scruffy, apparently dead and dried out rind covers almost 75 percent of the ground surface of the 130,000-square-mile Colorado Plateau. It is called biological, or cryptobiotic, soil crust; it is very much alive and of great ecological importance. Soil crust, sometimes called crypto for short, is made up of cyanobacteria, mosses, soil lichens, green algae, microfungi and bacteria.

Cyanobacteria are the most prevalent and most important component. When filaments of cyanobacteria are moistened, they advance through the soil, leaving sheaths of sticky mucilage on their trail. These gluey filaments bind to soil particles and, over time, can create an erosion-resistant surface. Because cyanobacteria is able to capture nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use, it serves as a fertilizer - a truly useful trait in an ecosystem notoriously poor in nitrogen. Calcium, potassium and manganese bind to the sheaths and are made available to plants in usable form. When wet, the sheaths will expand to ten times their dry size, enabling the soil crust to retain moisture, to its own benefit as well as that of nearby vascular plants.

In this harsh environment, plants need all the help they can get! Biological crusts provide stable soil, nutrients and moisture. Unfortunately, the interwoven mat of sheath material is easily broken, especially when dry. If you tramp on a well developed patch of crust, you erase decades of growth. The now loose soil underneath often blows over adjacent undamaged patches of cryptos, preventing them from receiving sunlight. No sunlight, no photosynthesis, no cryptos. Unstable sandy soils can turn a nearby solidly anchored, crypto-covered "garden" into a drifting sand dune.

...It is estimated that for a disturbed area of cryptos to become fully functional again, to do all the wondrous things it can, may take as long as 250 years."

The article goes on to ask visitors to take care and avoid the cryptobiotic crust when hiking. This advice can be applied to us in southern Nevada as well.

North Bowl of Fire - 1/14/09

Nineteen hikers set out this morning to hike into the North Bowl of Fire from Northshore Rd. at Lake Mead. We parked at the parking lot near mile marker 20 and set off up the hill lead by Chuck and Joan. The wind became a factor immediately as we hiked along the ridge. We were losing hats and struggling to stay upright.

The views from this ridge were gorgeous looking toward Lake Mead and Northshore Peak. Already, the colors of the earth nearing the red rock were apparent. Dropping off of the windy ridge, we were lead down into a wash where we were somewhat protected.


We turned left onto a short section of Calville Road, a 4wd dirt road. Then turning right, we climbed another smaller wash and ended up at the entrance to the red rock. We crossed the desert, filled with crypto-biotic earth, in single file so as to not destroy what Mother Nature had created. Next came a stretch of pebble covered desert seen to the left.


Another wash took us to the entrance to a huge red rock canyon. It was here that the scrambling began. There were rabbitholes to conquer, rock formations to name, and canyons to explore. Seen to the left are the "kissing aliens." The blogger thought it looked more like a dog swallowing a duck's bill....

Here, to the left, is the skeleton hand and fingers. We enjoyed all of this and kept hiking past the Snow White figurine and up to Raven's Balcony. Everywhere you turned, there was red rock towering above and around. It was filled with interesting holes, arches and tunnels.


When we reached Raven's Balcony, we were presented with the views above and below. We were very high. The view below shows the wash that we hiked to get to the red rock canyon. We finally sat here for a snack, after 5.5 miles. Although few of us expected the hike to be longer than 6-7 miles, the hike ended up to be a good 8 miles.


Our climb down and out of the red rock bowl, was relatively quick. The group began to spread out but the path was clear as we were, again, in a wash. The wash was filled with water carved rock and a treacherous dry waterfall.

We made our way around the waterfall by going down this steep but doable slide, continued down the wash, then regrouped at the end of the narrow wash and the beginning of a much wider wash. Our time in the North Bowl of Fire was finished and we had a good 2.5 miles left to get back to our cars.


After separating into two groups, a fast one and the rest of us, the groups made their way back to the highway in different ways. The fast group hiked over the desert as the crow flies. The other group hiked out the wide wash. From the end of the wash, at Calville Road, the group hiked as the crow flies, straight to the cars at mile marker 18. From there, a couple of shuttle trips got us all back into our cars and headed home.

Olly Olly Oxen Free

Although we are positive that there is no intention for some hikers to play hide-n-seek during the course of any hike, we must insist that hikers lean more toward the Marco-Polo type game. Hide-n-seek tends to make others wait for the invisible hiker to appear. Marco-Polo allows others to join in your fun. While Simon-says, mother-may-I, and follow-the-leader are neither required nor adamantly encouraged, we would rather not have to play doctor or search-n-rescue at any one point. Just sayin'!

Anniversary Narrows - 1/9/10

Kay K. is our photo- grapher today. She and a good size crowd of 38 hiked Anniversary Narrows. The trailhead leads off of Northshore Dr. at mile marker 16 in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. After dropping down into the wash, they climbed the hill on the other side to the old mining campsite.

After visiting the campsite and coming back down into the wash via the old trail, some hikers climbed up to one of the old mine shafts on the hill. From here, everyone headed up the wash to the beautiful slot canyon called Anniversary Narrows.

It was a perfect day for hiking. Everyone hiked through the slot canyon and all its nooks and crannies then returned out the wash and up the hill to the cars. Exiting out through the trail tunnels on the side of the hill is part of the fun.

This is the blogger's interpretation of the hike that she did not attend by looking at Kay's pictures and hopes that this is correct. Comments and corrections are welcome. Thank you Kay for your nice pictures of the day.

Gold Strike Canyon - 1/7/10

This just in! Kay K. got a great shot of the big horn sheep on the cliff!

Our guest photographers for the Gold Strike Canyon are the one and only Alice and Carl. Alice is a long time hiker in the Las Vegas area. You may have seen some of her photos at the Red Rock Visitor Center and on her photo albums that she sends out after a hike. Luci and Carl joined the club last summer and also love to hike and photograph.

They hiked the canyon Thursday along with approximately 15 other hikers all the way down to the river. The hike begins from a dirt road that leads to the right just after the Hacienda Hotel & Casino. The new road hung above.

Along the way there are a few difficult dry waterfalls. Some have ropes which are permanently attached to help hikers negotiate this popular trail. Above you see that Carl is using steps which are carved into the rock from long ago.

The obstacle above is a difficult one as it requires a lot of arm strength to get back up.

Apparently, a couple of the hot springs pools were dry. So the group continued down towards the river.

Two hikers decided to take a dip in the hot springs. I'm not sure why there aren't pictures of them! Also, one hiker took a tumble from a 10 foot wall into a pool. So, I guess that makes 3 people using the hot springs.

One of the last dry waterfalls is the most difficult. Here, you see a hiker using a sturdy rope.

When the group reached the river, there were big horn sheep seen up on the cliff. To the left at the shore, you could see the new Hoover Dam Bridge. Also, word is that Alice took a swim in the cold water. Thank you, Alice and Carl, for bringing the memory of the hike alive.