Little Zion (The Park) - 4/8/10

Another new hike for the Around the Bend Friends was added to our repertoire with twenty- three hikers and a beautiful day. We drove in caravan out Highway 160, turned right on Lovell Canyon Road, turned right again on the first gravel road and finally stopped at the end of the road to began hiking.

Following a small wash, we hiked on a gradual climb for about two miles. The scenery was filled with limestone, pines and junipers. The air was cool and the sky was sunny.


At the top of the climb, one by one, our breath was taken away as we crested the hill. Suddenly, the escarpment came into view right before us ... not unlike the feeling one gets as they approach the rim of the Grand Canyon. We had arrived at the top of Sandstone Canyon which leads down to the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park.

After taking a few pictures, we continued around the rim of the canyon and escarpment to the south. This brought us up in elevation to a ridge which turned out to be the lip of the encroaching limestone. Below us was a wide expanse of acres and acres of sandstone. To the left was Sandstone Peak and we began our descent through the final limestone wash.


We settled on a large area of sandstone to snack and a few hikers dispersed to explore. Exploration possibilities were plenty. A few of us went down the sandstone and found where the water emptied down the cliff. Then we climbed up to a large natural arch-in-the-making. Perhaps eons from now, people will be travelling to the Park to take sunrise pictures through the arch very much like Mesa Arch in Utah .... Okay, maybe not.

Our excursion brought us full circle back to the drainage which led back up to the ridge. This was the most difficult part of the hike as the drainage was very steep and the gain was approximately 500 feet. When we reached the ridge and giant cairn (as seen below), we waited for some hikers whose explorations took them further away.



As we hiked the return leg of the hike, the views of three surrounding snowy mountain ranges kept us company. To the right is a photo of Telescope Peak which is found on the far side of Death Valley.


Of course, Mt. Charleston of the Spring Mountains was in view throughout the hike. It's still covered in snow.





Last, but not least, Mt. Potosi was seen just across Highway 160 covered in fresh snow after the rain/ snow event we experienced last week.




On the way back, we took a small side trip to a spring where we found water bugs dancing on the crystal clear water. This was not our only wildlife sighting. Earlier, on the way to the trailhead, we saw two wild horses not far from the gravel road. We returned to the cars after 6 miles and 2000 feet of net elevation gain.

Terrace Canyon - 4/6/10

Two groups of around 10 hikers set off to conquer and enjoy Terrace Canyon on a crystal clear day with tempera- tures in the perfect zone. Leaving from the Pine Creek Trailhead, we began our boulder climbing as soon as we passed Mescalito Peak taking the left fork canyon. Perhaps the most important thing you must remember when hiking to Terrace Canyon is "Left, Left, Left, Right." These are the directions you must take when faced with a canyon fork when climbing through the extreme scrambling of the six mile hike.



Due to recent rains, the lower canyon and Terrace Canyon had a lot of water flowing through. It was an added pleasure and was not too difficult to avoid while making your way up over the boulders. Three hours after beginning the hike, we arrived at Terrace Canyon. The first group of hikers had already reached the top and had their break when the second group arrived.

Slowly, we made our way up through the terraces. We had our cameras clicking as the scene was uniquely amazing. A series of sloping terraces made of dark colored smooth and rippled sandstone climbed up the canyon with water draining down in the middle. There were moss and algae coloring the sandstone green in places. Prickly pear cacti and Banana yucca were strewn about.



We ate our snacks then began the three- mile trek back down to the trailhead enjoying the challenge of the same boulders all over again. Do we go this way or that way? Is this the way we came up? Where is so-n-so? Do you need help here? Just slide down the rock ... that's all! Let's wait for the leader, we don't want to get too far ahead. Oops! Wrong way. Go around this gigantic boulder. Wow, it's really brushy! I am going to be so sore tomorrow! Fantastic hike!

Ash Canyon Overlook & Gateway Loop - 4/3/10

Thirty- seven hikers gathered for a hike around Red Cap to the Ash Canyon Overlook. Another eight hikers met for a hike up Ash Canyon to continue around through Gateway Canyon. The two hiking groups met for a snack at the top of Ash Canyon. If you look closely at the photo to the left, you can see the larger group waiting at the top as the smaller group crested the Ash Canyon "hump."

Ash Canyon Overlook is a 2.5 mile hike which leaves from Sandstone Quarry, hikes around the Calico Hills and arrives at the top of Ash Canyon with little elevation change and a small amount of scrambling. Guy led this happy group of hikers.

Chris led the smaller group of hikers which included three hikers from Nellis AFB. The Ash Canyon / Gateway Canyon Loop hike is 6 miles with about 1100 feet of elevation gain during the climb up through the boulder-filled canyon.

After parting ways with the larger group who headed back to Sandstone Quarry, the smaller group hiked down to Gateway Canyon, turned right and began their descent through the colorful red and white calico sandstone. The boulders and sides of the canyon were worn smooth from water draining down the canyon wash. A few weeks ago, there was still water to be seen in pools along the way. Now, the canyon is dry.



We hiked all the way down the canyon and around the corner to the right where we began the finish of the hike through the boulder field at the base of Krafft Mountain. The trail took us back to Red Springs via the criss-crossing trails that wind their way through Calico Basin. We all enjoyed our morning.

The picture to the left is for the ladies!







Ash Canyon Overlook

Ash Canyon / Gateway Canyon Loop

Death Valley Flowers Photo Essay - 4/1/10

The flowers at Death Valley are out! This photo was taken between Jubilee Pass and the Ashford Mill Ruins in the southern portion of the national park. We heard from a passer-by that "It doesn't get any better than this" further north. The southern end of Death Valley can be easily reached by travelling through Tecopa and Shoshone then turning left on Hwy. 178.

On a hill above the Tecopa Hot Springs, the beaver tail cacti were blooming big time!

At the Ashford Mill Ruins, there were yellow flowers blooming for as far as the eyes could see.

Just practicing a little macro-photography!

From the flowers of Death Valley to the snow on top of Mt. Charleston, beauty abounds.

Potato Knoll - 3/30/10

Seventeen people hiked Potato Knoll on Tuesday with Chris on a very windy day. Originally, the hike was supposed to be to Mountain Spring Peak, however, the hike was changed due to the incoming stronger winds in the middle of the day. The Potato Knoll hike is about 5.3 miles with around 500 feet of elevation gain with the climb to the top of the knoll. Kay Komuro gave us these pictures of the hike.

Bandanas were a popular fashion item for this hike. They were used to protect the respiratory system from the dust carried by the desert winds. (They were also useful to play cowboys and bandits.)

The highlight of the hike was the surprise spotting of a small herd of mule deer at the base of the knoll. As soon as they got a whiff of us, they headed up the side of the hill moving as lithely as big horn sheep.

As an aside, one tick was found climbing on the leg of a hiker at the top of the knoll.

Grapevine Springs - 3/27/10

The hike to Grapevine Springs, today, included thirty-four hikers, wonderful weather, 5.3 miles, two springs, many petroglyphs and views out-the-wazoo! We began at the new paved parking lot on Highway 160 that serves Cottonwood Valley, the immense area of beautiful desert at the base of the Red Rock escarpment south of Spring Mountain Ranch and Bonnie Springs.


We headed toward Windy Peak on a trail that held little elevation change. When we arrived at Grapevine Springs at the base of Windy Peak, we saw that it is protected by a wooden fence as the water is needed for the local wildlife to survive. The landscape around the springs is lush desert flora which glistened in the morning sun among large dark-colored boulders. It is a peaceful place.


From Grapevine Springs, we continued in the direction of Mud Springs which is also at the base of Windy Peak. We passed by a water trough, filled to the brim with water by a black rubber hose from Mud Springs. Not far from here, we entered into a boulder field filled with petroglyphs. As we took our break, several of us ran around looking for different petroglyphs as if we were on a treasure hunt.


The carvings appeared as if they were from different eras or, at least, different artists. Sometimes the big horn sheep were simple stick figures. Other times, they were fat with actual bodies. Some of the carvings were similar to ones we saw at Gold Butte. Some, well, we had never seen before. Again, the natives had a lot to say.



After our break, we returned by Mud Springs and stopped to get a good look. It was also surrounded by a wooden fence and the grass surrounding the spring was long and full. There was a very large trough within the fenced area that was empty. Perhaps, it was once used for wildlife ... before the aforementioned trough was placed in the area.



In the immediate area of Mud Springs, there were more petroglyphs. These carvings seemed to be the most recent as they depicted men in sombreros and wooden wagons. Cottonwood Valley holds the remnants of the old Spanish Trail which came through here as late as the early 1900's. We left the spring and took a more direct trail back to the starting point as Mt. Potosi watched from a distance.