Cathedral Rock - 7/17/10

Twenty-eight hikers showed up for the Cathedral Rock hike this morning; a three mile hike with 900 feet of elevation gain.


The hike begins near the Mt. Charleston Lodge which is near the end of Highway 157 in Kyle Canyon. We hiked up the steps and turned left after everyone was informed about where the sign-out sheet would be placed. The hike immediately began climbing and it wasn't long before we became quite spread out.


The trail leads through the aspens which are covering the hillside where the 2005 avalanche occurred. These trees are growing fast and color the hill emerald green. Some of us visited Echo Falls which is found just off the trail to the left going up. The lightly falling water was decorated with young lovers today! Anywho ... we continued up to a shady area above Cathedral Falls where two of our hikers scaled the side of the hill to get pictures. After that, we did the final climb to the overlook at Cathedral Rock.


Above is a photo which shows some of the damage done by the recent forest fire named the Cathedral Fire. Below is the beautiful scene to the other side of the rock showing a partially cloudy day over Mt. Charleston.


We were very spread out and it is safe to say that we were all over that rock! But everyone made it to the top and enjoyed the climb. After snacking and trying to avoid the aggressive ground squirrels and chipmunks (yes, both species were co-existing on the rock), we began our trek back to the bottom.

One hiker, okay it was me, asked Chris about a trail to the bottom of Cathedral Falls. "It's not hard," he said, so off we went. There were five of us.

Originally, this trail was nothing more than a small little used path. Then, after the 2005 avalanche which closed off much of the regular trail, this trail was used to gain access to the top of the rock.


Now, few people use the trail ... and, I think I know why! It wasn't very long in distance to get to the bottom of the beautiful falls seen in the photo to the left. However, it was definitely steep and slippery. We huffed and puffed our way up, sidelining one of our adventurous cohorts on the way. Finally, we made it to the falls and, yes, it was an exceptional waterfall.

We took our pictures and discussed whether we would continue up to the regular trail or go back the way we came. We decided to return the same way and we skied down the loose dirt and rock. About halfway down the little trail, we found another even smaller trail to our right which led back to the regular trail for Cathedral Rock.

Our small side trip may have been 2/3 of a mile up and back.



When we returned to the starting point, some of our hikers were still up on the Little Falls trail. This blogger decided a picture of Little Falls would be a nice addition to this entry so off she went. Little Falls is beautiful in its own right and is certainly worth the small 1/2 mile jaunt up the hill in the opposite direction of the Cathedral Rock trail.

Trail Canyon / Fletcher Canyon - 7/15/10

Ann coordinated today's hike which began by climbing the Trail Canyon trail and ended by descending through the complete Fletcher Canyon. The hike was a mixture of climbing a steep incline, "skiing" down a steep treacherous scree field, enjoying an enchanting canyon with intermittent water flow, sliding through a "rabbit hole" and, finally, hiking back out into civilization.

After leaving a car at the Fletcher Canyon trailhead, we hiked from the Trail Canyon trailhead with twenty- four people. Three hikers had already begun the climb at an earlier start time. Two hikers decided to do a partial hike and return the way they came. So, at the saddle where Trail Canyon met the North Loop, we had twenty- five hikers ready to make the descent behind Ann.


We took a break on the saddle then hiked down the North Loop trail toward Raintree for only around twenty- five yards. Suddenly, we took a hard right ... down. The scree field that we found ourselves in was very large and very steep but we were assured that this was the funnel which led into the source of Fletcher Canyon. Amazingly enough, a small path appeared before us and after a couple more stretches of scree "skiing," we approached a humongous boulder lying in the woods. This was a landmark for Ann. We had found the springs which produced a nice flow of water for the target canyon.

We sat along the water and took our snack break, thankful that the "serious down" had been accomplished. Lo and behold, the trail appeared again and we were soon on our way. We followed the water while being careful not to slide on the steep trail and creek bank. Bushes and trees covered the path sometimes.


About half way down the upper canyon, we were surprised to recognize the beautiful landmark of the waterfall which falls beneath a towering ponderosa pine. We had arrived at the junction of the usual upper Fletcher Canyon route of the Stanley B / Fletcher Canyon hike. There was some relief in the air from Spring Mountain hiking veterans as we now made our way down a familiar trail. Up until this point on the descent, we had made a concerted effort to stay together but, from this point forward, there were many hikers leading in a few directions. Some of us were a little confused as to which hiker was thinking of going the easiest way!

It mattered not because we all made it down through the tiny beautiful slot canyon and into the larger slot which held Obstacle Rock with a minimum amount of slips and falls. (A few slips and falls are simply all in a day's enjoyment!) When we entered the larger slot of Fletcher Canyon, the water had disappeared. Remember the fateful hike that some club members were on when they had to turn back because of the heavy snow? Then, a couple of hikes from the bottom showed water flowing heavily through the Obstacle Rock area? Well, that's over now! Obstacle Rock was dry as a bone!


One by one, the twenty-five of us slithered through the rabbit hole that is created by the huge boulder against the side of the canyon. First, we handed over our pack to Larry who had created a zip line to send our packs down to Joseph, who was on the other end of the rope, to catch them. Then, the larger cameras had to be handed down by Chris who was overseeing the slithering. Last, we reached down through the hole between very slippery rock surfaces and found a log placed on a bed of rock. This was the easiest descent through the hole that we had experienced, thanks to the architect of the log and rocks.

We all got through the hole with around five newbies and finished hiking out through the more recreational portion of the canyon. The drivers retrieved their cars and after it was all said and done, we had hiked six miles including 1500 feet up and 2000 feet down.

Big Falls - 7/10/10

Thirty- seven members of the Around the Bend Friends Hiking Club attended an unusually difficult Saturday hike today to Big Falls in the Spring Mountains. We began the hike at the far reaches of Kyle Canyon where there is a large parking area used for both Mary Jane Falls and Big Falls trails. The same trail is used for both destinations for around half a mile; then the Big Falls trail splits off to the left and finds the drainage.

After the trail drops into the drainage, the hike becomes a scramble up the sharp slope of a creek bed complete with boulders of all sizes. This year, another avalanche has made the climb a bit more difficult by filling the drainage with more fallen trees and brush. At first, the creek bed was dry.

We made a concerted effort, today, to keep all thirty- seven hikers more or less together as the trail was not clearly seen and many hikers needed help to navigate the high steps and climbs. To the left, Mary is seen finding her own way and getting a good stretch out of it! Many hikers enjoy the scrambling portions of some hikes as it works different muscles requiring some upper body strength plus bending and stretching.


About half way up the drainage, we began seeing water flowing down. The water is as clear as water can get! Cold, too! And, because of the water, it was necessary for us to stick to the side trails, crossing the creek back and forth as we made our way. Getting all of us up to the falls at the same time was a slow process but it gave us time to look around and enjoy the cooler air and surrounding mountains.

About three- quarters of the way up the drainage, there lies a huge rock in the middle that has been there for many years. It is impossible to hike over, under or immediately around this obstacle unless you are there in the middle of winter when the snow covers the area making Obstacle Rock a mere bump in the trail. Small trails have been made on either side of the drainage up the steep and slippery slopes to enable hikers to make their way around the rock. The going really gets tough here.

When we finally reached the falls, we were met with one large remaining snow bank used for sledding on plastic bags and a seventy foot waterfall pouring down through a funnel type opening at the top of the cliff. It was exciting to see the waterfall as it is seasonal and, for most of the year, is a simple dry indentation on the mountainside. We enjoyed the "ambiance" of the beautiful scenery then returned the way we came. Separating into three groups on the return, we finished the three mile hike with 800 feet of elevation gain within a four hour time period.

Wild Horse Canyon - 7/3/10

Today's hike through Wild Horse Canyon was attended by twenty- three hikers. The Cathedral Fire above the Rainbow community in Kyle Canyon is nearly contained and all the roads are again open. There were many cars at the North Loop trailhead and even the secondary parking lot was full after we got there. This was evidence that perhaps the Kyle Canyon trails were still closed to day hikers and many people decided to hike at the North Loop or up in Lee Canyon. Although we could not see the Cathedral Fire area from our trail, we did see the staging area for the firefighters and where the helicopters were landing as we drove by. Hikes which are scheduled for the club in the near future should give us a clear view of what has been burned.


We hiked up the North Loop Trail among the blooming blue lupine huffing and puffing up 1000 feet in elevation over a distance of 1.3 miles. The high altitude is always a good test for the lungs and heart! At the top, we took a break and snacked in the large meadow area which was blooming with purple, white, yellow and red flowers. From here, we could see a half moon hanging over Mummy Mountain on one side and the Nevada Test Site in the distance on the other side.


After taking our break, we began our descent by passing the large old bristlecone at the end of the meadow and beginning a hike down a very small woodsy path. This is the area where the wild horse lived at one time. Is he still here? We don't know. But his trail remains and soon begins winding down a very steep grade. Our progress was leisurely today and conversation could be heard from one end of the line to the other.


We passed through the springs area where lavender columbine flowers with leafy plants filled the hillside. Eventually, we exited the canyon by hiking through a small slot canyon and out onto the highway. We had to walk along the highway for about a quarter mile to get back to our cars. The total distance of this loop hike was around 3.5 miles.

Griffith Peak - 7/1/10

Today, the Around the Bend Friends hiked Griffith Peak, the third highest peak in the Spring Mountains. The blogger did not attend due to knee issues, however, it was said in the news that the Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon roads were closed and evacuations had begun at 11:00am due to a forest fire with the added danger of high winds. Since the hikers made their approach to the Griffith Peak trail by way of the long winding Harris Springs Road, they may not have been affected by the road closures, etc. We invite any hiker who attended this hike to make a comment below and tell us the story or email me.

Chris offered this recount of the Griffith Peak hike via email:

Fifteen members of Around the Bend Friends met at Santa Fe Station Thursday morning to hike to the top of Griffith Peak. Our original route was supposed to be a loop starting from the top end of the community of Rainbow, heading up Rainbow Canyon and on to the peak using part of the Harris Springs Trail, and descending on South Loop Trail to the cutoff. Utility construction in Rainbow prevented us from parking at our regular location, so the decision was made to do the hike as an out-and-back from the Harris Springs trail head. This required driving up a rather nasty gravel road for about eight miles, which turned out lucky for us because of the fire in Kyle Canyon later that morning. One of the drivers, who had never been up the road before, got out of her vehicle and kissed the ground after we got to the parking area.

The hike flowed along toward the peak and the group started to gain the summit a little after noon. At the top, we were greeted with the distinct odor of smoke and could see it billowing below us in Kyle Canyon. As the smoke cloud continued to grow, we decided not to stay on the peak long as the winds could have shifted, sending more smoke toward the peak. Descending the steep meadows with the snow bank that is visible from Highway 95, we were fortunate not to be affected by the smoke on any part of the return. Getting back to the vehicles, all that was left was the treacherous drive down the narrow gravel road. Pulling out onto Highway 157, we followed one of the Clark County fire trucks back to Highway 95. Kyle Canyon Road had been barricaded to westbound traffic and we virtually had the road to ourselves. All in all, the day proved exciting and everyone was tired by the end of the 10-mile trek.

Stanley B Mine & Loop - 6/26/10

This blogger is going out on a limb today with a blog of the hike even though she did not attend! The scheduled hike was for the Stanley B Mine and Spring with an added alternative of the loop hike around the hill in which the mine is located. At the top of this hill, there is an overlook area from where the hiker can see 360 degrees of Kyle Canyon peaks. Above, there is a photo of Harris Peak from this area. Below, a new and improved graphic of the loop is presented. A variation of this map may have been hiked today. If anyone would like to give a report of today's events, your comments are very welcome by clicking on the "comment" below. (P.S. Corrections have been made to previous graphics. The blogger became confused about highway numbers recently!!)