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THE JOURNEY BEGINS…
Impromptu trip from Las Vegas to Mt. Charleston
It was a nice day, snow barely visible on the peaks of Mt. Charleston, so I planned an impromptu trip from Aliante to Cathedral Rock to show Panda the snow. He loves hiking even more than I do and out on our morning walk, I could tell the last thing he wanted to do is spend another day sitting on the couch watching me work on my laptop.
It was 10am and already getting approaching 80º in the valley. I packed a bag with food and liquids and we hit the road.
Mt. Charelston
Incase you have never been to Mt. Charleston, it is an amazing drive. You start at the desert valley floor, and travel up into the mountains on a predominantly straight road. The landscape transforms from desert brush, to Joshua tree, to Juniper, to Pine. I was dressed in shorts and a tee. On the way up, I realized that I might be under dressed for the hike. The temperature dropped approximately 5º every 1000′ of elevation gain.
We went up to the top of Kyle canyon planning on hiking the few trails from Echo up to Little Falls and back and around to the top of Cathedral Rock.
Panda’s First Snow
Little Falls is a quick hike back into the canyon and as it’s name states: It is a tiny trickle of a waterfall…
Lunch
We stopped to eat lunch and admire the surroundings. I actually had cell reception! There was a slight view to the North, so we sat by the snow covered creek and had some snacks. Looking up at the cliffs, I had the urge to go climbing. At least hiking on something a little more dangerous than flat ground.
On The Way BACK
Cathedral Rock Trail
Heading back to the Jeep, I noticed the trail split off to the right. I wasn’t ready to leave yet, so I decided to see how far back it went. This was my first time on these trails and all I had was some map from a website that looked like a kindergartner drew it. I was on Echo Trail.
As I made my way around the north face of Cathedral Falls, I noticed the trail going away from the mountain. I thought that maybe I missed the turn, so I doubled back. I found a trail, but it looked more like a game trail. In my ignorance, I decided to see if this was the Cathedral Rock Trail–in my defense–the website said it was a hard climb.
As I climbed the mountain trail, it was clear that this was the path less taken. What makes you appreciate it even more than nature is that there are no tied up bags of dog poop off to the side, or paper wipes from what I am assuming are females squatting then littering (I’m sorry, but I’m starting to see that everywhere. Just take the 2 minutes to bury it!!!).
I didn’t take many pictures because the whole experience was so captivating. Snow patches, pine cones covering the path, little human presence, uprooted pine trees that fell in storms passed. I saw a lean-to, leaf shelter, and a round lodge hut along the way–probably made by a survivalist or some kids over night camping in the forest.
I also came across two awesome lead climbing routes. It made me wish that I could climb it. Still haven’t figured out how to lead climb solo… Both routes looked like they were at least 5.11+ and the quickdraws looked old and weathered. I’ve never been leading climbing outdoors anyways, so just looking at the anchors makes me think of every scary climbing movie I’ve ever seen where the anchor fails and the climber plummets to disaster.
Half Way Back Down
The View From The Top
After
It wasn’t till the walk back that I realized that the trail was still closed. Which would explain why I didn’t see any other people at the top or on the way down. There wasn’t any snow for most of the walking path, so it must be laziness of actually checking conditions vs the danger of getting extreme weather. It’s like the pool where I live. They open it April 1st, when it is clearly hot enough in the middle of March. This was April 22nd, in Southern Nevada. It’s just like the government to try and control every aspect of our lives, including where and when we walk on public lands… Sign said up to $5k fine, six months in jail. Oops! Good thing I saw it on the way back and not the way up. No hassle, so that was a plus. Down further I saw another sign that said stay on the Trail. Doh!!! Two for two. The way up was the best part of the adventure!
Overall, the hike was amazing and the landscape serene. The views spectacular and the weather was warm enough to be in shorts and a t-shirt. I came down relaxed and in-tune with nature with water and food to spare. Panda was happy and exhausted and slept the whole way back. I hit traffic on the 215 where it bottlenecks at Jones. It was 4pm… I instantly wished I was somewhere more remote.
