Turtlehead Peak at Red Rock 9-04-14

Ever since I started hiking, I now find ways to fit hikes in on my vacations! When I visit Vegas, I try to get in a hike at the beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It's a short 30 minute drive from the strip and definitely worth the drive! There is a one way 13 mile loop that winds through Red Rock Canyon and there are plenty of trails to check out.

Since the weather that day was expected to be 100° an early start was a must! The trail I chose was a short but intense trail called Turtlehead Peak. Round trip, it was about 5.5 miles but a strenuous one! As we pulled into Sandstone Quarry my friend, Cephus began to worry about making it to the top of the  6,323' peak. This hike is just under 2,000' net elevation gain in a short 2 miles...the only saving grace is that if you hike in the morning, the peak provides shade for the most difficult uphill section!

The trail head at Sandstone Quarry looks harmless enough. Plenty of parking, area map, and two chemical toilets are at the trail head. As we wandered onto the trail, there are information boards highlighting the history of the quarry. The beautiful red streak rocks here are so unique! The first mile is easy as you follow signs and a trail to a wash covered in loose rocks. Proper shoes and hiking poles are a must!







The start of mile 2 is the most challenging part of the hike. The obvious trail disappears as do the trail signs. No matter how you get up that mountain, stay to the left of the gully! I've done this hike before and got stuck in the gully and had to resort to rock climbing to get out. As we huffed and puffed up the rocky terrain, we were so thankful that we brought our poles and had the shade of the peak to make the process less painful. It really was a workout. After some serious rock scrambling, we finally make it to the saddle and the peak was just in the distance.

After that last mile, getting to the peak was easy! There were some well worn trails combined with some more rock scrambling for the last half mile to the peak. When we reached summit, the beautiful 360 views were amazing. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the strip and Lake Mead. The peak was a little windy which made the hot sun more tolerable. Signed the book at the top, took some silly pictures, and it was time to head back down.

This is one of those hikes where going up was much easier than going down. All the big rocks that were causing me to huff and puff while I was climbing up was now making my knees creak going down! Again, it there was another moment of thankfulness for the hiking poles!

Since we stayed at the peak for about an hour, the sun was blazing down on us for the entire route back to the car. It was hot! A couple words of caution if you want to do this hike:
1. start early during hot days. 6 AM start a must!!
2. bring hiking poles
3. Minimum of 3 liters of water
4. sturdy shoes!!

But if you only have time to do 1 hike while visiting Vegas, this is the one I recommend for intermediate level hikers and above.

hiking-with-friends.com Supermoon hike to Echo Mountain 8-10-13

Echo Mountain via the Sam Merrill Trail is a popular Los Angeles hiking location. Located just north of Pasadena in Altadena where Lake Avenue and E. Alta Loma Drive meet. I would rate this trail as an easy intermediate level hike approximately 6.5 miles and an elevation gain of just over 1,500 feet.

The group started a little past 6 p.m. with over 60 enthusiastic hikers! It was really cool to watch the group wind its way up the mountain. It was really hot for the first hour and we did not get any relief until the sun began to set and the trail was in shadow. We reached the top in about 90 minutes and had amazing views of the sunset. Shortly after the sunset, we were treated to a magnificent full moon rise over the mountains to the east. It was certainly a sight to see! After some group photos, we headed down to our vehicles as some streets near the trailhead had parking restrictions that began at 10 P.M.

Another great hike! Please check out http://www.hiking-with-friends.com for a list of all their upcoming hikes!

Idyllwild to Mt San Jacinto - April 5, 2014

Saturday morning was a mad dash to get ready and out the door by 6 A.M. We were on the trail by 6:30 and on the epic journey began. The first part of the hike was like most of the hikes I've done. We took Devil's Slide Trail to Saddle junction. Moderate incline with plenty of switchbacks. It was on the map at 2.5 miles but my GPS said 3.5 miles. My legs also told me that it was over 2.5 miles. :) It was during this time that I think I brought too much stuff as my backpack felt too heavy, I'm estimating about 30 pounds. It was at Saddle junction that Thu, Jason's girlfriend, decided to turn around. She did not have traction with her hiking boots and did not want to proceed as there was increasing amounts of snow. She was going to walk back to the cabin which was an additional 2 miles from the trailhead. 1 down, 9 left. At this point, all of us that had traction systems for our shoes put them on.

The entire group at Saddle Junction

The second part of the hike, to Wellman Divide, another 2.5 up at 9700' was the most challenging part of the hike. The altitude really got to me and I was so lightheaded that I had to sit for a few minutes at every switchback. At first, I thought I was just severely out of shape and I checked the heart rate monitor that the best boyfriend in the world gave me and I was well within normal range (130). I managed to meet the rest of the group at the last junction and we all sat around and ate lunch. Some were contemplating if they should continue while others were eager to get going. As we sat there, a people were walking through looking very fresh and upbeat from a different direction, my friends informed me that they are taking the easy way, via tram from Palm Springs. Hmmm...not sure if that was encouraging to hear that. Well, Jason and Sara decided to turn around. But they gave me Ninad's car key in the hopes that I would see the other group. All 4 people that drove had the keys to the cars that were at the trailhead. 

The  third part of the section was a 2.3 mile ascent to the peak. John decided to go a little further with me and it was at this point that the wind picked up and after 2 minutes, he decided to turn around too. Great...Now I have to see the other group to give them a key otherwise they would have to walk back to the cabin or a place with cell signal to call out. I guess it's a good motivator when you know people are depending on me. Well, I trekked through the snow and finally got to the last section. The last .3 miles to the peak was a rock scramble, no easy feat with snow, granite, and traction thingees on your shoes. Part way up, I finally saw the rest of the group. They were headed down. I gave them the key and headed the rest of the way up. The views from the top was spectacular. I would have liked to stay up there longer but it was 3:00 by the time I made it up there and I knew I would have to make it down by sundown. 

The last part was the fun part for me. My goal was to finish the 8 miles and about 4000' feet in 4 hours. It was rough to get speed in snow as some parts were packed snow and some just powder. Keep in mind that I'm in trail shoes and not boots. When I finally got to the Saddle, I should have taken off the traction attachment to my shoes. I thought I would get through the last patch of snow before I took them off. Bad choice. I lost footing and totally fell on the trail. No major damage but I did take off the traction and regained some comfort and cushioning from the shoes. I did have a moment of panic as I saw mountain lion prints in the snow shortly before that and started feeling paranoid as there was a recent report in the news that a mountain lion in Orange County had to be shot because it was stalking a hiker and her son. Ok...I had to fight the urge to panic and run by telling myself that a Ranger had told me that they don't hunt people unless they are desperate for food. Well, I just kept going and with the new found traction of my trail runners, I began to jog the last mile or so. I started to panic again as the sun went behind the mountain and it got dark. Even with my headlamp, it was hard to see the last part of the trail as it was a section that was wide and covered in leaves. Again, panic started to seep in. Fought the feeling with logic and trusted my sense of direction. Pulled out my phone and for some reason, the GPS map wasn't coming up. I told myself that I was close to my car and just keep heading downwards and it I didn't come to it in 5 minutes, then try to call someone. Luckily a minute later, I saw my car. Literally got to my car finishing up 13 hours. Yay!

The next morning, I woke up early feeling fantastic. Contemplated going for a short hike as it was only 6:30 AM and everyone was still passed out. Apparently, they had quite a party last night as the place was a mess. I did get a chance to boulder this large rock next to the cabin before I left but a humongous blister on my big toe prevented me from doing anything more exciting. Thinking back, the hardest part of the hike for me was the altitude. I was really affected by the altitude and had to stop frequently due to the lightheaded feelings and headaches (Ibuprofen just took the edge off). I definitely need more training in higher altitudes!