Your Uncle Rico recently took Kip and the rest of the family to Las Vegas to go check out the Mt. Charleston area for some outdoor recreating. I've been to Vegas a bazillion times but for some reason never made the 45 minute drive out to Kyle Canyon. I didn't know what I was missing.
Anyway, I wisely chose the dead of summer to make the trip to ensure maximum heat and discomfort for all involved. The day we arrived daytime temps were 115. The next day they hit 117. Like legit, who wants to live in that kind of shit? Folks be mowing their lawns and washing their cars at midnight because its a cool 95 then.
We went out on a Thursday night so we could hike Friday when the crowds would be a less than on the weekend. That was a good call. The idea was that we'd get up super-duper early, be on the South Loop Trail at around 5 a.m. and shoot for Charleston. In reality, we were up super-duper early, but didn't actually get boots on the ground until about 7:30 a.m. That's seems to be the deal when the entire tribe joins in the fun. It's like herding cats.
Despite our later-than-planned for start time, the parking area at Cathedral Rock was still pretty empty when we arrived. At 7650' it was also a good 30 degrees cooler than the valley floor. The trailhead is well marked and we begin the steady climb up the nicely-maintained trail. A short distance from the start, the trail branches with the left branch continuing to the ridge at roughly 10,700' and the right branch climbing to the top of Cathedral Rock.
Beyond that junction, the trail climbs steadily and in some places steeply into a canyon beneath dramatic cliffs. The scenery here is eye-popping and is worth the trip in and of itself. Then the switch-backs begin. And they continue all the way to the ridge with just a couple of flat spots along the way where you can stop for snack, water, and whatnot. Any of these spots would make a really nice spot to throw down for the night. This section of trail reminded me of both the lower section the Mt. Whitney trail and the switch-backs on Baden-Powell.
It was starting to warm up but temps were still tolerable. But I was lugging 2 gallons of water and was starting to feel it (I was going to cache a gallon at the ridge if we continued past there). My eldest was also starting to feel the elevation and slowing some so I knew then that Charleston wasn't happening that day. No matter. It was great just to be out in the forest with my peeps.
About 3 hours after we began, we topped out on the ridge where there was a nice shady place to rest and contemplate our next move. From this point, its about 4 miles along an exposed ridgeline that roller-coasters WNW for about 4 more miles and 1000 more feet all the way to Charleston. Half a mile to the immediate southeast sits Griffith Peak whose summit sits at 11,060'.
The sun was blazing at this stage, everyone except my son was worked, and thunderclouds were starting to boil up to the west. Not wanting to get caught on the exposed ridge in an electrical storm, and using that as an excuse for our inadequate conditioning, we decided that Charleston wasn't in the cards. But as a consolation prize, we made the quick dash to the summit of Griffith Peak which is a worthy destination in and of itself. From the summit of Griffith, you get nice 360 views, including of the entire ridgeline leading to Charleston.
After summitting Griffith, we headed back down as the skies continued to darken. About a 1/4 from the trailhead, the wind came up and the sprinkles started. So did the lightning and thunder. And then the heavens opened up and the hot rain came pouring down just as we hit the parking lot which at this point was completely full. We all piled into the car wet and dirty and headed back to the valley where it was still hot af. Along the way we saw some wild donkeys roadside which was pretty cool. Then we drank beer in the hotel room and ate Thai food.
Then end.
Participation Trophy: Griffith Peak
Sure looks pretty up there. Cute family pic, made me smile. I didn't know what Uncle Rico looked like, always figured exactly like your profile pic. 
Yeah I considered moving to LV a long time ago and now I really don't know what would make me want to live there. Maybe if you could live up there at higher elevation, but damn, 115 can suck it. Way too hot for daily life. Must be cheap or something.
Yeah I considered moving to LV a long time ago and now I really don't know what would make me want to live there. Maybe if you could live up there at higher elevation, but damn, 115 can suck it. Way too hot for daily life. Must be cheap or something.
