Mt. Charleston

Mt Charleston, Nevada from Cathedral Rock Park

After leaving the house at 5:30, that little tiny pimple looks awfully far away and awfully high.  It is.  We have chosen the highest peak in Southern Nevada.  Charleston Peak is 11,918’ and about 9 miles from the trail head, the trail head is about a mile from the car.  So, a 20 mile roundtrip with an elevation gain of 4,600’ topping out at almost 12,000’  We predict a long day.

We have to climb out of Kyle Canyon on a switchback trail that gains almost 1,500’ in 2 miles.  That is approximately the same as climbing 150 flights of stairs but, of course, they are not stairs.  I didn’t even bother to bring out the camera until we were up on Echo Overlook.






Actually, I don’t think we look to bad. There are lots of ponderosa pine and white fir at the overlook, so there is plenty of shade, but you have to get right out to the very edge of the cliff to get a good view of Kyle Canyon.



Echo Overlook

The next portion of the trail runs in and out some of the most beautiful mountain meadows I have ever seen.  The trees change to Bristlecone Pine with enormous piles of pine cones at the base of every tree.





Lunch on a trail this tough is always a balancing act. Cooling down is part of the drill but stopping long enough to begin to stiffen up is not a good thing.


This is really pretty country and later in the day we will see two parties coming up to camp for the night. There are some really enticing spots.



The village of Mt. Charleston in the center is where we parked the car and it is about 3,000’ below the meadows. The extreme weather on high mountains really blasts things. As usual, some of the dead stuff looks very surreal.



Some of the trees here live a long life both alive and dead.



Those things that are successful competing for resources in this environment tend to be bigger than normal and tough. Just before we got out onto the talus slope to summit we came on some thistle plants that were over 6 ‘ tall. Alex found a bee feeding on a low bloom. The bee was twice the size of a WNY bee and totally black.



Leaving the Bristlecone grove was an abrupt transition. Trees, grasses and flowers are highly altitude dependent and the last 1,500’ of trail was across a talus slope composed of thousands of stacked bits of slate. This is clearly one place that would be easier when it is covered in snow.



Eventually climbing can stop.







Just a bit warmer than we expected but hard to believe that back on Lugo St. it’s well over 100




Photo Credit - Alex

Just kicking around is all that’s left and the view is good.



All I need to say about the downclimb is that the switchbacks were endless but we did make it back for dinner. A bit zombied out but actually awake.

Bob