Jari is on the road in Utah and Idaho with Charlotte to visit family right now which means I have to entertain myself. Work keeps me in Las Vegas, but the city itself is nearly nothing that interests me. So that means every night is movie night right? Good idea, but I decided to try a different approach and ended up having a marvelous experience.
We found at the top this old ammo canister from the 52 peak club. Apparently, there are 52 peaks in the Calico area (that region of the Red Rock National Park) that if one is able to summit, one can then join the club. I liked the quote on the front of the can "The journey is the reward."
There is a notebook and pen inside the can for people to sign. Here is Matt leaving our mark. I drew a little picture of us climbing with headlamps. I bet there are not too many people who hike it at night.
Here are some additional photos to enjoy. This view is the to West- Southwest. Neat mix of red and white stone.
Matt on the peak about to hike down to see the sun rising a little better.
This is where we parked the night before. There is a little parking lot that was closed due to the hour we showed up so we just parked on the road and walked to the trailhead. The area is residential so we did not want to park in front of people's houses and cause them any concern. Plus, we want to keep it quiet so the locals don't get irritated and close the road to hikers in the future.
Another view of the rocks as the sun came up.
A self-portrait, which is something I always do. This one was fun because I had to put the shadow between our faces so as not to have it show up in the picture.
From the top. I could have survived with less stuff, but I like to be prepared. I brought some basic 1/4 rope and snacks, extra water, a sweatshirt, etc - just in case. I did not anticipate any falls or injuries, but in my mind, I would rather carry too much and be prepared and not need it, than be caught unprepared and mad at myself for not having what I needed.
On our way down the west side. We did not really pick the West intentionally, but it turned out to be a great idea because it meant we did not have to hike in the sun.
A view of our descent.
More rock hopping.
I have been wanted to go hiking but seeing how it is 105+ degrees each day, I was not too enthused about going. The solution? -- Go at night to avoid the heat. So the following are some pictures of a night hike followed by what I learned from the experience.
Here is a Northward facing view of the peak. It is only a 1000 foot climb, but the terrain is rough and considered a Class 3 hike I could not find a compass, so decided the stars would have to do. I studied the area using Google Maps, Google Earth, and a few hiking websites/posts until I felt like I knew where I was going. After buying some headlamps and water bottles at Target, and taking a short nap, we hit the trail at 1:20 am.
And just so you know, some of these pictures are fuzzy because it was hard to get our cell phones to focus on anything in the dark.
Even though I knew from studying the map, everything looks way different at night. What this meant is that I had a feeling for where to go, but could not see the landmarks that were described by others. The solution was that we hiked 20 feet at a time, stopped to survey the land, then we would inch forward only to stop and reassess. This process took place over and over. Thus we made our way little by little up the mountain.
The climb was fairly steep. Here is Matt coming up behind me. This was his first night hike so he let me lead us up the mountain. There were lots of cool cactus species up there. Most of the plants also had some sort of thorn on them. Not exactly a soft environment.
One of the ways we decided which way to go was to use the shadows/morphology of the rock face to pick possible routes up the mountain. There is no marked trail that we could see. In the morning, we found a few rock cairns used to mark a route but we did not see any during the night. So it was by trial and error that we worked our way up. Several times we had to turn around and try a different route because it did not seem passable from our view (two headlamps).
Here is a fun mushroom rock. We found lots of cool-looking rocks along the way.
These rocks are bigger than they look. This was the easier terrain we went through. As we moved up the mountain, we started to use the word "scuttle" a lot to describe what we were doing. For a moment, a Spanish accent from the Princess Bride came into my head and said, "This word you keep using, I do not think it means what you think it means...." Then from Pirates of the Caribean, "Scuttle the Ship!..." I was obviously not in possession of a boat, so did this word mean what I thought it meant when I used it to describe our approach? I googled it just now and think we were OK to use it.
At one point, we felt we were stuck on top of a ridge without a very safe way to descend in the dark. We could see the city lights in the distance and there was a nice gentle breeze. It was 3:30 so we decided to sit and wait for the sun. We talked politics, health care reform, social issues, about family, and waited. But after about 30 mosquito bites I could take no more. I decided we need to find our way down and work our way towards what we thought was the main peak. All this time, the stars helped me keep my bearing.
We found a little wash that was full of sand. Our feet sunk in up to our ankles but we pushed through. It reminded me of the sand dunes outside of St George I used to visit when I was little.
Just before we reached the top, the sky started to change. I was motivated to find a way to the top before the sun came up so we made some bold climbing choices and got lucky. We reached the top just in time to watch the sun come up. Enjoy the progression.
There are dozens of peaks around the valley, all within one hour drive. I studied lots of hiking websites, considered my options, and finally chose Kraft Mountain located on the West side of the city (about 40 minutes from my home). Matt Vargas, a fourth-year medical student visiting Nellis AFB to interview joined me for the hike before catching his flight today back to New Jersey. He has lots more pictures on his phone that will get loaded to Facebook, so check out my pictures on Facebook in the future for additional photos.
Here is a Northward facing view of the peak. It is only a 1000 foot climb, but the terrain is rough and considered a Class 3 hike I could not find a compass, so decided the stars would have to do. I studied the area using Google Maps, Google Earth, and a few hiking websites/posts until I felt like I knew where I was going. After buying some headlamps and water bottles at Target, and taking a short nap, we hit the trail at 1:20 am.
And just so you know, some of these pictures are fuzzy because it was hard to get our cell phones to focus on anything in the dark.
Even though I knew from studying the map, everything looks way different at night. What this meant is that I had a feeling for where to go, but could not see the landmarks that were described by others. The solution was that we hiked 20 feet at a time, stopped to survey the land, then we would inch forward only to stop and reassess. This process took place over and over. Thus we made our way little by little up the mountain.
The climb was fairly steep. Here is Matt coming up behind me. This was his first night hike so he let me lead us up the mountain. There were lots of cool cactus species up there. Most of the plants also had some sort of thorn on them. Not exactly a soft environment.
One of the ways we decided which way to go was to use the shadows/morphology of the rock face to pick possible routes up the mountain. There is no marked trail that we could see. In the morning, we found a few rock cairns used to mark a route but we did not see any during the night. So it was by trial and error that we worked our way up. Several times we had to turn around and try a different route because it did not seem passable from our view (two headlamps).
Here is a fun mushroom rock. We found lots of cool-looking rocks along the way.
These rocks are bigger than they look. This was the easier terrain we went through. As we moved up the mountain, we started to use the word "scuttle" a lot to describe what we were doing. For a moment, a Spanish accent from the Princess Bride came into my head and said, "This word you keep using, I do not think it means what you think it means...." Then from Pirates of the Caribean, "Scuttle the Ship!..." I was obviously not in possession of a boat, so did this word mean what I thought it meant when I used it to describe our approach? I googled it just now and think we were OK to use it.
It was hard to appreciate the colors in the dark, but the stripped sandstone is really neat. As we hiked, Matt was worried about snakes, I was worried about Mountain Lions which do live in the hills around Las Vegas. I considered taking my gun to scare one away if needed, but decided against that. On occasion, I found myself looking up the hill, hoping to not see a set of eyes watching me from a crouched position, with its shoulders moving up to down as if preparing to pounce. We obviously made it home, and without seeing much wildlife at all. Is that a good thing? Maybe...
At one point, we felt we were stuck on top of a ridge without a very safe way to descend in the dark. We could see the city lights in the distance and there was a nice gentle breeze. It was 3:30 so we decided to sit and wait for the sun. We talked politics, health care reform, social issues, about family, and waited. But after about 30 mosquito bites I could take no more. I decided we need to find our way down and work our way towards what we thought was the main peak. All this time, the stars helped me keep my bearing.
We found a little wash that was full of sand. Our feet sunk in up to our ankles but we pushed through. It reminded me of the sand dunes outside of St George I used to visit when I was little.
Just before we reached the top, the sky started to change. I was motivated to find a way to the top before the sun came up so we made some bold climbing choices and got lucky. We reached the top just in time to watch the sun come up. Enjoy the progression.
Truly spectacular. I wish the camera could have captured the intense beauty of the morning. As the sun rose, all the surrounding textures and colors came into focus and we could see for the first time what were just shadows and silhouettes the night before.
We found at the top this old ammo canister from the 52 peak club. Apparently, there are 52 peaks in the Calico area (that region of the Red Rock National Park) that if one is able to summit, one can then join the club. I liked the quote on the front of the can "The journey is the reward."
There is a notebook and pen inside the can for people to sign. Here is Matt leaving our mark. I drew a little picture of us climbing with headlamps. I bet there are not too many people who hike it at night.
Here are some additional photos to enjoy. This view is the to West- Southwest. Neat mix of red and white stone.
Matt on the peak about to hike down to see the sun rising a little better.
This is where we parked the night before. There is a little parking lot that was closed due to the hour we showed up so we just parked on the road and walked to the trailhead. The area is residential so we did not want to park in front of people's houses and cause them any concern. Plus, we want to keep it quiet so the locals don't get irritated and close the road to hikers in the future.
A view to the West-ish. Love the red rock.
Another view of the rocks as the sun came up.
A self-portrait, which is something I always do. This one was fun because I had to put the shadow between our faces so as not to have it show up in the picture.
From the top. I could have survived with less stuff, but I like to be prepared. I brought some basic 1/4 rope and snacks, extra water, a sweatshirt, etc - just in case. I did not anticipate any falls or injuries, but in my mind, I would rather carry too much and be prepared and not need it, than be caught unprepared and mad at myself for not having what I needed.
On our way down the west side. We did not really pick the West intentionally, but it turned out to be a great idea because it meant we did not have to hike in the sun.
A view of our descent.
More rock hopping.
A view to show the rate of climb. I think it is steep but maybe I am just not experienced.
The moral of the story:
As we approached the bottom, I had the thought that much of what I experienced was a great symbol for this earthly life. Before we were born, we received our first lessons and instruction in heaven. As prepared as we were, this life was to be a test. It would be hard and would not see all things at the same time. Instead, the Lord gives us enough knowledge to be able to make one decision at a time. In the end, we get cut up and dirty along the way, but little by little we gain knowledge and begin to see the path the Lord has led us through more clearly. The atonement is there to enable men to gain access to knowledge, hope, and forgiveness.
In my case, I studied out my course before starting, but upon arrival, I found that I could not see all things at once. Instead, I could see just enough to help me make one move at a time. Each time I moved, what I thought I saw before changed and became a new landscape. Mistakes were made along the way which required me to go back. In the end, because of the way I had moved up and down this large hill of a mountain, I came to know it in a way that I could not have if I had started at 6 am. What is more, I ended up climbing via a route that in the daylight I may have never attempted.
Likewise, the Lord leads us through life and provides us with a path unique to us. Our reward for following him, in the beginning, was a mortal experience that would provide us with rich experiences and learning. I imagine that were He to show our path to us in the beginning, we would shrink at the task. But instead, as he gives us just enough knowledge for that next step, he leads us up to grand vistas.
And while the view at the top is grand, the ammo taught me a greater truth: The Journey is the Reward.
Comments