Mt. Charleston Repeater Project

We spent four days working with the USFS helping to remove and replace the Mt Charleston radio repeater...Good Stuff.

Sunset from Charleston Peak

A full moon compliments the sunset as the last light of the day shines on Griffith Peak...it's a good view from the top.

Late Summer on the North Loop Trail

I love the North Loop Trail. It never seems as crowded as going up the South Loop and the views of Mt Charleston seem just a bit more majestic. Here's a few that I never got around to posting until now; it was a cool summer day it look and felt like fall. I just couldn't capture the dancing light of Mummy the way I wanted...maybe the old man was playing with me.

Buzzin' the Rough Angelica

Rough Angelica is only found in the Spring Mountains

Rain Tree Project, Mt Charleston Wilderness

Some folks go to the Mt Charleston Wilderness for enlightenment, others got there to get a from it all, some to esacape the summer heat or enjoy the winter snow, and some folks go there to build things, like wind structures, they're everywhere, on top of peaks, in windy saddles ( am I missing something???) or at the foot of one of the oldest if not the most famous tree in the Forest. Wind structures take away from the undeveloped character of the lands and cause damage to the resource. So fight that construction urge if you think you have to build stuff...go buy an erector set or some legos but please leave the Bristlecone alone. Even the stuff that's dead as door nail it could be 1000's old years old. Some wonderful volunteers from Friends of Nevada Wilderness went up to the Rain Tree and removed some of the downed Bristlecone from around the area where the Raintree holds court.

This ain't your Daddy's Wilderness, practice Leave No Trace...besides LNT a lot hipper than that old school camp craft stuff

The Bonanza Extravaganza

We went out to the Bonanza Trail Head last Saturday with a bunch of fun folks. We had a goodtime , got some work done and had a nice little hike afterwards. It was a great way to celebrate Nevada Day. Thank you REI for suppling the funds for breakfast.

Mt Charleston Loop

Brrrr....

My friend John and I hiked up to the top of Mt Charleston last Thursday which just happened to be the coldest day of the season so far. We left the parking area at the bottom of Trail Canyon at 0700 and it was a brisk 12 degrees at the Trail Canyon/ North Loop Trail Junction. When we reached the top it had warmed up to a balmy 20 degress with a stiff wind blowing from the north...I loved it real high mountain weather. We were feeling good at the top and decided to do the whole loop and headed down the South Loop Trail rather than retrace our steps. Around 17:30 we made it back to the car, burned out, but feeling good about what we had accomplished...Good Stuff

South Loop Trail Work

We hiked up the South Loop Trail on a frosty morning last week to work on some switchback short cuts. It was great, the leaves were gold, the air was crisp, and some fleece felt good as we hiked up the trail. I love this last shot of the boys with crossed shovels....hoo-rah for Wilderness

Coxcomb Ridge & Mummy Mountain

Mummy Mountain

Oh Mummy what can I say, I love the way the light dances on your face and the antics of the clouds as they tickle your toes & pat your tummy...Mummy I love to take your picture.

Cave Springs Project

Workin' for Wilderness

Six volunteers hiked up Trail Canyon armed with shovels, rakes, a pick and of course a couple of cameras to get some stuff done at a beautiful spot named Cave springs. Now you Charleston locals you know that Cave springs is one a few places that you can get water along the trail . A few folks have been camping close to the springs and user created trails are sprouting up everywhere. Someone has hooked the piping back up to one of the springs but some of the old used piping was sticking up and laying exposed. The PVC it was cracked, plugged up, and sticking up out of the ground like giant alien bug antennas from a 1950's horror movie... a real eyesore. So Friends of Nevada Wilderness volunteers hiked in and removed the old pipe (we left the one piping system that still works, so water still flows to the trough). Volunteers also removed the campfire rings and naturalized four of the campsites that were right on top of the springs. Volunteers also concealed some of the other spring piping to keep the area looking natural. I suppose that some backpackers don't realize that we're not the only ones that need water; animals need water too. Camping at a spring not only deprives animals of much needed water , but it also increases the probability of lots of human waste & trash will eventually damage the spring area (yuck!). I know that no one wants to do the wrong thing, we just need to get the word out to folks. So practice a little "Leave No Trace", please carry out your trash, bury your waste properly and camp at least 1/4 mile from any spring. The animals will love you for it.

******

Special thanks to John, Bill, Carl, Pat, Mike and John, who made the long hike up the trail and made a huge difference for the wildlife that call the Mt Charleston Wilderness home.

Wild Folk

Here is a couple of the great folks I've had the pleasure of hiking with since I've been in LV...Scott & Lori ...big Wilderness fans. Scott is one of our Wilderness monitors in the Mt Charleston Wilderness