Today, I was back.
In 2011, I was blissfully unaware of the fact that there's basically zero chance that Mt. Charleston is snow-free and passable in April. Needless to say, I never made it to the peak.
This time around the conditions were far better, but the trek to the top was no picnic. I headed up with fellow Vegas runner Shad, who seems to have run everything worth running in the greater Southern Nevada area -- including, of course, a few passes at Mt. Charleston. We started from Trail Canyon (~7,500ft) just after 8AM, connected to the South Loop trail, pushed all the way to Charleston peak at 11,916ft, and then bombed our way back down the North Loop trail back to Trail Canyon. We found ourselves back at the parking lot after 3 hours and 42 minutes of running (well, running and hiking).
Between the altitude and the elevation gain, the almost-18 miles was pretty damn challenging. But was it worth it? Oh, you bet it was...
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| Just an hour from the Vegas desert, really |
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| Did Yoda make the trip? You bet. |
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| Snack stop, only slightly worse for the wear |
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| An old airplane wreck near the peak |
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| Successful at 11,916ft |
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