Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: Aug. 5, 2002
Reach the summit with Jim Boone. Up and back on South Loop trail. Took us 6.5 hours up, 5 hours down. Clear day but 50 mph gusts at summit. I used 2 liters of liquid.
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 23, 2002
My first training hike for Mt. Whitney later this season. Started up the South Loop at 2pm the day before, and it took me 5 hours to reach the ridge (including naps) with a full pack. Passed a lot of people coming down in obvious pain. By the time I reached the ridge, I was completely exhausted. Camped at the Harris Trail junction at 10,500' (photo). Tried for the summit in the morning, without pack, but turned back about 2 miles short of it. No point in killing myself.
On this ascent, I wore a heart rate monitor. This was very useful in pacing myself during the climb. (When my heart rate went above 150, an alarm sounded and I slowed down.) I would definitely use it again.
I used about 2 liters of water on this hike.
Lessons learned: I quickly got used to the elevation by spending most of the day near the trailhead (7,500') and the night at 10,500. Leg fatigue was the main issue.
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 22, 2002
There were already many people on the trail when my son and I began the hike at about 6:15. Four hours later for him, and five for me, we were on the summit. There are some very nice sections of the trail, but for me this was a very grueling hike. I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'll be repeating it soon.
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 15, 2002
My first attempt and first summit of this mtn. Up and back on the south loop trail. Departed trailhead just before daybreak--a well-planned move on my part to avoid temperature extremes in the late afternoon. I was back at the trailhead by 2pm. Uphill progress seemed very sluggish, but I made the summit in the suggested 6 hrs. The descent was approximately half of that. Wildlife abounds in the meadow on the ridge and just below (spotted six deer!) take a camera and plenty of water. My next trip here will definately be an overnight--wonderful locations for camping in the meadow on the ridge (about 4 miles from the summit)!
Route Climbed: South Trail Loop and North Trail Loop Date Climbed: April 5,6, 2002
I was ashamed to have my first posting be a failure, so now that I have made it to the top I'll post my first attempt. Basically, I flew to Vegas on April 4th. My friend living in Vegas dropped me off at the mountain on April 5th. Starting off at 9:30am with a 45lb pack I started up the South Loop Trail - at 3:30pm I retreated down to the canyon and set up camp. Saturday I hiked to the North Trail Loop and tried that one. Almost made it, got to the Devil's Thumb and had to turn around - mission aborted! Bivied at the base of the canyon again and exfilled on Sunday afternoon. I'll post a detailed trip report later this week with the details of all the tings I did wrong which resulted in my failure. I think there are some good lessons to be learned here for any one wanting to climb Mount Charleston durring winter months.
Route Climbed: Trail Canyon Trail to North Trail Loop Date Climbed: May 26, 2002
Had a most excellent weekend trip on the mountain. Headed up Trail Canyon to N. Trail Loop and onto the approach ridge on Saturday 5/25/02. About 2-3 hours shy of the summit I set up camp with an amazing view of the summit and the formidable Devil's Thumb in the for ground! Weather was perfect of night, no noticeable wind. Summited on Sunday morning with perfect weather-no wind and very few clouds. Hiked down the South East side ridge to check out the C-54 plane wreck and then back up to the summit. There was an amazing rainbow like halo surrounding the sun all morning. Descended to high camp for lunch, packed up and headed down to my car and off to the lone restaurant in the Canyon for a victory beer with my climbing partner! This is an amazing hike with spectacular views of the surrounding terrain; including Mummy Moutain, the dramatic Cockscomb Ridge, and more! Will post a detailed trip report and photos later this week.
Route Climbed: Up South Loop, down North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: May 16, 2002
Nice morning hike/run. There were only a few small patches of snow on the trail. Running shoes were sufficient. Many thanks to Glenn for his great Charleston Peak page. I used it as my sole reference for the hike.
Route Climbed: North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: November 1998
My first summit of this great southern Nevada peak. The trail seems much longer than it needs to be, but the good news is there are sections that are not steep at all and it is possible to move very quickly if you want to. No view on this day as it was cloudy with occassional light snow. If you are going to Las Vegas for fun or business, take a day off to explore this area!
Route Climbed: South Loop/North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: November 5, 2001
My first summit after an aborted attempt in 1996. The high altitude is very interesting. I felt fine but could only move very slowly -- baby steps all the way up the final summit. No snow on the trail, despite late season. Where's the casino?
Glenn Campbell - Aug 5, 2002 1:33 pm
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: Aug. 5, 2002Reach the summit with Jim Boone. Up and back on South Loop trail. Took us 6.5 hours up, 5 hours down. Clear day but 50 mph gusts at summit. I used 2 liters of liquid.
Glenn Campbell - Jun 24, 2002 10:07 am
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 23, 2002My first training hike for Mt. Whitney later this season. Started up the South Loop at 2pm the day before, and it took me 5 hours to reach the ridge (including naps) with a full pack. Passed a lot of people coming down in obvious pain. By the time I reached the ridge, I was completely exhausted. Camped at the Harris Trail junction at 10,500' (photo). Tried for the summit in the morning, without pack, but turned back about 2 miles short of it. No point in killing myself.
On this ascent, I wore a heart rate monitor. This was very useful in pacing myself during the climb. (When my heart rate went above 150, an alarm sounded and I slowed down.) I would definitely use it again.
I used about 2 liters of water on this hike.
Lessons learned: I quickly got used to the elevation by spending most of the day near the trailhead (7,500') and the night at 10,500. Leg fatigue was the main issue.
tonyo - Jun 24, 2002 6:56 am
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 22, 2002There were already many people on the trail when my son and I began the hike at about 6:15. Four hours later for him, and five for me, we were on the summit. There are some very nice sections of the trail, but for me this was a very grueling hike. I'm glad I did it, but I don't think I'll be repeating it soon.
bcaffee - Jun 17, 2002 9:40 pm
Route Climbed: South Loop Trail Date Climbed: June 15, 2002My first attempt and first summit of this mtn. Up and back on the south loop trail. Departed trailhead just before daybreak--a well-planned move on my part to avoid temperature extremes in the late afternoon. I was back at the trailhead by 2pm. Uphill progress seemed very sluggish, but I made the summit in the suggested 6 hrs. The descent was approximately half of that. Wildlife abounds in the meadow on the ridge and just below (spotted six deer!) take a camera and plenty of water. My next trip here will definately be an overnight--wonderful locations for camping in the meadow on the ridge (about 4 miles from the summit)!
rcorby2 - May 29, 2002 1:58 pm
Route Climbed: South Trail Loop and North Trail Loop Date Climbed: April 5,6, 2002I was ashamed to have my first posting be a failure, so now that I have made it to the top I'll post my first attempt. Basically, I flew to Vegas on April 4th. My friend living in Vegas dropped me off at the mountain on April 5th. Starting off at 9:30am with a 45lb pack I started up the South Loop Trail - at 3:30pm I retreated down to the canyon and set up camp. Saturday I hiked to the North Trail Loop and tried that one. Almost made it, got to the Devil's Thumb and had to turn around - mission aborted! Bivied at the base of the canyon again and exfilled on Sunday afternoon. I'll post a detailed trip report later this week with the details of all the tings I did wrong which resulted in my failure. I think there are some good lessons to be learned here for any one wanting to climb Mount Charleston durring winter months.
rcorby2 - May 29, 2002 7:55 am
Route Climbed: Trail Canyon Trail to North Trail Loop Date Climbed: May 26, 2002Had a most excellent weekend trip on the mountain. Headed up Trail Canyon to N. Trail Loop and onto the approach ridge on Saturday 5/25/02. About 2-3 hours shy of the summit I set up camp with an amazing view of the summit and the formidable Devil's Thumb in the for ground! Weather was perfect of night, no noticeable wind. Summited on Sunday morning with perfect weather-no wind and very few clouds. Hiked down the South East side ridge to check out the C-54 plane wreck and then back up to the summit. There was an amazing rainbow like halo surrounding the sun all morning. Descended to high camp for lunch, packed up and headed down to my car and off to the lone restaurant in the Canyon for a victory beer with my climbing partner! This is an amazing hike with spectacular views of the surrounding terrain; including Mummy Moutain, the dramatic Cockscomb Ridge, and more! Will post a detailed trip report and photos later this week.
Josh - May 16, 2002 7:56 pm
Route Climbed: Up South Loop, down North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: May 16, 2002Nice morning hike/run. There were only a few small patches of snow on the trail. Running shoes were sufficient. Many thanks to Glenn for his great Charleston Peak page. I used it as my sole reference for the hike.
sidhayes - May 10, 2002 7:46 am
Route Climbed: North and South trails Date Climbed: July 13, 2001One of my favorite trails, Ascended the north trail, and down the south and rode bicycle back to the north trailhead. Took 3.3 hours.
Paul Burkholder - Apr 30, 2002 2:49 pm
Route Climbed: North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: November 1998My first summit of this great southern Nevada peak. The trail seems much longer than it needs to be, but the good news is there are sections that are not steep at all and it is possible to move very quickly if you want to. No view on this day as it was cloudy with occassional light snow. If you are going to Las Vegas for fun or business, take a day off to explore this area!
Glenn Campbell - Apr 28, 2002 7:20 pm
Route Climbed: South Loop/North Loop/Trail Canyon Date Climbed: November 5, 2001My first summit after an aborted attempt in 1996. The high altitude is very interesting. I felt fine but could only move very slowly -- baby steps all the way up the final summit. No snow on the trail, despite late season. Where's the casino?