In August, we hiked the Mt. Charleston Trail. We started as kids with teeth bearing smiles and unbridled excitement. We ended with pained expressions. We will be back to make the summit.
What we thought would happen
In preparation for this hike, we prepared by having three previous training hikes on Mount Charleston. The trail begins at around 7,500 feet. On each training hike, we hiked higher, eventually maxing out at 9,600 feet. Our goal for this hike was to reach 10,000 feet and then decide if we wanted to continue higher. Our expectation was that we would be only somewhat challenged and be home in Vegas by 1pm.
What did happen
We parked a mile away in overflow parking and added 2 miles to our round trip hike. This depleted us of some energy before we could even begin.
We did make our minimum goal of 10,000 feet. However, the ridge at 10,700 feet was too close to justify starting our return trip back. We would later regret this decision.
We painstakingly climbed to and reached the ridge. The breathtaking views, 300 miles in each direction toward California and Utah, were our reward. The definition of the word “painstakingly” is large blisters forming, increasingly frequent stops to catch our breath and hydrate, overall discomfort where the body doesn’t exactly tell the brain what’s wrong but things just feel uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, we made it to the ridge. Sheri celebrated with a snack while Koz decided to He-Man on to Griffith Peak which he thought was 15 minutes away. The problem was Griffith Peak ended up being a 40 minute extreme vertical climb and is probably where his left heel blister popped. So miserable he was when he reached the peak, he only stayed a few minutes. By the time he descended to where Sheri was, he collapsed onto uncomfortable rocks and an uneven log to rest.
The Return Hike
Catching our breaths and re-hydrating, we began our descent. Not too long into it, our bodies began to send distress signals that they weren’t happy. Although we were equipped with excellent hiking boots, it turns out our bodies were ill-prepared for the duration of abuse they were taking – jolts to every joint from the hips down to the toes, and everything in between. Then there’s the weight of the backpack that pounds the shoulders with each step.
By the time we descended to 8,500 feet, I wasn’t walking normally. Sheri was faring better. I needed to take stair steps higher than 6 inches with crab-like side steps. At 7,800 feet, we ran out of water and we had another 1.5 miles to go. This doesn’t sound like it’s very far but in a hiking environment when you’re already struggling, it’s discouraging and potentially dangerous.
We eventually made it to the car as the last remains of sunlight surrendered to night. I can’t describe the euphoric feeling of sitting on a car seat. Soon after, the body decided to let go and allow the pain to invade and dominate. I went to sleep with a fever and neither of us slept well.
What any of this has to do with KozyKoz
The lesson learned is multi-faceted. For one, we felt we earned the day to pursue an outdoor activity we love because of all the improvements we have been steadily making to streamline our lives. We had created free time that we allocated to our physical and mental health by hiking in beautiful Nevada high elevation country.
The main lesson learned is that while one can Create Time Out of Thin Air and use that freed up time to pursue fun endeavors such as hiking, we can introduce harm by being ill-prepared for an activity and endanger one’s well being or worse yet have a brush with death because high elevation can be deadly.
