Slot Canyonn

White Owl Canyon via 33 Hole

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LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

Activity: Day Hike

3.2 Miles, 252’ elevation gain, 2 hour duration, Rated Moderate

Date: April 25, 2024

I got an early start on this wonderful hike in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The temperature was a delightful 62 degrees on it’s way to close to 90 so the early bird gets not only the worm, but the cooler temperatures plus I had the entire place to myself and multiple hikers showed up right after I finished so winner, winner!

I watched the lovely full moon set, and I felt the rays of the rising sun on my face as I walked down the rather steep embankment of loose dirt, gravel and rock. Hiking poles do come in handy in this type of predicament. The desert area was just starting to show as the light of the day brought it into view, alluring, but in a rugged and unabashed fashion.

Moon sets over White Owl Canyon

I was astounded as I approached the slot of White Owl Canyon. It seemed to be adorn with flowers as if strategically planted by a gardener. The plant, a deep green color, with pretty white flowers, next to redish-brown craggy rock at the base of the walls and seemly on shelves, decorated the canyon walls.

The slot of the canyon closed in as I advanced. Throughout my hike I would encounter different sections of slot canyon. It was pretty cool indeed. Love slot canyons.

I have to say being somewhat of a nature purist, there are a three man made tunnels and a walk along a bike path that to me take away from the nature experience. One of the tunnels you would have to stoop to get through. I scrambled up the hillside on that one and went over the top of the roadway. The reason for the tunnel in the first place is so flood waters can travel through the wash and not affect the roadway above. I did the hike clockwise. When you go through the double tunnels you could scramble up a tough hillside or better yet continue through the wash for a short distance and you will see a couple trails to the right that go up and out of the wash and to the bike path above the tunnels.

One of the man made tunnels

Like I said when I go out into nature I want to see as much nature as possible not tunnels, roads or paved bike paths, but I will say that the beauty of the area and how cool the slot canyons are especially with the blooming flowers overwhelm any draw backs.

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The antidote to exhaustion isn’t rest, it’s nature. 

When you navigate the slot canyons of White Owl Canyon, especially with the flowers in bloom, you can’t help but smile big and bright. What that smile represents is Balance gained from profound experiences in nature, and that my friends is what ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is all about. Life is not easy, and I suppose it is meant that way, but one thing that is really important is to keep it all in check, to balance the crazy work a day, busy schedule, head aches and the ups and downs of life with the extraordinary bounty of nature and the deep emotional richness it provides. Stay with me as there are more smiles ahead. You accomplish this by doing these simple tasks: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. You can purchase my top quality Adventure Wear at SHOP APPAREL. Go up to the menu and you will discover that PBTA ventures all over the West of this great country of ours. There are many magical places to explore and please use this to inspire your next adventure. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. 

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Peak Bagging

Arden Peak

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BLACK MOUNTAIN

SLOAN CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

Activity: Day Hike, Peak Bagging

6.5 miles, 1350′ elevation gain, 2.5 hours duration, rated Moderate

Date: 11-26-23

100 Peaks!

This was my 100th Peak that I have documented on my Peakbagger.com page. I did it with my son Alec, home on Christmas break from college, which made it all the more a celebration.

The route up to Arden Peak is basically an access road to the top where there are communication towers. So that is not my favorite type of hike and neither is seeing urban sprawl the entire trip up the mountain. But I will say one of the things that sets this journey apart from others of this type, referring to what I call urbanish hikes, is the view of the Las Vegas Stripe is quite impressive and all the mountains that surround the Las Vegas area. Also I might add the natural setting of the mountain and the area is really beautiful and quite natural when you keep you back to the power lines in the area and civilization. But I must say for the people living in Henderson the network of trails in this area are a wonderful playground.

There is an moderate grade up, up, up all the way to the top. So it is a nice bit of exercise to be sure. I have been up this road a couple times before, once as a hike and the other as a mountain bike ride, but this was the first time that the gate near the top was unlocked and open so we took that as an invitation to the summit. Right or wrong we made the summit and thus got the views looking out to the East enjoying the massive panorama of the natural desert instead of the homes below on the other side.

Las Vegas Strip from Black Mountain
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“People do not decide to become extraordinary.
They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”
– Edmund Hillary

Thanks for joining my son Alec and I as we celebrated my 100th Peak while ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. It is always great to share nature with someone so hiking with my boy to my ONE HUNDREDTH PEAK was special. Please say with us as there is always more Adventure to be had. You accomplish this by doing these simple tasks: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. The logo on my cap represents ’Pursing Balance Through Adventure’ you can purchase top quality Adventure Wear at SHOP APPAREL. Go up to the menu and you will discover that PBTA ventures all over the West of this great country of ours. There are many magical places to explore and please use this to inspire your next adventure. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. 

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Peak Bagging

Anniversary Narrows Peak

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LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

MUDDY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS

Activity: Day Hike, Scrambling, Peak Bagging, 4×4

6 hiking miles, 3074′ elevation, 1700′ elevation gain, rated Moderate

Date 3-20-23

I set out with the goal of completing the Anniversary Narrows and Anniversary Peak Loop an over 8 mile hike in the Lake Meade National Recreation Area. Since I have a Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro I attempted to do a portion of the distance in my rig.

The trail in is 4×4 High Clearance Recommended and I started the loop clockwise in the Lowell Wash. The trail led to a narrow decline just big enough for my rig. There was a sizable drop off on one side. I followed the trail down to a dry wash, but unfortunately the exit had been wiped out at the bottom of the trail by a flood leaving too big of a drop off to safely maneuver.

Now what? I was alone without a spotter. If I had a spotter it might have been possible to jockey around and turn back up the trail, but without one it was more of a risk that I wanted to take. So I slowly backed up in reverse 1000′ or so up the narrow trail being mindful of the drop off.

At this point I thought that I would 4 Wheel counter clockwise back the way that I came and then up the other side of the loop. It was a short distance before I was on foot.

Most of the hike was in a dry wash filled with rough rocks to work around and over. Much of the way there were steep sides to this wash. There really wasn’t a trail. In fact any trail was short lived. It was really working through an area. The GPS was being checked constantly to insure I was in the correct fork of the wash and even once I was beyond it that I was headed in the correct direction.

Once out of the wash the terrain was pretty unworldly and quite wonderful. It appeared like you were in a Star Wars Movie or something. The rock was unusual, pocked with holes, some of the rock formations were a deep red. I believe a portion of this hike was through an area known as the ‘Bowl of Fire’ it really was quite spectacular.

Next on the list was a scramble. A real honest to goodness scramble, so if you like scrambling then you will love this hike. First you climbed up one ravine and then you realize you are maybe half way because the course is still up, up, up! I kept checking the GPS. There certainly was no easy way, but I can attest that there unquestionably were more difficult ways. I think that I found some of the latter getting off course. That course be mindful is just a route that someone else had blazed at some point laying GPS bread crumbs. I would call what I did heavy scrambling, not quite rock climbing, but assuredly an adventure.

At the time I did not realize I was Peak Bagging, but then it made oh so much more sense once I figured that out. What I had read did not emphasize the summit really. The summit was pretty serious. A bit of a breeze across a narrow, exposed, rocky ridgeline, and at least from what I could see from this vantage point pretty much straight down on three sides. The views… Oh my gosh! Stupendous views of the Bowl of Fire, the wonderful different colored mountains, Lake Meade in the distance and the Muddy Mountain Wilderness all just fantastic.

There was an ammo box to sign in, a summit register, and I read an entry saying there is no backside down unless you have a rope and climbing gear and that is the way that I would surmise it as well. So after taking it all in I headed back the way that I came. Which of course was not much easier going down than it was coming up. Although I do believe- I was a little more on track this time.

What I missed out on by not doing the loop was the mine and the slot canyon. So maybe another time, but it was a super hike/scramble none the less. Really beautiful country.

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“Adventure: the pursuit of life.” – Jenny Radcliffe

Thanks for joining me in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which by the way was beautiful just to drive through if you get the chance even if you are not heading out for a hike. I found myself ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ in a lovely area, scrambling up to a lonely peak and a rugged summit. Nature has a way of taking your mind off of the work-a-day world and the stress of modern life even if it is just to replace it with, Where in the Hell is the trail?! And there is not way that this is a moderate hike!!! Let me emphasis that part. The only way this could be a Moderate hike is that much of the hike is flat and the rest is quite steep so perhaps that equals it out, but when you get to the hard part… it is HARD! If you go up to the menu you will see that the Las Vegas Area is but one wonderful place that PBTA ventures to love nature. The menu is categorized mostly by areas of this great West of ours. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. I invite you to stay with me by following a few easy tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you like my hat in the picture pick one up along along with one of my top quality shirts with the PBTA logo and mantra at SHOP APPAREL. Other than that get off the couch and “Take a Hike”!

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Summerland

Fossil Ridge

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Location: Near Red Rock, outside of Las Vegas, Nevada

Time: Early Winter

Activity: Day Hike

Fossil Ridge day hike was a solo adventure that I did in Nevada the day after Christmas 2018. It was under 5 miles with a climb in elevation of under 1,000 feet. The hike was rated moderate. It was a gorgeous day, and a good way to try and work off some of the treats from the holiday. The location is near Red Rock, which to me is almost spiritual it is so beautiful, and a must do anytime I am near Vegas. Usually I am hiking on the opposite side of the road that runs through the area, and closer to the mountains and to Red Rock, but this perspective was very special as you have the full expanse of that view. The Fossil Ridge Loop day hike worked its way along the cliff of a canyon which was very interesting. The other thing I really liked about the hike was at times I felt like I was hiking through a cactus garden.

Here the trail is along a cliff with the canyon below. This picture doesn’t really show the steepness, because it doesn’t capture the depth perception. When I stood on the side of the cliff peering over the side the updraft below my hat off and back about 15 feet.

It was like hiking in a cactus garden.

In the distance you can see Red Rock.

It was in this area that I spied a pretty good sized jack rabbit.

A very enjoyable little hike.
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Bootleg Canyon Loop

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Boulder City

Activity: Day Hike

4 miles, 900’ elevation gain, 2 hour duration, rated Moderate

Date: 11-24-21

This area is a play land for Mountain Biking. It has terrain for all skill levels from Beginner to Expert. If you follow this trek outline on the map there are certainly portions that would be approaching that Expert level. That being said, it is also a hiking area, just be aware, of your surroundings and keep your eyes peeled, and your ears alert.

This short loop should be hiked counter clockwise as it is steeper with loose material. Going up is always easier especially on this type of footing than sliding down. The route encompasses multiple trails starting with BC, Snake Back, and Side Winder, on the backside it drops down on to Red Mountain Access Road. That is very boring, so my suggestion is get off on to a side trail at East Leg which is another rugged winding narrow trail that brings you back to the basin of trails at the trailhead.

The area and the terrain is very cool, the problem I have with it is there is a big communication network tower on the top with overhead power lines. The views of the surrounding desert and mountains is super, the only problem with the views is it also encompasses the urbanization down below being Boulder City. What I am always trying to do when ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is get away from it all. The more wilderness the better. Off the backside is a great view of the strip. While that is still urbanization it is the Las Vegas Strip so, that is different.

The backside of the mountain had a nice view of the Las Vegas Strip off in the distance.

If you think a small thing can’t make a big difference, try hiking with a pebble in your boot.

High Winds buffeted the peak so that I needed to watch my footing on the narrow rugged trail.

Thanks for joining me ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ above Boulder City checking out views of the famed Las Vegas Strip from the top. For more adventures in nature please do the following: LIKE, FOLLOW, COMMENT and SHARE. If you go to the above menu you will see plenty of wonderful spots that PBTA travels to throughout the West. If you go to SHOP APPAREL you will see Adventure Wear adorned with PBTA logo that also serves as the mantra for the healing you can receive from nature adventure.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

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First Creek Canyon Trail

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RED ROCK NATIONAL CONSERVANCY AREA

Activity: Day Hike

Distance: >4 miles, 377’ elevation change, 2 hour duration, rated Moderate

Date: 12-27-20

This area is stunningly beautiful even from Red Rock Canyon Road the 159, but venturing on First Creek Canyon Trail gives you the time to really balance the scales between a busy life filled with all the noise of existing in this modern world to the peace and tranquillity that nature on a scale as grand as Red Rock Canyon can. Red Rock to me is almost spiritual. The multi colored rock face of these mountains jut up out of the desert like a cathedral of stone. As you approach for a better view you certainly get the impression that church is in session, ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’.

This hike has a dirt parking area off to the side on Red Rock Canyon Road and not far from the entrance to Red Rock. Most of the hike is easy and fairly flat, the trail is gravel and hard pack dirt going across the desert toward the mountains. As you approach the foothills it kicks into the moderate portion of this hike. The trail has some soft sand sections, but is mostly rocky with just the smallest amount of scrambling. 3/4 of the way toward the mountains is where there is a creek to the side of the trail. In December, which is not the rainy season, there were some pools of water, but mostly the creek and the waterfall were dry. The last portions of the First Creek Canyon Trail becomes more difficult to follow as is it rocky and hikers at this point seem to be doing their own thing and there are little trails and paths all over.

Hiking past this point jumps to HARD, with what looks like a lot of scrambling and the canyon becomes tighter and higher. This is a rock climbers haven and I saw two different partner climbers on what looks like a difficult face. If you were to continue hiking up the canyon it would finally lead to the peak of Mt. Wilson. This sounds intriguing to me, but I had only planned for the First Creek Canyon Trail. Another time perhaps…

“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it” -William Shakespeare 

Thanks for following me into this amazing canyon which epitomizes what this blog is all about ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure‘. You can’t come out of a place like this and not be awe struck, and feel that it hasn’t given you a bit of a reset. For more awe please COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. You can find more fun experiences in nature by going to the Menu above showing the different locations that PBTA travels to. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be followed independently. Did you not get what you wanted for Christmas? Like my hat? I have them for sale along with other top quality adventure gear at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Peak Bagging

Turtlehead Peak

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RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

Activity: Peak Bagging, Day Hike

Distance 4.6 miles, 1988’ elevation change, duration 3.25 hours, rated HARD

Date: 11-26-2019

If I have said this once, I have said this a million times, well… I have said this quite often, Red Rock is one of my favorite places, for me it is almost spiritual. Anyone that comes to Vegas and doesn’t at least drive through the scenic loop is a looser. Plus the longer you are away from the tables the less of a chance that Vegas will get their hands on the rest of your money.

This is my second time to enjoy Turtlehead Peak. The first time was with my sister years ago when I couldn’t find the trail that I was wanting to show her. So what they heck lets do this one. It was hard, it was strenuous, it was long, and it was awesome, well… except for the part that the scree leaves you with one step back for every three steps forward and that gave her a hernia. So, it is probably not a beginner type of hike.

I did this hike just before Thanksgiving. A couple in their thirties said they were tired, but they conquered the top. They continued that they never want to be on this mountain again. From now on they said they will stick to moderate hikes. But most folks on the trail seem to have enjoyed it especially the views from the top in both directions.  

I was pushing my pace as I knew that I was racing the sun, after getting a late start, on one of the shorter days of the year. I got to the top after getting off trail just for a bit in 1.75 hours, spent about ten minutes at the top and then 1.5 down, arriving back to the parking lot at sundown. 

It was chilly coming down and my hands were cold. There was remnants of the snow from the last week‘s storm on the backside of the mountain.  When I arrived back at my car it said the temperature was 35. It certainly didn’t feel that cold, but perhaps I was super heated from the hike, that is other than my hands. But once back in town it was mid forties, since it was a low altitude.  

The route starts out rather flat, but as you get closer it gets steeper until the trail is scratched out of a rocky hillside and in places the trail is difficult to follow and encompasses some rock scrambling. One saving grace is there are spray painted dots ever so often to let you know you are still on the trail.  If you go some distance and don’t see a dot then you are probably not on the trail, but it appears from the looks of things there is more than one way to get to the top.  

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The first part of the trail is well mark, but once you get into the tougher portion it is sometimes more difficult to follow, and people taking different routes or losing the trail can add to the problem. In one of the pictures you can see the controversial white or red dots that have been placed on rocks to help guide the way.
Just before Thanksgiving the high more shaded area had a trace of snow.
Summit of Turtlehead Peak
View from the Summit
Las Vegas Strip from the Summit of Turtlehead Peak
Looking down on Red Rock from Turtlehead Summit
The Sun’s last rays of the day on Turtlehead Peak.
Twilight at Turtlehead Peak
“Can we climb this mountain? I don’t know.  Higher now than ever before. I know we can make it if we take it slow.  Let’s take it easy.  Easy now, watch it go.” -The Killers
Summit of Turtlehead Peak with the Vegas Strip in the distance.

Thanks for joining me Peak Bagging Turtlehead at Red Rock Canyon while ”Pursuing Balance Through Adventure“. Please leave a quick COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE, and don’t forget to FOLLOW. Explore the many opportunities to stretch your legs, fill your lungs with air, get that heart beating a little quicker, and achieve some of those profound ah hah moments, by following in the footsteps of PBTA’s in the above menu of places to go. Keep in mind that each of the locations is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Need clothing for hot weather, or cold? Checkout SHOP APPAREL for many of your adventure needs, it’s not only first rate merch with the PBTA Logo it also helps support this endeavor.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

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La Madre Cabin Trail

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RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVANCY

Activity: Day Hike, Spelunking (sorta…)

Distance 5.2 miles, 1597’ elevation change, duration 5 hours, rated Hard

Date: November 19, 2019

This hike has so many wonderful facets to it. I loved this hike and highly recommend it.

First of all to me Red Rock Canyon is a must do for anyone going to Vegas. There are more than bright lights, and slot machines to Las Vegas and if you have never at least driven the Red Rock Loop then you are really missing out. Once you have enjoyed that thrilling scenery than the next steps are to get out and do some hiking, work up to exploring, and finally add a peak or two. To me Red Rock is almost spiritual, that is how profound of an experience it is.

The landscape changes through out the hike, from the rugged, wild and harsh beauty of the Red Rock and it’s unforgiving terrain, to a place with brush, vegetation and even some Juniper and Pine trees.

La Madre Springs is a hike all in itself and most people on this trail only know about that. The spring adds vegetation and is what makes this part of Red Rock different and so interesting, a “treasured island in a sea of desert“. During the hike you will cross the stream a few times and there are places where there are even reeds, something that you don’t see everyday in a desert environment. There are wonderful vistas through out the adventure opening up to views of the surrounding hills and mountains. This really is a stupendous hike.

The trail starts out big broad double track road which gets rougher as you go, and finally switches to trail. It is well maintained and well traveled up to the La Madre Springs and then becomes a little more difficult to follow on the way up to a little water fall. Past the water fall your travels will take you through ever increasingly steep and overgrown trail that is not always easy to follow, but certainly worth the effort as you will get to checkout something very special, that being an Old Miner’s Cabin and if you seek further adventure than up the steep hill from there is an old abandon mine and even more wondrous vistas that the additional height avails to you.

The rustic ruins of the Old Miner’s Cabin will spur thoughts of a life of solitude, a simpler time, certainly back breaking work, but with the romance of possibility… the chance of gold and silver in them thar hills, and thus the opportunity for untold fortune and incredible wealth. An existence in this place would be filled with hardship of the elements- blistering, unrelenting heat in the Summer, and snow and ice during a portion of the winter. In fact the area got snow the night after my hike. As legend goes this cabin was used not only by prospectors, but cowboys and even outlaws.

There are a few different faint trails heading up above the cabin. I was able to find the abandon old mine, and there was a yellow flag marking the spot. It’s not that the flag is easy to see from any distance, but once you do then you know that you have discovered the opening to the mine. I suggest that you have a head lamp if you care to break the rules, that are clearly marked Do Not Enter, and explore this unsafe, dangerous place. If you do throw caution to the wind then you will work your way into a dark, dank mine. Most of the tunnel is wide open, but another portion you will need to get down on all fours and even drag yourself through a tight spot. The mine is not huge, but it is interesting. Take heed in the entire area surrounding the mine as I also discovered a vertical mine shaft that you certainly would not want to stumble into. To explore the vertical shaft you would need climbing gear and you certainly would not want to do that alone.

  • Back of Old Miner’s Cabin looking up towards the abandon mine.
  • Old Miner’s Cabin Roof
Old Miner’s Cabin
Entrance to Old Miner’s Cabin.
  • Trail behind the Old Miner’s Cabin heading towards the abandoned mine.
  • Flag marking the area of the abandoned mine.
  • Vertical Mine Shaft
”Only by much searching and mining, are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul.” – James Allen

Exercise, fresh air, expansive vistas, changing landscape, beauty and intrigue, an old cabin, a small waterfall, a spring forming a little oasis in the desert, a spooky old mine what better way to be “Pursuing Balance Through Adventure“? Thanks for coming along. Be sure to LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, and SHARE. Checkout the menu above for the many different areas that PBTA ventures to. Each website is not only a separate area in the West, but a individual site and thus each needs to be Followed independently. You will also want to review the fine PBTA adventure wear, which is a great way to help support these sites at SHOP APPAREL.

Peak Bagging

FRENCHMAN MOUNTAIN

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If it doesn’t hurt it isn’t worth it

LAS VEGAS

Activity: Peak Bagging, Trail Blazing, Scrambling

Distance 3.6 miles, altitude 4,052 Feet, Prominence 1,972 Feet, 2,139 Feet elevation gain, 7.5 hour duration, rated Difficult

Date: November 15, 2019

The finale of our “If It Doesn’t Hurt It Isn’t Worth It – 3 Peaks in 3 Days Las Vegas Tour was called Frenchman.  It was the shortest in both length and elevation, but it was probably the toughest. (The other two Peaks were: Arrow Canyon Range High Point and Griffith Peak.)

Frenchman Mountain is the highest peak that you see in the area of the Las Vegas Basin.  The nice, cute, young lady that is the Entertainment Director at my Mom’s Senior Luxury Apartments, who likes to hike, (We hiked together once, but she ran all the way down, turns out she is a trail runner, and I was worried because I didn’t know that she was going to do that, and I was afraid that she might have taken a wrong trail… so I hiked with her only once, lol), said she heard of Frenchman and that it was ”straight up”.  Frenchman Mountain Trail is famous in the Vegas area for being Bad Ass, and indeed it was crazy steep because I could see the road from the summit, but we did not take the road.   Oh no… we went straight up the side of the mountain. We were scrambling on Class 2 rock, also known as bouldering, most of the way. (The classification for hiking a steep incline where you might need to use your hands). That turned into some actually rock climbing, you know like three points of contact with the rock as you looked for your next hand hold.  This is known as Class 3 climbing, (Climbing a steep incline with modest exposure where you are using your hands, but not necessarily needing a rope, a short fall is possible.) We were never far off the ground, but you certainly would not want to fall just the same.  My Peak Bagging Buddy, Mountaineer Keith Christensen was pushing my comfort zone.  

I wrecked my knee playing racketball, and it has bothered me for the past 18 months. I Injured it playing against the 4 time and current Senior Nevada Olympic Champion, whom recently got the Silver Medal in the Senior Olympics. The Champ was an Air Force Fighter Pilot Squadron Leader and also flew the U2. In other words he is a National Treasure, and he may no longer be young and nimble, but regardless he is a very special man and to compete I had to throw everything I had at him including the kitchen sink. My only chance was being younger, more agile and faster than he. Throwing said sink at him cost me my knee.

I was feeling that knee problem at the summit of Frenchman Mountain, plus I was worried that climbing down would be worse than going up.  So I was contemplating telling my Peak Bagging Buddy, you can climb down the rock face and boulders I am taking the road and you can drive a few miles to that trailhead.  But instead I thought to myself what the heck.  I am here to do this with my friend so screw it, let’s do this thing!  

Oh, did I mention on the summit was a tower that was in a razor wire fenced in area that just so happen had the last 10’ that we, as Peak Baggers, needed?  And in gaining those last 10 feet we not only had to trespass, but hang our ass out over a drop that was hundreds of feet as we eased around the fence?  

As one might expect the views were tremendous of Las Vegas, the Strip, and in the other direction lonely desert all the way out to Lake Mead and Arizona.

While we climbed down the mountain it turns out that the Thunderbirds, taking off from nearby Nellis Air Force Base, were preparing for tomorrows Air Show over Vegas so that was an added treat watching them tear a hole in the sky from above them.

As it turned out the climb was not as bad going down as I thought because from above you could see the hand holds better.  So all in all it was a cool experience, and I became a Peak Bagger.  

Looking out at Las Vegas on our way up Frenchman’s Mountain.
Excuse me Keith, this doesn’t look like a trail?
Looking back at the Las Vegas Strip.
Here is a shot of Frenchman Mt Trail. Famous for being a Bad Ass hike, but did we take the trail? Oh no… we went straight up the side of the frick’n mountain.
This is the highest spot on Frenchman’s Mountain. But I can only show my boots, because I wouldn’t want to incriminate myself with visual proof of exactly where that might be behind the razor wire.
Pizza delivery on the top of a mountain?! Lol, that is Keith’s left over dinner. We needed all the carbs we could get after the scramble up the mountainside.
Lookin out towards Lake Mead from Frenchman.
Looking back up at Frenchman Mountain. The radio towers mark the high point for the Las Vegas Basin.
“If you obey all the rules, you missed all the fun.” – Katherine Hepburn

3 Peaks in 3 Days, the If It Doesn’t Hurt It’s Not Worth It Las Vegas Tour. Thanks for joining me and Mountaineer Keith Christensen as for a few days of Peak Bagging we found a piece of that balance between the mundane existence of every day life and the Wild Abandonment of Adventure on the Top of a Mountain. It’s called Pursuing Balance Through Adventure Las Vegas Hiking. There is always more to come so stay tuned: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW AND SHARE. Help support PBTA, buy a hat or a shirt. They are the best and they will add to your adventure see SHOP APPAREL . Checkout the menu because PBTA is always on the move, plenty of places in the West to experience. They are all separate sites and each needs to be followed Independently.

Happy Trails,

Roger Jenkins, Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Pursuing Homosexuality Thru Adventure

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