I had most of the day off on Sunday, and I was itching to get out of the city. The heat and the traffic were getting on me. I called Banu and said, "Where can I find some trees without driving clear to Cedar City?" She recommended Mt. Charleston, which is about a 45-minute drive from where I'm staying.

After turning left off highway 95 and heading up highway 157, elevation started going up dramatically. Signs along the way let you know just how thin the air is getting. The trailhead I chose (Cathedral Rock) started above 7000 feet. Perfect. Temperature went from 95 in the valley to 73 when I got up to the trailhead. Felt great!

I hike wearing these. They're a little odd, and I found them when I wanted to get some moccasins for hiking. These were the closest I could find to what I was looking for. Here's a picture:



I love how they feel, and my body has adapted well to essentially going barefoot. I normally really enjoy these for hiking, but the trail at Cathedral Rock had long stretches of hard-packed gravel that was slightly larger than golf balls, and sharp. I avoided these stretches completely on the way up by taking some hidden back-way game trails, and the shoes were great. I came down the main trail, however, and my feet were definitely sore on the way down. I think there's a reason why white people didn't find gravel trails everywhere when they showed up in North America: gravel is hard on the feet when you aren't wearing mattresses strapped to your feet. On natural trails, I zip along with the fastest hikers, but on gravel, I was forced to pick my steps carefully and I moved as quickly as I could to end the pain. The good news is that as soon as I found a spot to get off the gravel trail and back to pristine forest floor, the pain quickly subsided and I was back to my quick stride.

Overall impressions of Mt. Charleston: a lot of people were up there because it was a Sunday afternoon. Harleys could be heard frequently in large thunderous packs that climbed around the windy mountain roads. Everyone I met on the trail was very polite, but if you're looking for solitary forest time, you'll have to venture far from the trail.

I found two springs in my explorations and drank heartily from them both. I am grateful for the media scare campaign regarding mountain spring water and giardia because it means I don't have to share one of nature's most enjoyable gifts with a bunch of yahoos from the city. As I was dipping my hands in the water for a drink, some guy asked me, "Is the water safe to drink?" I said, "Not if you're from the city. It will make you very sick. You should stick to bottled water." He bought it hook, line and sinker. I felt no ill effects and appreciated the refreshment of natural mountain spring water that can only be fully appreciated after an hour and a half of hard hiking in warm weather in full sun.

I will head back to Mr. Charleston again soon, but next time I'll try to find a more remote area to explore.

Tags: hiking, travel, exercise, Las Vegas