Vegas view from Mt. Wilson:
Like most Red Rock peaks, you can approach Wilson from either the West (backside) or the East. Both routes are tough, but approaching from the West is simpler and easier. Something appealed to me about starting way down at the desert floor, at the foot of the mountain, and working my way all the way to the top, so I chose the East route. The fact that it's considered one of the hardest hikes in Red Rock sealed the deal.
First Creek Canyon:
I got on the trail at about 7:20 and made quick work of the short approach across the desert to First Creek Canyon. First Creek would be my home for the next 3 and a half hours. It is full of massive boulders and slabs of sandstone, and there is no trail. I needed to scramble up, over, and around the boulders to make my way up, all the while avoiding the worst of the terrible brush that grows in the canyon. At a couple points, I even climbed through some chimneys that were so narrow, I had to pass my pack ahead of me.
Shortly after entering the canyon, I had a bit of a GPS mishap. It's no secret GPS units struggle in deep canyons, but in my experience, they just start throwing random points all over the place. This time, however, my GPS created a nice, neat, authentic-looking GPS trail of my progress. The only problem was, it made it seem as though I was heading off course. Due to the structure of the canyon, I thought this was highly improbable, but I figured I had plenty of time, so to be safe, I scrambled back down the 400 or so vertical feet to the mouth of the canyon, where I could reliably figure out my position.
I'm still not sure what happened, but I believe I was on the correct route the whole time, and my GPS just got confused. The set back caused me to climb an extra 400 vertical feet, and travel an extra mile. However, I could proceed knowing that I was on the correct route, and I bouldered the additional 1500 or so vertical feet to the end of the canyon.
From that point on, the going was easier since I was out of the canyon and on steep sandstone.
When I reached the summit, I was really beat since the canyon was so hard, and since it was over 80 degrees with no shade that day. I took enough time to change my socks and dry my feet, sign the summit log, and take some pictures. I also forced some food down, even though I wasn't hungry (loss of appetite seems to strike me on long, tough hikes).
Tranantula whisperer:
Heading back down was painful on my feet and I was tapped of a lot of my strength, but I made quick work of the wash. Though it was getting dark in the canyon, it was still only about 3PM when I finished.
Now on my morning commute, I can't help but look up at those beastly cliffs in the distance on Mt. Wilson, knowing I've been to the top. It feels great to know that I could've easily given up on this hike, but I pushed on and finished.
Stats:
Ascent time: 4:46 (including 45 minutes lost to the GPS snafu)
Descent time: 3:15
Vertical gained: about 4000 (including the extra 400 from the GPS snafu)
Distance: about 11-12 miles
GPX: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0rnqkv9rux6rit/Wilson%20Phil%20Solo.gpx
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