My first solo hike!

It was a gorgeous day! A little warm maybe, but with a whisper of a breeze, and definitely cooler than down in the Valley! I don’t usually hike alone, but I’m training and couldn’t get anyone to come with me. A local hike group was also doing this route today, although I’m too slow to join them. I started around the same time as them and figured at least there’d be some other people around if I had an emergency.

The majority of the way out is uphill, with just a few rollers and a couple of downhill sections. I noticed the altitude right away, but I tried to embrace it!

The views all around were stunning, there were some flowers blooming, everyone on the trail was friendly, and I saw several cute and friendly dogs.

About a mile or so in, there’s a fallen tree across the trail. Luckily a review online posted a picture of it so I knew to step over it and not make a wrong turn.

This trail is not signed or marked, and cell reception is pretty good, but I downloaded a trail map and am glad I had it to refer to. A couple of the turns are subtle.

Flies were present but not biting, snowfields were small and manageable with trekking poles and hiking boots, and there’s enough shade that I never felt like I was roasting or in fear of running out of water.

There is a peak with a logbook that everyone stops at and the route maps end at…evidently this is not the *official* peak. The actual peak is down a steep gully and maybe another couple of hundred yards up. I did not go over there as I was alone and didn’t want to risk being injured without help. But a new friend I met at the top said that she checked it out and there isn’t a survey marker or anything.

If I ever go back maybe I’ll go all the way over there, but for today I’m calling it a win.

Views of Mummy Mountain, Mount Charleston, and Griffith Peak are incredible and worth the uphill slog!