I am in Vegas through the weekend, and am attempting to complete the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. Unfortunately, it's super hot right now (102f as I write this).
Most of the peaks are at higher elevations, but Turtlehead is pretty low (and therefore hotter).
So this morning Ethan, Lucie and I headed to Red Rock Canyon, arriving just before the gates opened at 6:00 AM. We wanted to get started as early as possible, and we were glad we did. At that time of the morning, most of the trail to the saddle had shade, but it was exposed from there to the peak. The views were pretty spectacular, and by the time we reached the car, we were thankful for air conditioning.
We saw one other hiker on our way up, and five others ascending as we descended. I went through 2 liters of water, and tracked 5.24 miles and 2,015 feet of elevation gain over 2.5 hours.
Top tips? Avoid the heat if possible, go as early as possible, and bring more water than you would usually take (~1 liter/hour).
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