10/2/2021 – Peak 6 of the Las Vegas Six Pack of Peaks Challenge
Mount Wilson, 13.25 miles and tons of elevation gain.
Wow! What a way to complete the LV 6 Pack of Peaks. I really don’t even know what to say about this specific hike, except maybe it really shouldn’t be on the challenge. I’ve done some very difficult hikes over the past few years and I would rate this one as being one of the top 5 in difficultly for me. Or as Jeff H. and others have said, “It is a beast.”
To start, this hike is listed as a 10 mile hike with about 3,400 feet in elevation gain. Neither of which (in my opinion, is correct. I ran a few apps today to track this hike. True to form my Alltrails app kept stopping and only recorded 11.5 miles with 3,566 feet in gain. My xBackCountry app had 11.5 as well and just over 5,700 feet in elevation gain. My Samsung Health app, which is pretty accurate for distance had 7.23 miles to the summit and 6.05 miles down. This mileage, I am more inclined to believe. I went back and forth up the canyon searching for routes which made the miles add up. It would also make the elevation gain add up too. I’ve been on many high elevation gain hikes and this felt like it was definitely one.
Coming down, I foolishly decided to go straight down the wash. This lower the miles compared to the ascent, but it also forced me to backtrack and head up steep slopes to get around rock cliffs that I couldn’t go down. It was a lot of extra work both going up and coming down. It added miles, elevation gain and time to the hike. Which by the way took me almost 11 hours (including breaks).
My recommendation to anyone who is just an average or even above average hiker, don’t do this one. It is tough and it is challenging. However, if you like bouldering and rock scrambling and navigating your way through a hike, then by all means have at it. Would I do it again? Absolutely! It’s one of those that are right up my wheel house. Long, steep, and painful (even after the hike) 😉 😉
Responses
Great job completing the challenge!! Congratulations!
Thank you! Hopefully, I’ll be able to make it out there again to complete the 2022 Challenge. 🙂
Glad you made it! It’s definitely a hike that pushes your mental limits!
Your logs are so thorough and helpful!! Like you I’ve saved Wilson for last. 🙂 As someone who’s done mummy and Wilson, how does Wilson compare to the scree/bouldering on mummy?
@Alison Hi. I thought I had responded to you, but I don’t see it here. As far as comparing Mummy and Wilson, I would have to say that Wilson is more difficult. The trail, although steep in some places, for Mummy is shorter and pretty straight forward. For me it was a fun day on the trail. Wilson on the other had required more navigation and decision making skills. It was longer and the trail is not as pronounced. There is much more bouldering and scrambling on Wilson than there was on Mummy. I could add more, but this should help. Feel free to reach out to me via email, yohopl@hotmail.com or on messenger if you’d like more information regarding Wilson or any other hike. 🙂