The Challenge of Charleston Peak
/
Most people aren’t aware that the Spring Mountains, home to southern Nevada’s highest peak, are just 35 miles outside Las Vegas. The area is better known as Mount Charleston, and it’s typically 25–30 degrees cooler than the city. There’s even a reasonably respectable ski resort that operates during the winter months.
At 11,916 feet, Charleston Peak itself is accessible only by a long, strenuous hike. It’s not a technical climb, just a steep, rocky trail that seems to go on forever. The round trip is nearly 17 miles, with an elevation gain of about 4,855 feet. That makes it a pretty serious undertaking for an old guy like me. Nonetheless, I’ve been trying to summit it over the past month.
Why in the world, you might ask, would I want to do that? It’s a question I find myself asking somewhere around mile five.
Back in the Day
Our oldest son, Brennan, is an avid mountaineer. When we were younger and living in Colorado, our typical family outings during the summer involved camping and climbing one or more of Colorado’s 58 “14ers”—peaks higher than 14,000 feet.
Our daughter never particularly enjoyed the climbing part, and while our youngest son was always enthusiastic, he never embraced it quite like Brennan. Still, we climbed a bunch of those 14ers while the kids were growing up.
Eventually, though, they all went off to college and started their careers. Marcie and I went off to sail around the world. Somewhere along the way, we lost the opportunity to climb together again.
Over the years, Brennan continued to find peaks to “bag” on his own. He’s climbed almost all of Colorado’s high peaks, along with many of the high points in our various states.
Earlier this summer, he was lamenting that most of his climbing buddies were getting older and no longer wanted to tackle mountains with him. I suggested that maybe he and I could find a peak to climb together, just like the old days. I was pleasantly surprised when he readily agreed.
Training for the Challenge
Not wanting to embarrass myself too much—or slow him down too badly—I figured it would be a good idea to start training. I’ve stepped up my gym routine and increased our daily walks. And for some serious hiking at altitude, Charleston Peak seemed like the perfect place to begin.
My first attempt was a couple of weeks ago. I made it to within about half a mile of the summit before running out of time and legs. The long slog back to the car was tough, and by the time I finished, my legs were so rubbery that walking that last mile was a real struggle. According to my GPS, I covered just over 17 miles, with a total elevation gain of 4,396 feet.
My second attempt was this week. When I realized that, once again, I wasn’t going to make the summit before running out of time - I turned back. As a consolation prize, I managed to climb a nearby peak, Griffith Peak. It wasn’t Charleston, but a summit is a summit.
You can just make out the hiker about a third of the way up
The Next Challenge
Brennan and I have decided that we will take on Telescope Peak in Death Valley. It’s a 12–14-mile hike with an elevation gain of around 3,300 feet—still a reasonable challenge, but considerably less demanding than Charleston Peak. I may not be quite ready for Charleston, but hopefully Telescope Peak is within my reach.
Telescope Peak
We’ll see. And if it isn’t, there’s always Griffith Peak.