A Different Point of View

I figured I'd get this blog post completed before Olga. And, I can type at a relaxed pace, knowing she is attending a 3-hour class at massage school right now, so there is no chance she's going to be finishing up her post anytime soon. Sorry, Baby!

Of course, I'll let the talented writer divulge the details, if she so desires. I'll provide a possibly different perspective. Of course, if she doesn't read my post before posting her own, there is a good chance our words will mirror each other's. That just seems to be the way it happens with us...

A weekend in Vegas in a posh hotel/casino means a fun time of gambling for most. But, for Olga and I, it means finding the best places to go for a trail run. I purposefully chose a hotel on the western edge of town that was away from the Strip and tourists. But, the main requirement was quick access to the trails.

We ran at Red Rocks National Conservation Area, which I cannot recommend enough. We were on the trails by noon and spent an awesome 15 miles together. All I could think is, "why would I want to sit in a casino when I had a place like Red Rocks to spend my time?". That was Friday. Saturday morning, we headed to Kyle Canyon to complete a 18 mile loop to the top of Charleston Peak. Our plan was to head to the local ski area to get in a few afternoon turns after completing our run. Ha!!! Now, the "map" I had, and I use the term loosely, was just a print out with no elevation lines on it. So, all I had to go by was just a general idea of which direction the trail went. Our approach to the trailhead was one of surprise and delight, but mostly, excitement. Here are just a few of the pictures I took. Keep in mind, the trailhead was only 50 minutes from the far western edge of Las Vegas. Who would have thought this is what we would experience...

I admitted to Olga, that this place was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. What made it even more incredible was how close it was to Las Vegas. We never made it to the summit that day, because we eventually would enter the clouds and encounter heavy snow and wind in whiteout conditions. When the two guys we caught, whose tracks we had been following for almost four hours turned back, we continued on. They were in full-on Gore-Tex and carrying ice axes. Us? Trail racing flats (Fireblades), thin gloves, and carrying water bottles. At one point, the fluids in our bottles began to become slushy. Stupidity on our part? Maybe, but it's all relative to past experience and we both love the mountains, even when the conditions aren't ideal. Eventually, though, we would turn around within a 1/2 to 1 mile of the summit. We spent one more glorious day at Red Rocks before heading back to our homes. Las Vegas...? Who needs casinos? We sure didn't!