Meetup Hiking Las Vegas / 52 Peak Club
Newsletter - November 2016
Join the 52 Peak Club and starting earning cards.
Get into great shape, gain confidence and meet
a lot of fun people.
Join Hiking Las Vegas Facebook (it's free) for the
most up-to-date hiking information, photos from
peak hikes, and hiking trivia. Over 3000 hikers like
you are members and sharing their hiking
experiences.
Get into great shape, gain confidence and meet
a lot of fun people.
Join Hiking Las Vegas Facebook (it's free) for the
most up-to-date hiking information, photos from
peak hikes, and hiking trivia. Over 3000 hikers like
you are members and sharing their hiking
experiences.
Support the 52 Peak Club. How?
When you buy from Amazon they contribute to the 52 Peak Club
When you buy from Amazon they contribute to the 52 Peak Club
“Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.” ― Flavia Weedn
We lost three beloved members this year. Tyson lost his courageous battle with cancer in March. Sean and Melanie died in a tragic freak accident descending from Bridge Vista in May. All three were very similar in many ways. All were adventurous, inspirational, and compassionate. They were all leaders in their field, loved the outdoors, hiking / rock scrambling and the many friends that they met through Hiking Las Vegas/52 Peak Club.
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Hiking Safety - MUST READ Safety is our #1 priority on all hikes. We need to be careful out there. Watch out for each other. If the route is icy, the hike will be cancelled. If it's raining, the hike will be cancelled. Those mountains aren't going anywhere.
Recently there have been a few issues on hikes. Stay with the Leader –Do not go off own your own. Listen your leader/ organizer! Another issue during warmer months has hikers running out of water. Bring at least the amount of water suggested by your hike leader. If he/she does not make the suggestion - Ask before the hike! Running out of water when hiking is serious. It's not up to your hike leader to carry extra water for you. Las Vegas offers Year Round Hiking
LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Is it Cold or Raining in Red Rock? Hike Lake Mead! The cooler temperatures are not all bad – This is a great time of the year for hiking in Lake Mead. Earn your cards in Lake Mead now. These hikes are generally only offered a few months out of the year. RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA Hiking in Red Rock Canyon is almost in the prime time of year, as long as there is no threat of rain or snow. We've had a harsh rainy/snowy winter this year unlike the last few winters. The sandstone when wet in Red Rock Canyon will be brittle and very dangerous. CAUTION: DO NOT HIKE in Red Rock if the rock is wet. After a day or two of rain/snow in Red Rock Canyon area the rock needs to be able to dry before venturing out for a scrambling hike. ALWAYS TEST your hand and foot holds - more so after it has rained. RED ROCK CANYON IS OPEN FROM
6:00 AM - 5:00 PM THROUGH FEBRUARY 2017 Attention New MembersPlease READ the hike descriptions on the calendar BEFORE you sign up for a hike. As an example: There are several routes to Bridge mountain. Some of the routes are twice as difficult as the easiest route. Also note the Pace of the hike. You do not want to sign up for a hike that is too difficult for you and make the entire group wait on you. It's no fun for you or the group.
If you are new to hiking with the 52 Peak Club and need to work on your fitness level, start out with easier slower paced hikes. This can be determined by the following: ·Value of the card: Generally lower valued cards (2-4) are easier hikes than higher valued cards (10 - Ace). ·The pace of the hike: slow, moderate, fast. ·The route: Most peaks have numerous routes to them. The routes vary greatly in difficulty. · Sign up for any of the fitness hikes. Please DO NOT sign up for more than one hike that occurs at the same time on the same day. If you are signed up for a hike and something comes up – change your RSVP to NO ASAP. Easier Hikes to Start With: Calico Tanks Peak Kraft Mountain Turtlehead, Jr. from inside park White Rock Springs Peak Anniversary Narrows Peak Northshore Peak Fortification Hill Windy Peak from the backside |
Don't be deleted from
Meetup Hiking Las Vegas/52 Peak Club YOU MUST HAVE A FIRST AND LAST NAME - ALL MEMBERS PLEASE READ We have contacted each and every member with no first and or no last name. Some of you took over two months to respond, many did not respond at all. If you did not hear from us you need to go into your settings and change your email address or adjust your settings to add an email to receive emails from this group. We have deleted over 50 members in the last six months due to non compliance. We have given these members multiple chances to add their last name. We will be continuing this process as needed. Members of Meetup Hiking Las Vegas MUST have a FIRST and LAST NAME and a PHOTO OF YOUR FACE in your Meetup profile for safety reasons. Why? For safety reasons and it's impossible to keep track of people without a first and last name. Your name may be unique, but most are not. Our leaders appreciate knowing who they are hiking with. We really appreciate your cooperation with our "Safety First" request. Some members are very cooperative with this request and some members have been removed from Hiking Las Vegas / 52 Peak Club if they do not. Safety is always first in hiking and the 52 Peak Club! If all 2000+ members used nicknames, all 30 leaders would have to memorize twice the number of names – your nickname and your true name.
Here's how to add/change your name on Meetup: Watch the 30 second video. Branch Whitney's 11 month long Monthly Lecture Series on
Hiking / Rock Scrambling Safety Awareness was a success. Thank you to all that attended We have Hikes for all Fitness Levels
Looking for fitness hikes? JACOB - FRANK Looking for FAST paced hikes? BRANCH - JIMMY - FRANK - KELLY - JASON Looking for MODERATE paced hikes? BRANCH - JIMMY - JASON - JOHN G. - DAVID - DINORAH - OZ BRETT - KAREN - CHRIS HANNA - KELLY - KATHY Looking for SLOW paced hikes? DAVID - JOHN G. - DINORAH - CHRIS HANNA - KAREN BRETT - ROB & RICHARD - SARA - TED - SIN & SHARYAAR Branch Whitney YouTube Videos:
How to learn Class 1 to 4 and Step Ups for Mountain Climbing Don't forget to Clean your Bladder and Hose
How to Clean your bladder:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JELjrL_z5CA Don't forget your hose. How to clean your bladder hose:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYoQ27uVinU Other Branch Whitney YouTube
Instructional & Motivational Videos: |
Essential items to bring on a hikeFirst, determine the difficulty of the hike. You'll need to bring more items for a 12-mile cross-country hike than a one-mile trail hike. Common sense plays an important part. You don't want to bring too many items, because it adds weight and slows you down.
Easy Hikes Water (one quart - 1 liter) Running shoes or lightweight hiking boots Proper clothing (see panel below) Sunscreen Sunglasses Fanny pack This is all you need to bring, if you follow the number one safety rule: Always hike in a group of four or more. It's unlikely that you would get hurt on an easy hike, but if you did, two people in your group could go for help. The above rule applies if you stay on the trail, it's good weather, and you don't have any medical problems. Advanced Hikes Water -Three liters (more if it's hot). Food - Complex carbs are the best. Daypack - around 1,800 cu.in. Many daypacks are now hydration packs. Approach Shoes / Boots - Lightweight or middleweight. Red Rock is better in a lightweight shoe/ boot with sticky sole, called Stealth Rubber in catalogs. Mt. Charleston is better in a middleweight boot if hiking cross country, but it's personal preference. Remember, a pound on the feet is like five on the back. Proper clothing Sunscreen Hat Poncho- An inexpensive poncho weighs next to nothing and takes up little room. It will keep you warm in a rainstorm, not necessarily dry. It's the cold that will kill you, not the wet. Cellular Phone - Will not work everywhere, but worth a try. Extra Food - most of the time you will not need it, but when you do you'll be glad you have it. Five miles of rock scrambling to reach your car and little daylight left, you're going to need to keep your energy level up. Extra Clothing- it can turn cold fast in the mountains. Get chilled and you're in for problems. 30 degree temperature differences are not uncommon if hiking to a peak in Red Rock Canyon or Mt. Charleston. First Aid Supplies - again bring them if you know how to use them. . Pocket Knife - (Swiss Army Knife) useful in many situations. Fire Starter - this is material that burns easily. Matches - waterproof are best. If you can't find any, then put regular matches in a zip-lock bag. Small Flashlight - If you're doing advanced hikes sooner or later you'll run out of daylight. A flashlight can make the difference between making it back to the car or spending the night in the mountains. Sunglasses - protect your eyes both from the sun and brush. Clothing Clothing helps you stay dry and comfortable. How do you prevent becoming chilled? Wear layers of clothing. The secret to layering is combining the correct clothing in the proper order. Done correctly it traps air warmed by your body heat while wicking moisture away from your skin. The first layer (the one closest to your skin) will wick moisture away from your skin while trapping body heat. Any of the wicking fabrics found under the trade names Thermax or Coolmax work well. They come in different thickness. The colder the climate, the thicker the material you will want. The middle layer acts as insulation. Fleece sweats, polypro pullovers, or a long-sleeved flannel shirt are good choices. The middle layer can be more than one garment. The final layer protects from wind. A windbreaker is fine in Las Vegas, except during winter months in Mt. Charleston. Jackets made from GORE-TEX are recommended during winter. If you become hot, simply peel some of the layers. If you become cold, add layers. In the summer I hike in shorts. Get the kind that do not bind your leg when stepping up. I also like deep pockets. I bring a rain jacket when hiking at attitude (10,000 feet or above). It can double as a windbreaker. Women wear long pants, even in the summer, if you're rock scrambling. Scrub oak, found in all the canyons in Red Rock, will scratch your legs. You lose more heat from your head than any other part of your body. A Balaclava, sort of like a ski mask, will keep your head warm and is lightweight. In the summer a baseball hat is okay. First Aid Items you should have in a first aid kit: Triangular bandage Ace bandage Band-Aids Tape 1 inch roll Moleskin or Spiroflex (for blisters) Aspirin Sunscreen Walmart sells a decent first kid for less than $20. Shop and Help Support the 52 Peak Club
AMAZON: Buying via the Amazon link below or from any page on the Hiking Las Vegas Meetup site, Amazon will donate to our meetup group. You still get the same great Amazon price.
Click HERE to start shopping at Amazon. T-SHIRTS: $20 each. Email Kathy Kelbel if interested. Indicate the size and color.
52 Peak Limited Edition Deck:
Buy Now: Decks are $11 
Hiking Las Vegas: The All-in-one Guide to Exploring Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, and Lake Mead
Buy now on Amazon 
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Congratulations Newest 53ers!!
What is a 53er? A 52er who has climbed all 52 peaks to earn the title of 53er. They have climbed the equivalent of 8,000 flights of stairs and hiked over 300 miles! The following members have become 53ers since our last Newsletter. 117. Lana Lee LeSoleau (3-27-2016) 118. Majda Isrep (4-2-2016) 119. Ian Barlow (4-17-2016) 120. Kastis Cechavicius (5-22-2016) 121. Glenn Thiel (6-17-2016) 122. Jack Lembke (8-24-2016) 123. Kent McFeely (9-10-2016) 124. Sammy Yu (9-22-2016) 125. Bart Patterson (9-24-2016) 126. Pam Chen (10-8-2016) 127. Bonnie Hart (10-23-2016) 128. Rob Robinson (10-29-2016) 129. Daniel Thomas Smithson (10-30-2016) 130. Catherine Oh (11-6-2016) 131. Carl "Oz" Ramzy (11-6-2016) 132. Aaron Calvano (11/19/2016) 133. Jessica Nave-Blodgett (11-20-2016) 53er Plaque
Everyone receives a plaque when they become a 53er if you want one. It's free. We have two choices of plaques for new 53ers, the traditional, and the super cool plaque with card holder created by Christian Madsen (see photos). If you are close to finishing all 52 peaks, please email Kathy Kelbel four to five weeks prior for ordering purposes. Please provide the name you want on your plaque and the name of your last peak. The date of your last peak will not be on the plaque. We want you to have your plaque at the time you climb your 52nd peak.
We encourage you to save an easy Red Rock peak as your 52nd/final peak: Kraft Mtn., Calico Tank Pk, Turtlehead Jr., White Rock Springs Peak.
Meetup Hiking Las Vegas / 52 Peak Club Leadership Team Below are photos of our Leaders for Hiking Las Vegas Meetup / 52 Peak Club. They volunteer their time and their experience to hike with you in order that you make it to each peak safely and have a fun and memorable experience. Always thank your leader. Donations for hike leaders are never mandatory. If you would like to offer them donations, that is between you and that particular leader for that hike.
If you are interested in becoming a leader please contact Branch at [email protected]. You do not have to be a 53er. 
Thank you to all the Leaders who volunteer their time and energy to help others achieve their goal of reaching all 52 peaks safely and earning the status of "53er"
Get "Carded" my friends! Branch Whitney |
