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Meetup Hiking Las Vegas / 52 Peak Club 

Newsletter - March 2016

It's prime hiking in Red Rock Canyon and
the Redbuds are blooming in Red Rock

Branch Whitney's Monthly Lecture Series on  
​Hiking / Rock Scrambling Safety Awareness
  
​Members - Friends - Family are Welcome!

Centennial Hills Library, Multipurpose Room 
Thursday, 3/24/16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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Can you guess the correct date when Meetup Hiking Las Vegas will reach 4,000 hikes?  
As of March 23rd Meetup Hiking Las Vegas has led 3,849 hikes.  Email Branch Whitney
no later than 3/31/2016, via BranchWhitney@HikingLasVegas.com your guess, the
date we will reach 4,000 hikes and win a free hiking guide book entitled, Hiking The Southwest

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Join Hiking Las Vegas Facebook (it's free) for the most up-to-date hiking information, photos from peak hikes, and hiking trivia. Over 1000 hikers like you are members and sharing their hiking experiences.

Have you "LIKED" the 52 Peak FAN Page yet?
​
Join the 52 Peak Club

​Hiking Safety

 Safety is our #1 priority on all hikes.  We need to be careful out there and watch out for each other.   If the route is icy, the hike will be cancelled.   If it's raining, the hike will be cancelled.  Hiking in high winds on a ridge is not fun; the hike will be cancelled for safety reasons.  The mountains aren't going anywhere.  

Stay with your Leader –Do not go off on your own.  Listen to your leader/ organizer!  Stay together.  Be safe!

Warm weather is rapidly approaching.  A concerning issue during warmer months is 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/email 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
Hikes will be offered in Lake Mead for only a limited time. These hikes are generally only offered a few months out of the year.  

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA
Prime season for Hiking in Red Rock Canyon is now. Wind is a concern this time of year and rain is also a possibility this time of year. 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 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 - 7:00 PM
​MARCH  2016

6:00 AM - 8:00 PM
APRIL - SEPTEMBER

Attention New Members

​Please 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
​- ALL MEMBERS PLEASE READ

WE NEED YOUR COOPERATION WITH THIS REQUEST:  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 Monthly Lecture Series on  
​Hiking / Rock Scrambling Safety Awareness   
​Members - Friends - Family are Welcome!

MARCH:  Centennial Hills Library, Multipurpose Room 
Thursday, 3/24/16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
APRIL:  Whitney Library, Concert Hall 
Wednesday, 4/13/16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
MAY:  Windmill Library, Auditorium 
Tuesday, 5/10/16 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 We have Hikes for all Fitness Levels

Looking for fitness hikes?
JACOB - FRANK - ROB

Looking for FAST paced hikes?
BRANCH -  JIMMY -  FRANK - KELLY - JASON

Looking for MODERATE paced hikes?
BRANCH - JIMMY - JASON - JOHN G. -  DAVID - DINORAH - OZ - MICHAEL - BRETT - CHRIS SOUTHWORTH –  BILL - KAREN  - SANDY         CHRIS HANNA  KELLY - JAN - KATHY - KEVIN - JACOB - SEAN

Looking for SLOW paced hikes?
IAN - DAVID -  JOHN G. - BILL – CHRIS SOUTHWORTH – BILL-  DINORAH - CHRIS HANNA -  KAREN - ROB & RICHARD - SARA - TED - SIN & SHARYAAR - MICHAEL - SEAN

Branch Whitney YouTube Videos:  
How to learn Class 1 to 4 and
​Step Ups for Mountain Climbing

​

Other Branch Whitney YouTube
Instructional & Motivational Videos:
​

Essential items to bring on a hike   

First, 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)
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 quarts (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. No need to wear Five Tens/Stealth Rubber in Charleston or Lake Mead.  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
Remember dress for the day not for the season, meaning, if it's a cold day, wear poly pro, a material that will wick any perspiration and keep you dry and warm and comfortable.  If it's a hot day, wear cotton, a material that will not dry quickly but keep you cool and comfortable when the wind blows.  

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
​Tweezers
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 Club Motivational Deck:  
Decks are $11

Hiking Las Vegas: The All-in-one Guide to Exploring Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, and Lake Mead
​
Available on Amazon

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!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL !!

​112. Glen Zieve (10/11/2015)

113. Andrew Cassano (2-13-2016)

114. Chris Hanna (2-13-2016)

​115. Jan Durant (2-14-2016)

​116. Susie Nichols (3-12-2016)

53er Plaque

Everyone receives a plaque when they become a 53er. 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 is not important for ordering 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 are suggested.

Meetup Hiking Las Vegas / 52 Peak Club Leadership Team

Below are our current 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. 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.

Congratulations to our Newest Leader:
​Sean Randles
52er***

If you are interested in becoming a leader please contact
Branch at Branchwhitney@hikinglasvegas.com.  You
​do not have to be a 53er.

Many thanks to all the Leaders who volunteer their time and energy and share the enthusiasm for hiking / rock scrambling  to help others achieve their goal of reaching all 52 peaks safely and earning the status of "53er."  

Be safe and "Get Carded" my friends! 

Branch Whitney