Pit Bull Sundays
So for a while now I’ve wanted to get to the top of the peak in the back of this photo.
(Get posters, cards and prints of this image here.)
The name of the peak, I now know, is Turtlehead Peak. It’s tall, not really tall, but tall enough.
The easiest way to get to it, and easy is a relative term of course, is a 2.5 mile hike with 2000ft of ascent. 800ft of that ascent is in .4 miles. It has a steep part. The ascent, just so you know is from the other side of the mountain.
This last Sunday we, Erin, me, Stella and Roxy, made it to the top. On Monday we were all tired, and at least a little sore.
It’s one of those things that’s cool to be able say you’ve done, and it certainly provides a feeling of accomplishment having done it. It was, tough, quite tough. But certainly fun.
Next week I think we’ll do something easier though. Tough, but less tough.
Here’s the view from the top looking back towards this image. Las Vegas is in the background, through the haze.
So I’m a Bad Dog Owner…
Yeah, I’m a bad dog owner. We can just get over it now.
I always find it amusing when I go on hikes, and when I do Stella is almost always with me, and maybe Roxy and possibly “our” other dog Esther, and Erin also frequently if she’s available. I like going for hikes with Erin and/or the dogs. It seems to make them (okay, from here on out I’m just talking about the dogs, not Erin because that’s a whole other post) happy, they like to get out and they’re nice company.
Stella almost always gets to go. The two small dogs can’t always handle the heatt, or the cold, or the terrain if there is a lot of scrambling. Stella can and will do almost anything, and she just stays fairly nearby. No worries, no hassle, no fuss. Climbing up a 5 foot rock face, Stella has already done it before you get there, probably 3 different ways. She’s a great hiking dog and she loves it.
Now, legally, and I would never break the law of course, I’m supposed to have her leashed on all hikes within the state of Nevada. But really when it comes right down to it, if there ain’t a road nearby, what’s the point? It’s less work for me if she’s not, she’s happier, and she ain’t hurting anything (she does try to catch hares but that’s never going to happen because as fast as Stella is, the hares are easily twice her speed. Though she did go for some picnickers caviar on Xmas. Oops.)
Normally this isn’t much of an issue as we tend to hike out of the way areas, but sometimes our starting spots or an area we’re hiking has lots of tourists. These people tend to get a bit freaked. After all, this is a mean vicious pit bull off a leash. Ah well, they can just chill. Stella doesn’t get leashed unless absolutely necessary, and she does very well that way.
In the meantime, when we’re a mile or more from anywhere and there is a sign about leashing your dog, I’m just going to laugh, because really, that’s just ridiculous.
Not to mention, I usually don’t even have the leash with me or in the car, and I ain’t gonna stop walking for some silliness.
Nevada State Trail Marker
There are a lot of trails for hiking in Nevada. Many of them, I’m guessing, not “official”. “Official” meaning designated by the BLM or the Park Service or whichever agency owns that land. (86% of the land in Nevada is owned by the Federal Government.)
This leaves a lot of open land, that no one really deals with, and people like me and the lady like to hike. In such places, there are homemade trail markers.
Usually a tower of rocks. It’s highly unnatural looking, catches the eye, and is built from material all readily available.
And is very handy for not getting lost in areas which are pretty easy to get lost in. Thank you nice people.
Fear of Heights
My Boston Terrier, Roxy, has the last week or so been developing a fear of heights. So we’ve had to carry her down some rock scrambles.
It’s a new thing. We’re trying not to let it become permanent.
My Las Vegas
Las Vegas may be known as the land of The Strip and the 24-hour party, it’s not the Las Vegas I live in. I live a little bit in the desert, and more in the mountains.
And this is about a 15-minute drive from my house, plus about 45 minutes of walking, hard walking actually.
FYI, off the strip, this town shuts down by about 7pm, maybe 8. It’s kind of odd actually.
