Red Rock

Wilderness!

Red Rock National Conservation Area is about a 4.5 hour drive from our place. As my company was having a party to celebrate our accomplishments in 2014, we decided to make a bit of a bigger trip out of it and spend some time in Red Rock.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, only to find that the only campground in the park was completely full. The nearest camping option was a 20 minute drive away, away from Las Vegas, so we decided to go into town and find a hotel for the night.

On Sunday, we went sport climbing!

The view from the second pullout, Calico Hills

It had been a while since we had sport climbed, so it took a while to re-remember important lessons like trusting one's feet and not being afraid to fall.

We did several climbs at the Magic Bus, then headed towards the Black Corridor.

Aki rappelling

It was really nice to be in an area where there weren't cell phone towers on every summit. Views were relatively clear of human structures (other than the road, but the road was hard to see) and the colours of the rock was fantastic.

On Monday, I organized a short hike for some of my teammates. We decided to go to Ice Box Canyon in hopes of finding shelter from the heat (30C!), and it was fantastic.

Waterfall at the back of Ice Box Canyon

Towards the end of the trail, the rock gets steeper and steeper, so how far you go is really a question of how comfortable you feel (and whether you're willing to risk a plunge into the pools).

On our way back out of the canyon

Back in the heat!

Overall, I really enjoyed Red Rock, but not so much Las Vegas. We will be back in November to run the Rock n' Roll Marathon, and we plan to add a few days for climbing afterward.

http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/487275546/3101909