Fletcher Canyon Trail - Mount Charleston

Okay, so this is my third or fourth straight posting involving a hike. Danielle and I went back up to Mount Charleston again on Saturday and knocked out a whopping 3 hikes! Two of them were the same two that I accomplished on Monday, so it wasn't too big of deal. But added all up, we hiked somewhere in the 5-7 mile range for the day, which isn't too shabby. The easy Sawmill Loop and the short (but not-so-easy) Robber's Roost capped the day after we got done with the Fletcher Canyon trail earlier in the day. We had gone about 3/4 of the way into Fletcher Canyon on our first trip a couple weeks ago, but darkness forced us back before we could get to the really interesting part of the trail (deep into the canyon). So all of the pictures below will be of the Fletcher trail, mostly at the end of it which was completely new to both of us.

The Fletcher trail gets pretty damn tricky the farther you get into it. It goes from being a trail to simply following an old dry creek bed in the bottom of the canyon. In fact, the "official" trail that is maintained by the forest service ends after only a mile or so, so all of the trail that goes into the canyon is technically "unofficial". Once the trail ended, there was a lot of "scrambling" up and around boulders, logs, etc. As you can see in some of the pics, its not the easiest of going, but the views from inside the canyon walls were definitely worth it!

The majority of the trail is anticipation of the canyon, and the mountain walls on either side of you slowly but surely close in on each other.

We actually discovered this moss covered cave on the way back, but it is found before you get to the canyon. Water literally drips from inside the cave ceiling allowing all of this moss to grow.

Here is looking back as soon as you start to enter the canyon. Behind me in the picture is the beginning of the canyon, which is full of trees and plant life until the end.

Okay, now the walls are starting to close in as the actual trail has ended. From here on out we're just scrambling up the dry creek bed, over boulders, logs and loose rocks.

The canyon walls have really squeezed us in, but at least its a much easier walk at this point.

The dog is checking out the canyon as well. It seemed that the tighter the canyon walls got, the easier the hiking was.....until the end!

Okay, here's close to the end of the line. This is a pretty cool little waterfall. You can see how its cut a big groove right into that boulder. Just to the right of this picture (to the right of the boulder) is a very little space that we had to crawl up to keep going. It was a tricky climb of about 8 feet......

....which, unfortunately, the dog was not able to make. The boulder on the right is the same as in the previous picture, just looking back and down. The little waterfall is to the right.

Here I am climbing up there. Did the dog take this picture?!?!

Once that 8ft. climb was accomplished, the canyon forked. This is Danielle standing under a boulder in the left fork. All of this is in a very tight area. Just to my left is the 8ft. drop and the dog waiting patiently. One of us had to stand here at all times making sure the dog didn't wander away. The left fork pretty much ends right there (unless you grapple over it).

The right fork went a little ways further. In this picture I have walked up the right fork as far as I can possibly go. This is looking back. Off in the distance you can see Danielle standing at the designated spot on top of the 8 ft. drop watching the dog (where I was standing while taking the previous picture).

And this is looking forward at the end of the fork. Without ropes and advanced climbing skills, this is the end of the road. That rock blocking any possible pathway up there is known as "obstacle rock".