Judy's HIke no. 5: Cornerstone 2

Yesterday I chose to walk around the lake in Cornerstone Park. I am back in physical therapy and hoped that my legs would do the job. My back has some issues that picked up during the walk, and that along with cranky legs made the walk less than enjoyable.

But that's me. And that's now. I'm just not in top shape. It's a pleasant walk, great for families. You can stick to all concrete and bring the scooter or bike.

These are trying times, to say the least. I am ordering groceries to pick up, rather than going into stores. I have been going through Starbucks drive-throughs not only for Very Berry Hibiscus drinks (and lattes and bagels) but also to be able to say a few words to a real human. Some people are more casual, and I worry about that.

The basketball court was busy. Maybe none of the people there have the infection. Maybe. I wouldn't want to take the chance.

This time I started around the lake going in the opposite direction from the last time. And this time I did make it all the way around.

For some reason, Map My Run didn't record my pace in the lower graph. I can tell you, though. I averaged less than two miles per hour, stopping three or four times to rest. The rest was more to ease the pain in my back than to rest my legs, but my legs are not top notch right now either.

Lots of people

I noticed that the water did not have so much trash in it!

Usually these areas have lots of plastic bags, food wrappers, and other trash in them. Some of that comes from trash in the streets that has washed down here. Some is from careless walkers. Fewer people are out in their cars, eating, now, so that may account for the cleanliness.

It was a nice day, good spring weather. There are many nice days here in the fall, winter, and spring. The walk around is almost level if you don't take the little hill. Suitable for whoever can walk or ride in a wheelchair or on a bike.

Cornerstone Park, Henderson. 1.55 miles. Elevation gain: 34 feet.

Judy's Hike No. 4: Sunset Park 1

Well! Sunset Park is a large park in Las Vegas, not far from where I live. Like so many other places, it has many different trails. Today I walked around the lake. Just once. Very small hike but good enough for me, for now.

I started at the south end of the lake, near the parking lot, right about at the play area. Headed east, then north, and continued around the lake. I stopped to spin Pokestops (there are a LOT of them in this park), which accounts for the uneven pace. I was also walking with daughter Elaine, and was not paying attention to whether we stopped or not to discuss something.

As I have been to this park many times and because I was walking with someone else, I forgot to take photos to demonstrate what it's like. However, you can get a little bit of an idea:

I took this photo some months ago, playing with my photo sphere. You can see the upside down lake in the sphere, get some feel for the place.

We saw this heron in the tree, keeping an eye on the lake. Herons sometimes make meals of baby ducks, among other things, and there are lots of ducks (and geese) here. No babies right now, however. But still, lots of food choices for an enterprising heron.

A small sample of the duck population. It's a pretty happy and active bunch, in spite of the fact that people unknowingly feed them bread at times. I hope the majority of their diet comes from elsewhere, like in that water there. Love those redheads.

The path around the lake is pretty flat. It is a very busy place. I expect to take some of the other paths here on future walks.

Sunset Park, Las Vegas. Total distance: 0.83 mile  Elevation gain: three feet.

Judy's Hike No. 3: Wetlands Park 1

The Clark County Wetlands Park is home to many trails, all flat and many paved. The trails skirt water and large clusters of trees as well as take us into areas that appear to be nothing but dirt. They highlight the challenges plants and animals face in a desert, but remember: Las Vegas means "The Meadows".  It was not initially a desert and the wetlands park is one place where you can start to see the water coming back. It has been the goal of Clark County's parks department to open up waterways that have been covered and paved for years, where possible.  Where the water comes back so do the plants and animals.

I have found that walking does not improve the stiffness and pain in my left knee, unfortunately. It doesn't seem to make it worse, however, at least not after a day or so. Yesterday I was feeling reasonably spry and ready to do another simple one-miler. So that is what I did.

I began at the restroom building and turned left, taking the dirt trail north. I found my way to the little lake, where I hung out to watch fish and turtles for a bit. Although there were many cars in the parking lot, I only encountered two people during this short hike. I had the little lake to myself.

Many feet

Note the orange fish. Carp? Koi?

I watched a turtle swim to a rock and climb up.

I wish I had reversed my route so that this water were at the end rather than the beginning of the hike.

From the lake I continued in a northerly direction, staying on dirt paths until I was well over halfway.

The dirt changed color from time to time. There is a lot of iron in these parts.

Spiky plants discourage animals. Frenchman Mountain lurks in the distance, a familiar sight to Henderson residents.

Trees have interesting ways of propagating. 

I finally wound my way back, checking my MapMyRun app to keep track of where I was. There are benches here and there on these trails, allowing a place to relax and reflect.

I stayed on the concrete to the end. A short hike but I wasn't up for much more. My pace varied but I didn't stop much, except at the lake.

Clark County Wetlands Park 1.0 mile, elevation gain 16 ft.

Judy's Hike No. 2: Cornerstone Park 1

We are already behind so I feel no need to push for big miles. I'm a bit off my feed, anyway. Not my feed, actually, but my fitness level. I am doing well in Aqua classes ("Aquafit", "Rapid Liquid Cardio") and surviving mind-body classes ("Healthy Back", "Mat Pilates"), but I'm not back to comfortable walking. Today's hike, then, was in Cornerstone Park, which is in my backyard.

Cornerstone Park is a relatively new park in Henderson, NV, that is not yet complete. It features a lake that was formerly a quarry, and a path around the lake, plus picnicking areas and grassy areas where various teams practice at times. The main path around is concrete, but there are offshoots that can be chosen instead at some points on the route. The offshoots are gravel or dirt. I tend to prefer these areas because I prefer dirt.

Today I started in the parking lot of my apartment complex and walked through a railroad tunnel and into the park, using one of the offshoot dirt paths, up to one of the informational signs ("mining" - but today it was part of a storywalk; read about storywalk at http://www.flls.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Storywalk-Kit-Resources.pdf. Apparently the library needed another frame for its current story).  I turned around and used the concrete path all the way back to the tunnel and home again.

You can see from the graph at the bottom ("pace") that I stopped frequently. I spun pokestops and caught pokemon, which slowed me down. I also watched the birds in the lake. Especially the Redhead Ducks. They are too darned cute.  The map above shows that I only went a small part of the way around the lake and then returned. The full distance around, using the concrete path and not including the path up to the lake, is about 1.2 miles. So my total mileage was almost the equivalent of one time around.

The dirt path I followed for part of the way

There are benches here and there.

The park is popular with families. Kids can ride scooters and bikes and runners meet there to clock miles. Wildlife like it, too. Best time for wildlife is early morning or late afternoon, when the sun casts a golden light over everything.  You can see more photographs of Cornerstone here.

Cornerstone Park, Henderson, NV. 1.12 miles, 22 feet elevation gain.

Judy's Hike no. 1: Whitney Mesa 1

Today I was near Whitney Mesa, so decided to stop in and get a tiny hike in. I was wearing crocs and my legs were feeling not too bad so I figured I could do some small thing.

Whitney Mesa has several trails.  That's why I named this post Whitney Mesa 1. There will be others! This one started in the park. I didn't go far, just up the hill a bit, then back in a loop to the car:

It's a walk that is suitable for children, strollers, wheelchairs, everyone. Dogs. It's easy, a mild rise in elevation (see chart above). And it goes on much further. But I didn't. Here is how it looks:

Where I began.

The interesting rock formations common to Whitney Mesa.

Here is where I stopped and turned around.

On the way down, I passed a man with a dog.

One of the play structures in the park.

It was a pleasant day, in the low 60s. My knee started to bother me by the time I got to the turn in the path, and I chose to return from there.  Whitney Mesa Park, Henderson, NV. Total distance: 0.53 miles. Elevation gain: 22 feet.

And so we begin

My co-author and daughter, Mary, suggested that we start a blog about hiking in Nevada and Colorado. We each do one hike per week for 52 weeks per year. We are already starting late!

I am a 74-year-old grandmother, former city planner, mother of two daughters, grandmother of two grandsons and one granddaughter (and several grandcats and granddogs). I love to hike but have been struggling with arthritis and tightness, particularly tightness of the IT band, which has been limiting my movement for several months. I expect to start with very VERY small hikes and hope to expand as I feel more capable. As one who has never been a super athlete,  I have always appreciated information about small hikes, even when my legs felt better than they do now.  I therefore hope that some of you can gain something from our adventures, too.

Daughter Mary is going to be 42 this year. She has held a variety of jobs and is a high-energy, hardworking soul who loves to get outdoors when she can. She is more athletic than I am but is currently constrained by being the mother of a two-year-old daughter. She wants little Nelly to join her much of the time, so her hikes will be limited in scope as well. No weeklong mountain treks for either of us. Maybe later!

Check in on us to see how we are doing and to gain inspiration from our successes and from the efforts that don't quite get there.

Onward!