Tracy came in last night and we had a fantastic dinner (our Valentine’s dinner to miss the madness tonight).  We played some cards, won a little, and hit the sack early.

This morning we got up and drove to Mt Charleston.  We wanted to hike the south loop to the summit, but it was closed.  We spoke to the ranger and was directed to try the north loop.  We started at Trail Canyon trailhead and hiked 6 miles to the ridge right before the summit.  It was getting late and the snow conditions weren’t great so we turned back 1400 below the summit (10,500 ft).  We made it back to the car as darkness set in.  A few pics below.

Today is Day 9 after going back to work.  My feelings are mixed; I’m excited to be back in the mix and in a role that can make a huge difference for the company, but I do miss my afternoon naps 🙂  This week was a fantastic week since we are in Vegas for our annual field readiness seminar.  It was the perfect time and place to reconnect with teammates and bounce ideas off of them.  A lot of new leaders really brought their passion and drove an incredible tone for the week.  Very exciting!  As with all trips to Vegas, I had to get out and enjoy the wonderful environment beyond the strip so I rented a car and gathered some friends for an early morning assault on Turtlehead peak.

Me, Nick, Pranshu, Erik, and Mark prior to sunrise on the trail

No, Mark is not photoshopped in – that is what it looks like 30 min from the strip.

Jim on the summit

2.5 miles and 2000 feet later we are on the summit.

 

The crew coming down with the peak rising behind them.

One last picture of the incredible canyon – for the Canadians, note Erik and my hats.

Tracy comes in later tonight and we are going to enjoy and early Valentines Day dinner and try our Mt Charleston tomorrow.