BOU AVENUE
Horn Toad Peak And Little Pyramid Peak
On 22 October 2015, I accompanied Dinah Kruze and Bob Spirko for a scramble up Horn Toad Peak and Little Pyramid Peak in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area.  Bob chose this short trip because we had to be back in Las Vegas early enough for a dinner engagement later that evening.  After four straight days of desert hiking, I was admittedly a bit weary and unenthusiastic as we started out from the Redstone trailhead.  We worked our way past some fascinating sandstone outcrops before crossing the flats to enter a gully northeast of Horn Toad Peak.  We soon abandoned the gully to grind up the steep east face, and it was not long before we were standing on the summit.

From the top of Horn Toad Peak, we dropped down to a saddle and continued southward toward Little Pyramid Peak.  There are some minor bumps along the ridge between Horn Toad Peak and Little Pyramid Peak, and while Dinah and Bob tried to avoid unnecessary elevation gain by traversing below the crests of these bumps, I chose to tag the tops of each one.  For some reason, I suddenly felt very energetic, but in tagging all these extra bumps, I fell behind and did not catch up to Dinah and Bob until just below the true summit of Little Pyramid Peak.  There is a short and mildly exposed Class 3 chute here, but we all climbed it without any trouble.  After tagging the summit of Little Pyramid Peak, we essentially backtracked the way we came except I did not bother to re-climb all the bumps along the way this time.  We returned to the trailhead without incident and made it back to Las Vegas with plenty of time to spare before dinner.

This concluded a fun week of hiking with Dinah and Bob in the Las Vegas area.  I want to thank them both for their generous hospitality in accommodating me in their condo during the week, and I hope that we can do this again in the future.

Be sure to check out Bob's trip report.
Is it "Horn Toad" or "Horny Toad"? Dinah heads toward Horn Toad Peak (left).
I wasn't feeling overly motivated at this point! Bob and Dinah head into a gully which grants easy access to Horn Toad Peak (right).
Just go straight up. Further up the gully, the way to the top of Horn Toad Peak becomes clearer.
Easy stuff, but it's still a grunt. And it's getting hot out! Dinah and Bob hike up the steep slope.
I started to perk up right about here... A few cliff bands have to be negotiated just before the summit.
Yep, we're sweating like pigs! Sonny, Bob and Dinah stand on the summit of Horn Toad Peak (994 metres).
That Anya is a hottie! The summit register was placed by a couple other web authors.  Unfortunately, their website has not been updated for a few years.
Looks like a few ups and downs along the way... Little Pyramid Peak to the south is the second objective of the day.
Very cool. Sentinel Peak is the colourful mountain to the west.
Very colourful landscape! Muddy Peak stands out on the horizon to the northwest.
Echo, echo, echo, echo... Echo Hills sit to the north across the highway from the trailhead.
I wonder how many virgins have climbed Virgin Peak... Overton Arm of Lake Mead is visible beyond the unnamed ridge in the foreground.  Virgin Peak is under clouds on the horizon.
I descended directly down this face from the summit. Dinah and Bob hike under the south face of Horn Toad Peak.
Could almost be considered another summit if it had a name. I'll call it "By-Pass Peak" 'cause everyone by-passes it! Dinah and Bob begin to traverse across the face of an unnamed bump between Horn Toad Peak and Little Pyramid Peak.
I mean the top of By-Pass Peak! Here is the view of Little Pyramid Peak (left) from the top of the unnamed bump.
Looks like it won't be an easy walk-up after all! This is the true summit of Little Pyramid Peak as seen from its false summit.
Sorry about the lens flare on your butt, Dinah! Dinah scrambles up the short Class 3 chute just below the summit.
Is that a tick on your neck, Dinah? Bob, Dinah and Sonny stand beside a huge cairn on the summit of Little Pyramid Peak (1027 metres).
Wow. Lake Mead looks beautiful here. Virgin Basin of Lake Mead is visible to the southeast along with Bonelli Peak (far left).
Both are superb scrambles, but the drive to get in there is not easy. Visible to the south are Booth Pinnacle (left) and Pyramid Peak (right).
If you look carefully, you can also spot Potosi Mountain on the horizon at far right.  You might even be able to spot your hotel in Vegas! Beyond colourful Sentinel Peak are Boulder Basin of Lake Mead and Hamblin Mountain (right).
Yeah, yeah. Beautiful. Muddy Peak (on horizon) is again the most recognizable mountain to the northwest.
Okay, time to head home! This is looking north to Horn Toad Peak (left) and Overton Arm of Lake Mead.
A lounge lizard, literally! A collared lizard relaxes in the shade of some bushes.
If we had more time, it would have been fun to play on some of these outcrops. Bob climbs on top of one of the sandstone outcrops near the trailhead.
These will be added to Bob's future guidebook, "Desert Nubs"! Total Distance:  6.6 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  4 hours 42 minutes
 Total Elevation Gain:  555 metres

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