So about 2 weeks ago, my husband and I got cocky and decided to attempt the River Mountain Loop Trail (RMLT) in Las Vegas. This trail is said to be around 34 miles and makes a loop by Lake Mead, up to Boulder City, and then back down into Henderson which is where the Three Sisters are. The three sisters, also known as the three bitches are some pretty gargantuan hills to tackle on your bike.
Luckily, we had gone before and road the trail from Railroad Casino over the Three Sister down into Henderson and to our house, about 12 miles of the RMLT.
Well the day didn’t go as initially planned. We were going to get an early start and realized that my bike battery wasn’t fully charged, so we tooled around the house while it charged up. Finally, we started in the early afternoon. We thought to ourselves it isn’t really that hot yet here and we will have ice water in our backpacks so we started by heading down Lake Mead Parkway toward the lake on the trail. We had already rode this section as well and knew what to expect.
Everything was going pretty well other than I was overly warm. Look it’s a side effect of being a 48 year old woman…I always run hot anyways. So we got to area of the Lake Mead recreation area where the trail turns right and heads up towards Boulder City. When I say it heads up, I mean it heads UP! Seven miles of uphill cycling and I was whipped. I kept pushing myself to get to the Railroad Casino where I knew that the trip was pretty much downhill except for riding up the Three Sisters. About 2 miles out from Railroad Casino, my husband realizes I’m not really right in my head….or at least I’m not responding per my normal self….I’m in some sort of zone. Maybe it was because every time we got into a tunnel I would lay down on the ground to cool off? Luckily he talked me into riding with him down to Boulder Highway and calling an Uber. So I took the Uber home, picked up the truck and went back and got my husband and the bikes.
Several hours later, I realize that I had been on the verge of heat exhaustion. At least I had several symptoms of it. Thank goodness for my sweet and attentive husband and his forethought to get me off that trail! I joke now that I was seeing visions of my dead grandparents on that ride.
Look, I can be a bonehead sometimes. I get it. So no more long desert rides in the peak of daytime heat….I know, I know.
But let me tell you something else….whoever said that ride was 34 miles is a LIAR. We rode 24 miles that day and had not reached the place where we had started before and rode 12 miles home. We had at least 2 miles to go to get there…so all in all I’m guessing the River Mountain Loop trail is 38 miles.
Will I do it again? You bet I will….in October maybe, when it’s not so dang hot!