La Madre "The Mother" Mountain seems to watch over the Las Vegas Valley.
Occasionally, rather than the hectic hustle of an all day hike, I prefer to spend most of my time in the hills still and quiet. Sometimes more can happen when less is done. So I sat up on Hogback Ridge overlooking the La Madre Range and the entirety of Red Rock Canyon NCA for hours reading and waiting for nothing to happen. Then, something did.
A bit of Vegas beyond the Calico Rocks and Turtlehead Peak(left).
A view over the canyons.
A dignified bitch. She's getting old.
Utah Juniper allowing Turtlehead to Peak.
I heard it from behind. Having lived and explored in Montana for so long in the past, noises in the backcountry still quicken my heart. I suppose the fear of the Grizzly is just instinct, but having jumped up to see what was going, I quickly realized just how lucky I got!
What the hell is that, a Mountain Goat?
Nope, that's an Albino Bighorn Ram.
And of course he was in low light between the Sun and I. Still got a pretty good one I suppose.
Hogback Ridge facing the Las Vegas Valley.
Looks like a Barrel Cactus of fun.
Turtlehead Peak getting ready for the sunset.
Turtlehead peak sticking his head up to reach the days last light.
To score days such as these, one could assume nothing triumphant or mystical. It is frankly a moment so limited in time, that on a calendar of the universe it would not even begin to mark the smallest of events. However, through the average human pupil diameter of 11mm, one can assume that what they have just witnessed is so unique and so fleeting that the mark on the calendar of a human lifetime spans across the entirety of years.
Enjoy this timelapse I made during my time sitting around Hogback Ridge, Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas, Nevada. Music: Winter Waltz by toru-spicy.
End Desert Begin City
End City Begin Desert 
Great luck with the ram sighting. Really enjoyed the time lapse.
Thanks:-)
Awesome time lapse. Do you mt bike out there, or just hike? My husband loved mt biking out past red rock on the way to Blue Diamond when we lived there. Every time we go back to visit family, he is out there on his bike (or out on the trails out of Boulder City).
Thank you. I do mountain bike, mostly up there by Blue Diamond as well. There is another set of single track called The Cowboy Trails directly across the highway from Red Rock that I ride too. Inside of Red Rock you are limited to only dirt roads. Boulder City is intense, I’ve ridden there several times and it beats me up 🙂
Yes, my husband always told me he was going to give blood when he went to Boulder City.
This is great…what a treat to see the big horn rams…..
Very cool Matt.
Your time lapse really captured the choreography of nature!!! And to see an albino big horn ram is the icing on the cake 🙂 Absolutely beautiful!
Awesome blog! This has been one of my favorite posts. The Albino Ram is so sweet. I’ve spent a lot of time working/hiking in those valleys and ranges in central to southern Nevada and being able to see Bighorns is elusive in itself and always an awesome treat. That’s whats so cool about them, the live in the craziest terrains. Being able to see a white one, even better. It’s like a Desert Dall Sheep. Keep up the awesome work and photos.
I hand off the Very Inspiring Blog Award to you (if you care to accept…and I’m not the kind of person who is offended in the least if you don’t.) I just like your blog and thought I’d spotlight it since a lot of my family still lives in your area and probably would dig your blog.
I’d be happy to see it spotlighted. Thanks!
Found your blog from my sister Char. Super excited to find it since I’m a Vegas native and love everything about the desert! How cool that you saw that albino big horn!
Awesome! Thanks for reading. That Ram definitely turned my day around. 🙂
You know they say seeing an albino in their natural environment will bring you good luck. Awesome. These types of things make my day always. Glacier Nat’l Park – Grizzlies at your back door, eagles, goats, Bighorns, Moose in your alley…
Very, very cool.