Weather: 74ยบ, clouds & sun, gusty winds
Time: 31 minutes
About this Hike: It's Camelback Santa season! Hikers have defied City of Phoenix Parks & Rec's 'suggestion' that a Christmas tree not be placed atop Camelback Mountain. Since early last week the evergreen has adorned the summit, although this year there's no special use permit issued by the city. And to think, prior to last year, this tradition went on without the city interferring at all...
Anyway, before this post becomes political I'll digress. I knew parking would be a beast this weekend, hence why I waited for Sunday. I expected with the Cards playing at home and multiple other NFL games on this may serve to clear out the parking lot. No such luck.
When I arrived the gate wasn't down. Hikers in vehicles were circling like vultures. Whenever a parking space appeared they rushed toward it turn signal aflash (the official way to stake your claim on a not-yet-occupied parking space).
This just stresses me out. So I went to my 'secret spot.' A year ago I had to pretend I was interested in getting literature on the secret spot's spa in order to get my parking validated. This year the massive gates have gone missing from their parking garage. While I feel very uneasy doing this, I was able to park deep in the basement of the garage. All's well that ends well.
I honestly was surprised I posted 31 minutes to the top. There were a lot of other hikers on the trail and some bottlenecks.
After hanging the ornament I made (with earthy, biodegradable materials of course) I took a few pictures and began my descent. A fellow hiker commented on what 'good lines' I take noting that I appeared to be experienced on Echo Canyon...you might say that. We chatted for most of the trip down. He was from out of town, and I fully expected him to say he's from my hometown of Buffalo, NY. He was actually a Californian visiting Phoenix, but his wife's from Buffalo. I've said it many times before: There's always a Buffalo connection...
Time: 31 minutes
About this Hike: It's Camelback Santa season! Hikers have defied City of Phoenix Parks & Rec's 'suggestion' that a Christmas tree not be placed atop Camelback Mountain. Since early last week the evergreen has adorned the summit, although this year there's no special use permit issued by the city. And to think, prior to last year, this tradition went on without the city interferring at all...
Anyway, before this post becomes political I'll digress. I knew parking would be a beast this weekend, hence why I waited for Sunday. I expected with the Cards playing at home and multiple other NFL games on this may serve to clear out the parking lot. No such luck.
When I arrived the gate wasn't down. Hikers in vehicles were circling like vultures. Whenever a parking space appeared they rushed toward it turn signal aflash (the official way to stake your claim on a not-yet-occupied parking space).
This just stresses me out. So I went to my 'secret spot.' A year ago I had to pretend I was interested in getting literature on the secret spot's spa in order to get my parking validated. This year the massive gates have gone missing from their parking garage. While I feel very uneasy doing this, I was able to park deep in the basement of the garage. All's well that ends well.
I honestly was surprised I posted 31 minutes to the top. There were a lot of other hikers on the trail and some bottlenecks.
After hanging the ornament I made (with earthy, biodegradable materials of course) I took a few pictures and began my descent. A fellow hiker commented on what 'good lines' I take noting that I appeared to be experienced on Echo Canyon...you might say that. We chatted for most of the trip down. He was from out of town, and I fully expected him to say he's from my hometown of Buffalo, NY. He was actually a Californian visiting Phoenix, but his wife's from Buffalo. I've said it many times before: There's always a Buffalo connection...
No comments:
Post a Comment