Saturday, July 13, 2019

Hot but Safe at Camelback

Weather:  103ยบ, sunny

Time:  42 minutes

About this Hike:  I think I found my limit for summertime hikes at Camelback. The heat felt oppressive today.  Granted, I got started around 11 AM, which was later than I would like to have commenced.

That said, I took it very slow—hence posting a time to the summit of about 10 minutes longer than normal.  I drank a lot of electrolyte water.  I took plenty of rest breaks in what little shade I could find.

I never felt sick, dizzy, or any other distressing symptoms.  I was responsible with sunscreen and don't appear to have gotten burned.  But this was not a fun hike.  It was too hot. 

And while I enjoyed having the trail almost entirely to myself, the silence was eerie.  "What if I end up in distress up here?," and other such negative thoughts were going thru my head.

A few times I saw low-flying police choppers on patrol.  PHX PD knows many bad hiking statistics are created on days like today.

Thankfully the only stat I am is one of the thousand who hike Camelback, get back to their car, and go home.

It was a convenient day to hike today, but I'm not sure it was a good day for a hike.  

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