Weather: 85ยบ, sunny. Humidity from rain earlier this week made this hike feel a lot hotter!
Time: 30 minutes
About this Hike: It has been a long time since I've visited Piestewa. About a year ago, the city decided to shut down the main parking areas just ahead of prime hiking season. Once I got word of this, I was scared to even approach the area. Apparently trails themselves stayed open, but parking was sparse. I figured the residential streets in the area (which I typically favor for parking) would go the way of those around Camelback—No Parking signs everywhere. (Honestly, if I lived in one of those big, beautiful homes around Piestewa, I probably wouldn't want hikers parking on my street either!)
Since the closure and redevelopment of the parking lots, I've seen photos online of the final repaving projects. Is it possible the city is preparing to re-open Piestewa? I had to find out today...
It turns out most of the construction is done, although a barricade here and a digger over there aren't unheard of. Some of the parking lots are open. Some are still closed off. Parking on the residential streets was easy—there were few other cars. I could have actually parked in one of the main lots had I bothered to try.
I took the Alternate Summit trail both ways, hiking thru the less-busy saddle and eventually linking onto the main trail.
For the most part the trail wasn't overcrowded. I was surprised to be honest. Maybe it's still a little too hot? Or perhaps all the construction has scared other would-be hikers away?
The only place the trail bottle-necked was the last half-mile or so prior to the summit.
It was definitely amateur day out there, and here's just a sampling of what I encountered:
Time: 30 minutes
About this Hike: It has been a long time since I've visited Piestewa. About a year ago, the city decided to shut down the main parking areas just ahead of prime hiking season. Once I got word of this, I was scared to even approach the area. Apparently trails themselves stayed open, but parking was sparse. I figured the residential streets in the area (which I typically favor for parking) would go the way of those around Camelback—No Parking signs everywhere. (Honestly, if I lived in one of those big, beautiful homes around Piestewa, I probably wouldn't want hikers parking on my street either!)
Since the closure and redevelopment of the parking lots, I've seen photos online of the final repaving projects. Is it possible the city is preparing to re-open Piestewa? I had to find out today...
It turns out most of the construction is done, although a barricade here and a digger over there aren't unheard of. Some of the parking lots are open. Some are still closed off. Parking on the residential streets was easy—there were few other cars. I could have actually parked in one of the main lots had I bothered to try.
I took the Alternate Summit trail both ways, hiking thru the less-busy saddle and eventually linking onto the main trail.
For the most part the trail wasn't overcrowded. I was surprised to be honest. Maybe it's still a little too hot? Or perhaps all the construction has scared other would-be hikers away?
The only place the trail bottle-necked was the last half-mile or so prior to the summit.
It was definitely amateur day out there, and here's just a sampling of what I encountered:
- I began to pass a slower girl in front of me. As I approached she screamed, 'I don't wanna die!!!!' scaring the hell out of me. I think a bug landed on her?
- Speaking of bugs, as I started down the mountain something absolutely humongous, black, and buzzing loudly kept swarming around my head. I freaked out and took a swipe with my baseball cap, connecting solidly with said insect. It was no home run though; that only infuriated it, and it kept swarming. I didn't scream quite as loud as the aforementioned girl
No comments:
Post a Comment