(Not) a Twisted Ankle at Camelback

Weather: 78º, sunny

Time: 30 minutes

About this Hike:  Echo Canyon parking was full this morning.  I got into the lot, circled, and decided to leave.  As I headed out the park rangers had just closed the gate.  I was headed to Piestewa.  But first, I thought to check my secret spot.  Last time, they had put gates up at this secret parking garage.  Today the gates weren't just open...they were gone!  Nervously, I parked at my secret spot and made the 10-minute trek back to the trailhead.  Plenty of parking spots were now open.  Seems it always goes this way....

I seriously question the time I posted this morning.  My S-Health app that I use for tracking workouts was acting up.  One of the settings flipped itself and the phone was talking to me all through my hike.  "Workout paused," followed by, "Workout resumed" accompanied me all the way up the mountain.  I know I had turned this setting off once before... It's embarassing when you're on the trail and your phone starts to speak.  I wanted to pitch my ancient Galaxy S5 off the mountain a few times (insurance claim and a new phone!?).

So anyway, when I reached the summit my phone actually said 29 minutes and change.  I don't believe it.  Usually I round down for a handicap (slow hikers, bottlenecks, etc.).  This time I rounded up.  If nothing else, I'm an honorary 30 & Under Club member....

Tomorrow I'm supposed to leave for my annual fall trip to Sedona.  The year 2017 has been fraught with challenges, sickness, injury, and disappointment—Both in my life and on a national scale (just watch the news:  shootings, mass fires, hurricanes).  So my vacation is already in jeopardy due to some difficult people who were supposed to accompany me.  And I thought to myself this morning, "If ever there's a day where I could get injured doing a big hike like C-Back, today's it..." 

I grazed the knobby bone on my right ankle against a rock.  Literally a light graze.  But it tore the thin skin in that area and cause some minor swelling.  Guys are huge wimps when it comes to injury/illness, and I'm far from an exception to this.  I'm walking on it fine, and the pain is intermittent now.  Hopefully this is just a scrape and I'll be posting on here about numerous Sedona hikes that I have planned for next week....