Weather: 95ยบ, very sunny
Time: 32 minutes
About this Hike: According to my records the last time I visited Camelback Echo Canyon was Presidents Day. As in, back in February.
My phone record 34 minutes and 44 seconds today. I am giving myself a handicap on the time due to a number of necessary quick hydration stops.
Admittedly my in-city mountain hikes of choice (Piestewa and Camelback) haven't been my highest Saturday priority anymore. I have a little bit of PTSD from the nearly shattered knee at Piestewa May 6, 2016. But I walked away from that fall relatively OK.
Much as I love a good hike, the thought of falling, getting injured, and not hiking again haunts me. Even after I meet my crappy insurance's high deductible, would an injury bankrupt me? These thoughts race through my mind and suddenly a hike doesn't sound so appealing anymore. Yeah, I've dealt with these feelings a lot lately.
But today I had a great opportunity to visit Camelback. Summertime heat drives away the crowds by mid-morning. I had it in my head that with The Valley's ever-growing population it was going to be crowded today. I drove my old gas-guzzling Xterra up there, ready to snatch any available parking space (I'm very particular where my Mazda gets parked). Good parking spots were abundant, and had I driven the Mazda I would've used about the half the gas. Oh well...it's only five miles each way.
So about this hike....Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Echo Canyon again. Honestly, the heat is a small price to pay for easy parking, less crowded trails, and a certain degree of solitude. There was one regular hiker in front of me who said it was his sixth time up the mountain today. I consider myself to be in decent shape, but after one summit and down at Camelback I feel like I accomplished a work and a half for the day. This older dude put me to shame.
Humming birds were abundant, and I nearly used a chuckwalla's crevice as a handhold. Thankfully I saw him in time, or he might not have been too happy with me. That was all the wildlife I saw today.
Despite some haze over the East Valley and McDowell Mountains to the north, the rest of the Central Phoenix was pretty clear today.
All in all an enjoyable, hot summertime hike.
Time: 32 minutes
About this Hike: According to my records the last time I visited Camelback Echo Canyon was Presidents Day. As in, back in February.
My phone record 34 minutes and 44 seconds today. I am giving myself a handicap on the time due to a number of necessary quick hydration stops.
Admittedly my in-city mountain hikes of choice (Piestewa and Camelback) haven't been my highest Saturday priority anymore. I have a little bit of PTSD from the nearly shattered knee at Piestewa May 6, 2016. But I walked away from that fall relatively OK.
Much as I love a good hike, the thought of falling, getting injured, and not hiking again haunts me. Even after I meet my crappy insurance's high deductible, would an injury bankrupt me? These thoughts race through my mind and suddenly a hike doesn't sound so appealing anymore. Yeah, I've dealt with these feelings a lot lately.
But today I had a great opportunity to visit Camelback. Summertime heat drives away the crowds by mid-morning. I had it in my head that with The Valley's ever-growing population it was going to be crowded today. I drove my old gas-guzzling Xterra up there, ready to snatch any available parking space (I'm very particular where my Mazda gets parked). Good parking spots were abundant, and had I driven the Mazda I would've used about the half the gas. Oh well...it's only five miles each way.
So about this hike....Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Echo Canyon again. Honestly, the heat is a small price to pay for easy parking, less crowded trails, and a certain degree of solitude. There was one regular hiker in front of me who said it was his sixth time up the mountain today. I consider myself to be in decent shape, but after one summit and down at Camelback I feel like I accomplished a work and a half for the day. This older dude put me to shame.
Humming birds were abundant, and I nearly used a chuckwalla's crevice as a handhold. Thankfully I saw him in time, or he might not have been too happy with me. That was all the wildlife I saw today.
Despite some haze over the East Valley and McDowell Mountains to the north, the rest of the Central Phoenix was pretty clear today.
All in all an enjoyable, hot summertime hike.
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