Christmas on Camelback

Weather:  70°, sun

About this hike:  Didn't record my time to the summit.  Camelback Cholla trail is a chore to get to.  And then there's fighting to parallel park on Invergordon Rd.  Needless to say, I don't make Cholla a habit.  However, fighting crowds and traffic to see the annual Christmas tree on top was worth it.

I also took this beautiful panorama (below) looking northeast.  It encompasses the McDowells, Four Peaks, and Superstitions.  Best part was I used my work-issued iPhone's panorama feature.  Might be the only good part of iPhone, but the camera onboard is impressive.

Camelback Cholla - Third Time's a Charm

Weather:  100° and sunny, minimal breeze

Time to summit:  35 minutes

About this hike:  Did this one impulsively.  I chose not to take my Saturday morning Piestewa hike due to the day's record heat warning.  Today wasn't much better...in fact, a dust storm last night, fires to the north, and high heat makes for a bad air quality day.  But I'm stubborn.  The heat markedly slowed down what is otherwise a hike so easy I usually avoid it.  Regardless, it felt so good to get my boots back on Camelback Mountain and even better to enjoy that zen summit.  There were a few other diehards like myself on the trails.

Only my third time up Cholla, and I'm glad I took advantage of this Monday off work to go climb.  Until Echo re-opens...

Cholla & Baggage

Hike time:  40+ minutes to summit

Weather:  ~73°, sun to twilight

About this hike:  Went with a friend, and we couldn't get parking at Echo Canyon.  We found a spot on Invergordon Road and took the Cholla Trail up.  I hate that trail.  It's no challenge, and it's boring compared Echo.  He was tired and slow, and overall, I feel this hike is hardly worth mentioning.  Had a group of PHX EMTs in front of us mapping out the Cholla trail, as they expect increased traffic (and likely injuries/rescues!) in upcoming months.  Echo Canyon will close in January while a much overdo reconfiguration of the parking area is completed.  I hope this alleviates some of the cluster that is the current parking situation.