Weather: 97° and sun
Time to summit: ~28 minutes
About this hike: Stop watch reset shortly after I started!! So the 28 minutes is an approximation, but close to accurate. This was a quiet, uneventful Saturday Piestewa/Squaw Peak climb.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
My Patriotic Duty - Piestewa on the Fourth
Weather: 105° and dark
Time to summit: ~40 minutes
About this hike: This was my Fourth of July climb to see fireworks. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded. I parked in a surrounding residential area, but probably could've nabbed a spot in the parking area directly in front of the Preserve's gates. Speaking of, these were shut, but hike-in access was available (trails stay open until 11; it's parking that closes at sunset).
Once at the summit I could see fireworks from all over the Valley. Scottsdale/PV had some nice ones, while Surprise, Glendale, and other West Valley cities could be seen off in the distance. Indian Steele Park in downtown Phoenix had a decent show as well.
Trouble with watching fireworks from a distance is the lack of sensory experience. They're small. They're drown out by city lights. You can't hear the booms and feel the reverb in your chest. You can't smell the gunpowder (and have ashes rain down into your eyes!).
Am I glad I did this hike on the Fourth once? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Not so sure. On the way down I met some interesting people whom I assisted by lighting the way with my headlamp. This scored me a ride back to my distant parking spot in a Jag XF. But that's another story...definitely a Fourth not to forget...
Time to summit: ~40 minutes
About this hike: This was my Fourth of July climb to see fireworks. Surprisingly it wasn't very crowded. I parked in a surrounding residential area, but probably could've nabbed a spot in the parking area directly in front of the Preserve's gates. Speaking of, these were shut, but hike-in access was available (trails stay open until 11; it's parking that closes at sunset).
Once at the summit I could see fireworks from all over the Valley. Scottsdale/PV had some nice ones, while Surprise, Glendale, and other West Valley cities could be seen off in the distance. Indian Steele Park in downtown Phoenix had a decent show as well.
Trouble with watching fireworks from a distance is the lack of sensory experience. They're small. They're drown out by city lights. You can't hear the booms and feel the reverb in your chest. You can't smell the gunpowder (and have ashes rain down into your eyes!).
Am I glad I did this hike on the Fourth once? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Not so sure. On the way down I met some interesting people whom I assisted by lighting the way with my headlamp. This scored me a ride back to my distant parking spot in a Jag XF. But that's another story...definitely a Fourth not to forget...
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| Indian Steele's Fireworks |
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| I park far away--making sure I'm legal :) |
Monday, July 1, 2013
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...
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...
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Saturday Morning Squaw/Piestewa Hike
Weather: 87°, overcast, slight breeze
Time to summit: 28 minutes
About this hike: Cool (relatively speaking), got a parking space right by the trailhead, not too crowded...Should've been a record time to the summit. Unfortunately my legs said otherwise, as I experienced quite a bit of fatigue today. Could it have been the sleeping pill I took last night? Didn't tie/beat 27 minutes...again.
Time to summit: 28 minutes
About this hike: Cool (relatively speaking), got a parking space right by the trailhead, not too crowded...Should've been a record time to the summit. Unfortunately my legs said otherwise, as I experienced quite a bit of fatigue today. Could it have been the sleeping pill I took last night? Didn't tie/beat 27 minutes...again.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Piestewa - Exhausted & Hot!
Weather: 95°, sunny, quickly rising temps
Time to summit: 31 minutes
About this hike: Experienced a lot of fatigue and a lot of stops to rest. This killed my time. Very empty for a Saturday. Otherwise uneventful
Time to summit: 31 minutes
About this hike: Experienced a lot of fatigue and a lot of stops to rest. This killed my time. Very empty for a Saturday. Otherwise uneventful
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Hot, Uneventful Saturday Piestewa Climb
Weather: 92°, sunny, quickly rising temps
Time to summit: 29 minutes
About this hike: Beat last Saturday's time by one lousy minute...but I'll take it. Speaking of last Saturday, Channel 12 never showed the interview I did right after my hike. I admit I was pretty gross looking (not clothed from the waist up), but I thought I gave a good interview for the camera. They couldn't even have the decency to put the video on azcentral.com.
Time to summit: 29 minutes
About this hike: Beat last Saturday's time by one lousy minute...but I'll take it. Speaking of last Saturday, Channel 12 never showed the interview I did right after my hike. I admit I was pretty gross looking (not clothed from the waist up), but I thought I gave a good interview for the camera. They couldn't even have the decency to put the video on azcentral.com.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Piestewa Peak On TV...
Weather: 92°, sunny, quickly rising temps
Time to Summit: 30 minutes
About this hike: First really hot hike of the season. It took me 30 minutes to the top with a number of rest stops. There was a rescue in progress when I got there, but the trail was still open. Got interviewed by Channel 12 as I was coming off the mountain. They asked me questions about the heat, how often I hike, what my records to the top are, what advice I'd give other hikers, etc.
Time to Summit: 30 minutes
About this hike: First really hot hike of the season. It took me 30 minutes to the top with a number of rest stops. There was a rescue in progress when I got there, but the trail was still open. Got interviewed by Channel 12 as I was coming off the mountain. They asked me questions about the heat, how often I hike, what my records to the top are, what advice I'd give other hikers, etc.
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