Back to the Camel!

Weather:  89°, humid, partly cloudy, RAIN

Time:  Not taken

About this hike:  Felt so good to be back at Camelback after being out of town the last 2 Saturdays.  I am recovering from a cold and decided I wouldn't even bother taking my time as I've been fatigued a lot lately.  Now I wish I would've.  While I made plenty of stops, once I got going the hike made me feel a lot better and I moved pretty quick.

My time at the summit was cut short by a rain shower. I knew it was coming as I could see the Valley to the east had a fine mist over it.  Rain didn't last long, but made the rocks incredibly slick going down.  Nothing I haven't experienced a few times before, but just the same I was having gory visions of a broken ankle. Gratefully I made it down ok; in fact the trail was dry and the sun back out by the time I reached the trailhead.

I had my old Skecher Punisher hiking boots on today.  Even though I replaced these back in March, I got it in my head that they were still good.  The soles are nice and cushy; the bottoms have very poor tread.  That made the slick rocks even more fun.  Rather than let myself be tempted to wear them again, they didn't go home with me.  (I trashed them--I don't condone littering!)

Near the bottom a guy and girl in front of me commented about a recent hike at Diamond Head in Honolulu, HI.  Totally random--exactly a week ago today I was climbing Diamond Head in Hawaii.  Was an awesome hike and one I'd go back to Honolulu just to do again!

With daytime highs only around >100, fall is here in the Valley.  Here's to many more hikes, crowded trails, and tourist season!

Not the view from Camelback...but as long as we're talking about
Diamond Head on Oahu...

Labor of Love

Weather:  97°, sunny, HOT

Time:  33.5 minutes

About this hike:  The crowd was as expected for a holiday. Parking was still plentiful. Have I mentioned how grateful I am to the City of Phoenix for 1) building the new Echo Canyon parking area and 2) not putting up parking meters?

Heat was rough today.  I definitely stopped more than expected to catch my breath and chug Powerade.

At the top I was summoned (just like on Saturday!) to be everyone's personal photographer.  I took some pix of one couple who insisted on returning the favor.  I've got some goofy shots of me on the west side of the Camelback summit looking toward Piestewa Peak.  None of them are worth posting on here.

Celebration of Free Parking

Weather:  90°, sunny, breezy, notably less humid

Time:  33 minutes

About this hike:  It's going to be a hot one today and yet the heat didn't get to me nearly as much this morning.  Goes to show that humidity really is the factor that wears me down, because today was a lot less humid than my past few previous hikes.

Despite the temps the mountain was fairly crowded.  While parking wasn't hard to come by, personal space on the trails was a challenge.  A lot of out-of-towners here for the Labor Day holiday I imagine.

Last night it was announced that City of Phoenix is dropping the parking meter proposal at the mountain parks/preserves.  I am glad I wrote my elected officials and glad that citizens rallied on this one.  Yes, parking is a nightmare during high season in the winter.  But shouldn't we as a city celebrate these points of pride that visitors and locals alike come out in droves to enjoy?

Camelback 5 Times in 8 Days

Weather:  87°, sunny and humid

Time:  31 minutes

About this hike:  ASU is back to school and today is only a called-for high of 97.  I expected a huge crowd and foolishly jumped on the very first parking spot I saw.  That was completely unnecessary as the crowd was surprisingly light for a Saturday.  I guess the walk from the main road parking area to the trailhead was a nice warm up and cool down--not that it's at all far.  Give it a few more months and I'll be glad to find a parking spot at all!

Lighter crowds made for a nice hike.  I could see a flooded golf course in Scottsdale, reminder of all the rain we had earlier in the week (and subsequent cooler temps!).

Rainy Reflections Atop Camelback

Weather:  80°, overcast, rain in the area, humid

Time:  32 minutes

About this hike:  Had a lot of rain overnight and throughout today.  I was fortunate to take advantage of a brief window of opportunity from 9:00am - noon.  The trails were surprisingly dry (just a few puddles) and the washes were dry as well.  Dark clouds enveloped the Valley to the north and east.  I got home just before noon--just in time for the next round of monsoon downpour to unleash.

While not crowded, it was far from deserted on the trails.  Bugs were a little nasty at the summit, as is expected after a rain.

I have had 4 great Camelback experiences this week during my "staycation" from work.  Tomorrow it's back to the office, but hopefully Saturday I'll be back at my mountain.

Cactus with a beautiful flower ring

Crazy monsoon clouds looking north toward Mummy Mountain

Just Missed Another TV Interview...

Weather:  88°, overcast and humid

Time:  31 minutes

About this hike:  Cooler and humid this morning--definitely helped improve my time by a few minutes.  There was rain last night as evidenced by mud and puddles.  The main trails were dry though.

I ended this hike just a few minutes too early.  Fox10 showed up and was interviewing the hikers right behind me.  I'm a devoted Ch. 10 fan and had to see which news anchor was doing the story. I just regret it wasn't me on camera telling my hiking tales.

This may be related to a flyer that was posted at the trailhead where the City of Phoenix is holding a public forum on adding parking meters.  I sure hope this gets struck down (again!).  I grabbed a copy of the flyer and plan to write the elected officials noted therein.  We'll see what comes of it.

Beautiful panorama looking north at Piestewa Pk., McDowells, & Four Peaks

Camelback

Weather:  92°, sunny, humid

Time:  34 minutes :-(

About this hike:  Was a typical summer Saturday morning--a little crowded but still plenty of parking.  The heat and a few slower hikers really dragged my time down.  It was mostly the heat, sorry to say.  Regardless, I never get bored of my favorite PHX mountain.