D'Andrea Trail & Mt. Union

Weather:  71º, sunny

About this Hike:  A few years ago after multiple failed attempts (Goodwin Fire and the like), I finally made it to Mt. Union between Prescott and Crown King.

This year I had my sights set on a trail in that same network called D'Andrea Trial.  I'd read about old mines along the trail, and being October, hoped for some fall color.

Having a new 4x4 truck, I was excited to try out it's capabilities once the Senator Highway turned to dirt.  While the roads serving this area have to be maintained to some extent since there are little communities in this part of Prescott National Forest, the dirt roads definitely are rough in places.

Arriving at the trailhead, parking was scarce—just as the forest service website said it would be.  A Subaru was in the best spot available.  But no matter, I found a great spot on the side of the road.  No sooner was the truck all parked, and I saw the 'No Parking:  Fire Lane' sign nailed to a tree.  A large cabin was directly across the road.  Lest they call a forest ranger, I started the truck up once again.

Eventually I shoehorned the truck into the only other space barely suitable to park a vehicle (legally).  And then we were on our way.

The old mine pops up quickly on the left as you ascend D'Andrea.  It is located on the upward side of a steep slope.  You have to descend a bit thru a ravine (dry the day I was there) and then up the other side.  The mine is full of water nearly to the brim.  In fact, water can be seen seeping out the hillside directly below the mine.

We continued on, and the trail quickly ended at the junction with several other trails.  We continued down an exposed ridge for a short distance, but wanting more fall color and ponderosa pines, we turned around.  We ended up on a trail that quickly led to the summit of Mt. Union.  Beautiful, but not new territory by any means.

We returned via D'Andrea.  I'll admit this ended up feeling like a 'been here, done this' sort of hike.  The temperature quickly plunged into the high 50's, and my raynauds disease quickly led to white fingers.  Time to head back into town for a beer.   

Piestewa's Open Again...

Weather:  83º, sunny

Time:  26.5 minutes

About this Hike:  It's official now. The media have gotten the press releases and everyone knows—Piestewa Peak is open for business.  While the temperatures are cooling down, it was still warm in the sun this morning.

The crowds are definitely returning to Piestewa.  There were plenty of parking spaces in the main preserve, but I opted for the sure-thing and parked on a residential street. 

Amateur hikers are back out from hiding, and there was lots of getting in each other's way, taking selfies, talking into wrists (Apple Watch?), etc. 

Admittedly my attitude soured as I continued dodging slow hikers and having people cross into my path.  I took the main trail up, but opted for the alternate summit side trail on the descent. Those ten or so minutes until the alternate trail dumped me back on Squaw Peak Drive were possibly the most blissful of this hike.  

Two Hikes in One Weekend!

Weather:  90º, sunny

Time:  35 minutes

About this Hike:  What have I done to deserve being so lucky as to hike both days this weekend?!  This is a great time of year for Sunday afternoon hikes because football season helps to clear out the trails. 

Parking was no problem this afternoon at Camelback.  The demographic on the mountain was a lot of older people and families with kids.  Some ASU students were thrown in the mix as well. 

It led to a lot of waiting for people to clear the trail or people generally nipping at my heels and making me uncomfortable.  I 'pulled over' many times to let other hikers pass.

My complaining aside, it was otherwise a nice hike today.  At the summit what appeared to be a gnat bit me, leaving a welt and considerable stinging.  It was almost like getting stung by a bee....very odd.

Still Some Construction, but Piestewa's Open!

Weather:  85º, sunny.  Humidity from rain earlier this week made this hike feel a lot hotter!

Time:  30 minutes

About this Hike:  It has been a long time since I've visited Piestewa.  About a year ago, the city decided to shut down the main parking areas just ahead of prime hiking season.  Once I got word of this, I was scared to even approach the area.  Apparently trails themselves stayed open, but parking was sparse.  I figured the residential streets in the area (which I typically favor for parking) would go the way of those around Camelback—No Parking signs everywhere.  (Honestly, if I lived in one of those big, beautiful homes around Piestewa, I probably wouldn't want hikers parking on my street either!) 

Since the closure and redevelopment of the parking lots, I've seen photos online of the final repaving projects.  Is it possible the city is preparing to re-open Piestewa?  I had to find out today...

It turns out most of the construction is done, although a barricade here and a digger over there aren't unheard of.  Some of the parking lots are open.  Some are still closed off.  Parking on the residential streets was easy—there were few other cars.  I could have actually parked in one of the main lots had I bothered to try.

I took the Alternate Summit trail both ways, hiking thru the less-busy saddle and eventually linking onto the main trail. 

For the most part the trail wasn't overcrowded.  I was surprised to be honest.  Maybe it's still a little too hot?  Or perhaps all the construction has scared other would-be hikers away? 

The only place the trail bottle-necked was the last half-mile or so prior to the summit. 

It was definitely amateur day out there, and here's just a sampling of what I encountered:

• I began to pass a slower girl in front of me.  As I approached she screamed, 'I don't wanna die!!!!' scaring the hell out of me.  I think a bug landed on her?  
• Speaking of bugs, as I started down the mountain something absolutely humongous, black, and buzzing loudly kept swarming around my head.  I freaked out and took a swipe with my baseball cap, connecting solidly with said insect.  It was no home run though; that only infuriated it, and it kept swarming.  I didn't scream quite as loud as the aforementioned girl

Anyway, I'm glad construction's finally wrapping up.  Diehards may remember two years ago that the Piestewa area was tore up for what I believe was waterline reconstruction?  It's about time to have a new and improved, functional Piestewa trailhead again.

Camel's Back in Season

Weather:  100º, sunny

Time:  34 minutes

About this Hike:  Now that Labor Day is past and summer is unoffically over (although Phoenix temperatures haven't gotten the memo yet), I wasn't sure what to expect at Camelback today.

Parking wasn't a problem.  Trails were a bit busy with what I believe were predominately tourists doing touristy things—complaining about how hard the hike is, cutting switchbacks and creating erosion, stopping at the railing to chat, and of course taking plenty of selfies. 

I took numerous water breaks.  While I was never overly hot (read my last post from July), my face often felt flushed.  I still managed an actual time of 36 minutes.  I rounded down by two minutes to account for water breaks, tourist delays, etc.

Four bottles of water proved to be just enough.  I like to always have at least one extra bottle on board in case I find someone in need.  One time a member of my hiking party (not myself) had failed to bring enough water, and a so-called water angel bailed us out.  I want to be prepared to pay it forward should the opportunity arise.

Speaking of water angels, I saw one in person today.  He had 'Need Water' written across his chest and I saw him help out a group of girls. 

Otherwise, this was a great 'shoulder season' hike.  It's still too hot for a lot of people, meaning you can get a decent parking space at Echo Canyon.  Soon the droves of tourists, ASU students, and fair-weather friends will descend on Camelback, making anything beyond a mid-week hike nearly impossible. 

Hot but Safe at Camelback

Weather:  103º, sunny

Time:  42 minutes

About this Hike:  I think I found my limit for summertime hikes at Camelback. The heat felt oppressive today.  Granted, I got started around 11 AM, which was later than I would like to have commenced.

That said, I took it very slow—hence posting a time to the summit of about 10 minutes longer than normal.  I drank a lot of electrolyte water.  I took plenty of rest breaks in what little shade I could find.

I never felt sick, dizzy, or any other distressing symptoms.  I was responsible with sunscreen and don't appear to have gotten burned.  But this was not a fun hike.  It was too hot. 

And while I enjoyed having the trail almost entirely to myself, the silence was eerie.  "What if I end up in distress up here?," and other such negative thoughts were going thru my head.

A few times I saw low-flying police choppers on patrol.  PHX PD knows many bad hiking statistics are created on days like today.

Thankfully the only stat I am is one of the thousand who hike Camelback, get back to their car, and go home.

It was a convenient day to hike today, but I'm not sure it was a good day for a hike.  

Independence Day Long Weekend & Echo Canyon

Weather:  95º, sunny

Time:  33 minutes

About this Hike:  What a great day to have off!  I know some people ended up having to work this post-Fourth Friday, but thankfully I was not one of them.

The Echo Canyon parking lot was fairly open when I arrived just after 9 this morning.   Temperatures were on the climb, but still safely below 100º. 

I enjoyed an uneventful and uncrowded climb to the summit.  At the top, the ugly smoke plume from the Gila 35 fire was plainly visible. 

I've frequented Camelback on and around the Fourth for many years, and today was no exception.