Squaw Peak Hike

Sunday, November 28, 2010

This particular mountain had done me in during the summer months and I really didn't get very far so on this day I was determined I would tackle the beast and get to the top!

The terrain starts off rather smooth and soon it becomes a challenge.  Luckily for me my new hiking boots proved to me to not worry that they would be there for me assuring me sure footing and ankle support.

A lot of this trail is like walking on the points of rocks with few flat spots to place your foot so it is not an easy path to tackle.  But as you progress you will gain confidence in your footing and ability to tackle this type of terrain.

For me it meant keeping hydrated even though it was a rather cool day in the low 60's with a lot of wind.  For these types of temperatures it would be easy to think you wouldn't need as much hydration but I caution you to bring enough water or Gatorade to keep you well hydrated.  If you are one that requires an energy boost after an hour or so of hiking be sure to bring a snack to replenish that energy source. 

Slow and steady is the pace I chose on this day even though many people running/sprinting up the mountain passed us and made it look so easy.  I know that in order for me to be successful I had to pace myself as this is not an easy trail for most.  Lots of high step ups and rocky areas and I didn't want to fall or get injured in any way.

So my hiking partner Dan let me lead the way and told me right out the gate pace yourself you have a long way to go and he was right.  It's 1.2 miles to the summit of this mountain.

Some points of interest - this is the most popular hiking area in the United States.  There are between 4,000 to 10,000 hikers per week on this trail.  So it's always pretty busy you have to get there early to ensure a parking spot.  The Army Corp of Engineers helped create the trail and I must say all those steps - great job!  The Summit Trail is 1.2 Miles one way and the elevation climbs up to 2,608 feet from a starting elevation of 1,400 feet.  You will gain more than 1,200 feet in elevation on this hike.  This particular trail is rated Strenuous and Difficult.  I totally agree with this assessment!  

There are rest spots with benches along the way and I encourage you to take advantage of them and give your legs and feet a break.  The last few turns of the trail are probably the hardest with lots of little steps so you will feel like you have been on a stair climber just when you are running out of energy.  Then there is a massive boulder with crevices that you have to maneuver to actually reach the top.  The view that awaits you and the feeling of satisfaction knowing that you made it to the top is amazing.

Like I said before there are many people that hike this trail daily and some multiple times.  On this day we spoke to a very young man that was on his 4th trip up for the day.  He didn't have an ounce of fat on his body.  He was running in converse tennis shoes and was moving with the ease and agility of a cat leaping and jumping from one rock to another all the while carrying his gallon jug of water in one hand.  God Bless him!  Oh to be young again.  

This is definitely the most difficult hike for me to date and a great training site for preparing for the Canyon hike in March. 
Happy hiking everyone!

 

Telegraph Trail - South Mtn. Park

Sunday, November 7, 2010

After a few futile attempts to find the trailhead for this particular trail we found it on this day.  We could see the trail from the lookout on Saturday so we knew that there had to be a place to start on the South side of the mountain.  We researched it on the internet and found directions. 

The parking is limited and the lot was full with just one spot left - lucky for us.  The start of this trail is a really nice paved trail relatively flat with very little incline.  Don't let this fool you the real hike is ahead and it is not paved or flat.  There is a pretty steady incline with lots of steps UP to get your heartrate pumping. 

We were excited to see some paragliders taking off from a top of South Mountain.  They seemed to fly effortlessly like a bird.  They had a nice landing area at the bottom of the mountain and we watched them land and I must say they made look easy.  Even for someone like me that is very cautious about heights, it had me thinking that it could be a lot of fun to give this a try someday.  Overcoming our fears frees us and allows us to become who we are meant to be!

We really enjoyed this trail and it takes you up to the main road so we continued on up to the lookout point.  From the lookout point you can see to the North downtown Phoenix with the lovely brown cloud hanging over the valley.  To the South you can see Ahwatukee and the remaining farm land  that hasn't been taken over by developers.  Really great views from here.

When we were descending there were some Arizona Cowboys going up the mountain with their horses and little pack mule.  The little pack mule was so cute he knew the path that they were taking and caught up to his Cowboys quickly.

We never know what we will see when we are out on the trail but it's always better than anything we would have seen sitting at home watching the TV!  I encourage you to get out there and enjoy the wonderful trails that Arizona has to offer.  This was another great day of hiking and I'm happy to report once again that I'm even more in love with my new boots than I was yesterday. 

Kiwanis Trail Hike - South Mtn. Park

Saturday, November 6, 2010

First stop a trip to REI to get new hiking boots for me!  I've got to tell you don't skimp on a good pair of hiking boots they are the foundation of your body that takes the most abuse.  I have learned the hard way that you need to bite the bullet and make the investment.  I purchased a pair of Lowa hiking boots and they are great!  They have a nice high ankle support and it feels like I'm walking on air.  Plus my toes do not touch the end of the boot which is the main reason why I needed these new boots.  I couldn't wait to hit the trail.

I've hiked this trail many times however, I always discover something new each time I hike here.  They have added some very fine gravel almost sand quality to part of the flat trail which makes it seem like hiking on the beach.  We were surprised that not many hikers were hiking this particular trail as it is usually pretty popular but it was a pretty warm day and we were getting a little later start than we normally would.

This trail is popular for mtn. bikers, folks riding horses and hikers of all ages and a lot them bring their dogs with them. 

Rock Dam - Kiwanis Trail

We hiked all the way to the lookout point and would have gone further but forgot to bring an energy snack so we decided it would be best to just to hike back.  

All in all a very good hike and my feet/toes were not hurting so I was one happy hiker!!  I could tell a difference in the speed of my descent and my hiking partner commented on how much he saw my confidence improve when scaling the more rocky part of the trail.  So if you have been putting off the purchase of a really good pair of hiking boots they are well worth the investment.

Happy hiking! 

Tom's Thumb Hike - McDowell Mtn. Preserve - Scottsdale, AZ

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Driving out to this location looked a lot like we were headed to no mans land.  At some points of the road a 4 wheel drive would have been nice - but slow & steady we made it to the trail head just off of 128th & Dynamite.  Since my hiking partner used to rock climb on this "big rock" it was something he really wanted me to see.  The trail had changed it's path since his rock climbing days so it was a new adventure for both of us.  The hike starts out with a steady uphill grade right away and felt like switchbacks to me.  It did eventually level out to give us a break before the "real" switchbacks began.  The one thing that really struck me was the quietness of this area.  No traffic sounds, no sirens just quiet.  It was so peaceful and tranquil just the occasional crunching sounds of our boots along the trail.

We met a very nice hiker named Tim along the way and he assured us the path we were taking would get us to Tom's Thumb.  After some stories shared about how the valley has changed over the years and how so many hiking areas are being over taken by developers building homes we continued on our way.

We opted to take the Rock Climbers trail in order to get up close to Tom's Thumb and all was going well until bam - there we were at a dead end staring at these gigantic boulders with no trail to be seen.  We could see Tom's Thumb protruding just beyond these large rocks but how do we get there?  You guessed it climb over, in and around them.  Which is exactly what we did.  We did get past these obstacles and there it stood so majestically before us. What a great sight.  Here is this massive rock that when driving down the 101 you see as a small protrusion jutting out at the top of the mountain.  But seeing it up close is so unbelieveable making you feel so small standing next to it. 

Tom's Thumb

We sat there enjoying the quietness with the exception of an occasional birds wings flapping over head as they caught the draft of the breeze flying as if they were giving us a private show of their skill and trapese like flying.  It was quite entertaining. 

All the while I'm thinking do I have to climb over, through and around those boulders to get back?  But alas, no that was not the path to get back - there before us arrived a hiker on the trail that we should have taken so I was relieved to know my rock climbing skills for this hike were over.  Whew!

We took the proper trail back and discovered where we turned the wrong direction but it was an honest mistake as it was not clearly marked, again this was a Rock Climber's trail not a hiking trail that most hikers would tackle.

The hike down was a lot of steep down hill hiking.  Since I had really hurt my toes (lost 6 toenails) on a major hike about a month ago this was not much fun for me.  I slowly and painfully managed to make it all the way down.  Top of my priority list - NEW HIKING BOOTS that didn't hurt my toes. 

With the proper boots that I now have I would definitely do this hike again or take another trail at this location.

Hiking Shaw Butte

Saturday, October 30, 2010 - Shaw Butte - Phoenix, AZ

This trail is not for the faint of heart.  The trail is a mixture of smooth and rocky terrain.  The increase in elevation will definitely get your heart rate up quickly.  We opted to hike to both the tower locations which means lots of uphill hiking definitely what we need to work on with our upcoming hike down & back out of the Grand Canyon in March.  When we were hiking back down we saw some hang gliders driving their gear to the top the mountian.  Hmmmmm...could this be our new adventure to try in the future? 

The views of the city below are pretty breath taking.  We also saw some very cool petroglyphs on our descent which makes you wonder what these pictures are trying to tell us.





View of Phoenix





Petroglyphs



Another productive hike towards conditioning for the March Trip!!!