One Foot in Front of the Other

This week I hiked Piestewa (Squaw) Peak. I didn’t quite reach the summit, but it was within view (or would have been if the clouds weren’t in the way!). Regardless, it was something I hadn’t done before, took me way outside my comfort zone, and prepared me for my next venture when I hope to complete #71 on my list.

With a mug of day-old coffee, a banana and a water bottle I headed out into the cool, DARK, morning. Being able to just get up, throw on some sweats, tie my shoes, comb my hair, brush my teeth and head out the door was quite invigorating. I was right out there with rush hour traffic, but I wasn’t headed to work—it was a great feeling (although later I did eventually have to head to the office).

There are several trails in and around the Piestewa Peak area, but my hiking buddy, Chandy, and I hiked the Summit Trail:

Length: 1.2 miles (we hiked about .9 miles up—almost to the summit)

Elevation: 2,608 ft. – 1,400 ft. (hikers gain more than 1,200 feet in elevation on the trail)

Difficulty: Strenuous and difficult (this isn’t just me people—this is what the City of Phoenix site says!)

The morning was gorgeous, though cloudy and slightly misty. It was more dark than light when we started out and I was glad to be following an experienced hiker. I was also wondering if I should have brought my flashlight (when we first started out I could see the bobbing lights of other hikers up on the summit), but we were fine.

The cool breeze was absolutely refreshing (how often do you feel a “cool” breeze in Phoenix!?!), and the hike was great. The low-hanging clouds added to the ambiance and the peacefulness of the morning and it was beautiful.

Piestewa Peak is part of the Phoenix Mountain Preserves—watch out for the wildlife though. We didn’t see any, but possibilities include rattlesnakes, gila monster, horned lizard, chuckwalla, coyote, jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, ground squirrel, and kit fox. I think sometimes I’m surrounded by so much “city” that I forget that I do live in the desert.

I’ve never been a big hiker (or a hiker at all despite having lived in Montana and Colorado—big nature states), but this experience has started to change my way of thinking. It was a gorgeous morning, I spent quality time with a friend, I did something good for my health (and didn’t fall and make a fool of myself), rush hour traffic getting there wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, folks were super-friendly on the trail—all in all, it was a big success and a lot of fun!