Sunday, September 29, 2013

#11 Highest: Mt. Wrightson

#11 Highest Peak: Mt. Wrightson
Summit Elevation: 9,453 ft.
Trail Length: 10.6 miles
High Point: 9,453 ft.
Elevation Change: 4,053 ft.

29 September 2013

Finally another hike to check off the list! Mt. Wrighston is about an hour south of Tucson and I can't believe it has taken me over a year to hike it. This was one of the most beautiful hikes I've done in Arizona. I doubted my friend Mike when he told me Mt. Wrightson was even prettier than Mt. Lemmon, but today proved him correct. Mt. Wrightson is the only peak in the Tucson area that provides a true 360 degree view from the top (unlike Mt. Lemmon, where you still enjoy gorgeous views, but they're always at least partially obstructed). 

The hike up was pretty challenging - even for me! You gain over 4,000 feet in elevation in just 5 miles, so it's a steady and decently steep uphill climb the entire way up with no breaks. This trail provided my absolute favorite type of hiking: SWITCHBACKS! Nice, hard, long switchbacks! The people I met at the top told me they counted over 30, but that sounds low to me. The trail is wooded with tons of shade and pine trees. After about 2.5 miles, the trail opens up a little to give you your first really amazing view. The next 2 miles or so wind up the side of the mountain through fields of tiny yellow flowers. This portion of the trail had been burned at some point, so you get to enjoy a beautiful view the whole way. But don't stop to take pictures just yet! It gets better and better as you keep climbing, so be patient!


Just before your final ascent, you walk through really thick, dense foliage that basically creates a 10-15 foot wall of trees and shrubs on either side of you. It's a little creepy because you can't see anything around you (except what is directly ahead), but it only lasts for about 5-10 minutes. The last half mile becomes pretty rocky, and you can finally see your final destination! 

The view from the top is incredible. Pictures and words just cannot do it justice. You can see Mexico to the south, Tucson and the Catalinas (and Mt. Lemmon) to the north, and even Picacho Peak waaay off in the distance. (Side note: did you know that "Picacho" means peak? So Peak Peak?). The view was just so much better than what I was expecting. Being so close to Tucson and Mexico, I expected pure desert - but there was green everywhere! It didn't exactly remind me of Flagstaff hiking (which everyone says looks just like Colorado), but it was similar. To sum up... this hike was the perfect combination of a good cardio workout with a huge reward at the summit. I'll be going back! 


 AND on my way down, I ran into a guy that was on his way up who said he had just seen a BEAR!!!! I obsessively looked for him for at least 30-45 minutes, but never saw him. This guy told me not to worry because brown bears aren't aggressive and they're used to seeing hikers. Apparently this mountain range is known for having a ton of bears. The guy said he was hiking once and there was a bear sitting on a tree branch right next to the trail, and the guy basically walked right underneath him! Cray.

MEXICO!








Tuesday, August 20, 2013

#4 Highest: Kendrick Peak

#4 Highest Peak: Kendrick Peak
Summit Elevation: 10,418 ft.
Trail Length: 7 miles
High Point: 10,418 ft.
Elevation Change: 2,718 ft.

18 August 2013

Talk about rolling with the punches... From start to finish, this day was an adventure. I decided to drive up to Flagstaff, hike Kendrick, and drive back all in one day. I left a little after 6 am and made really good time on the way up to Flag, getting there before 10 am. The directions I found online to the Kendrick Peak trail head ended up being completely ridiculous. First, I had to "go west on the north service road" off of my exit. Since there were no signs, I used the Sun as a guide. I drove all the way to the end of the service road until I ended up on private property. (In my head) that means people have shot guns and aren't afraid to use them, so I quickly turned around. Just when I thought I would have to completely back track and try another way or get directions from the nearest gas station, I saw a brown sign reading "Kendrick Peak - 13 mi." about 20-30 feet down a small dirt road. I wasn't expecting driving on a dirt road since my directions mentioned nothing of the sort, but it didn't look so bad... How wrong I was. Seriously, I might as well have been off-roading. It took me over 45 minutes to drive 13 miles, and I was terrified the entire time that I was going to get a flat tire or something. At one point, my car literally got stuck in a deceivingly deep puddle (took me about 5 minutes to maneuver my way out). 

When I finally reached the trail head, I was already a little annoyed that I would be starting my hike an hour later than I planned - but that was the least of my worries. Literally as I was driving into the lot, the sky darkened and thunder came rolling in - along with lightning right behind the mountain I was about to climb. I had no idea what to do: I knew that I didn't want to hike in a thunderstorm, but there was no way in hell I was about to turn around and drive 4 hours back to Tucson without hiking a mountain. I didn't really have to think about my options for too long, because 10 seconds after I parked it started pouring rain. The rain turned into hail... which turned back into heavy rain... along with crazy thunder and lightning. In Tucson, storms last for 5-10 minutes, so I was expecting this to roll right over. Wrong again! I sat in my car for almost an hour, waiting out the storm and growing more and more annoyed. Finally, the rain died down a bit and I saw a young couple starting the trail. I jumped out of my car, put my poncho on, grabbed my pack, and followed. If I was going to get stuck on a mountain in the middle of the thunderstorm, at least I wouldn't be alone!



I passed that couple up really quick (they were snails) and hiked most of the way up alone, in 75 degree, sunny weather. The trail was beautiful; very similar to Humphrey's, but a fire in 2000 wiped out a bunch of trees along the trail, so you had a view of the surrounding mountains for a good portion of the hike. The thunder never let up, although it seemed to be getting farther away. The couple I first passed up commented that it was like the thunder was "serenading us." It was pretty intimidating, but the sunny skies made me hopeful... for an hour or so. As I neared the top, the skies became overcast once again and it started to lightly rain. About a quarter mile from the summit, there was a cute little cabin (not sure what it was formerly used for). Another hiking couple I met asked if I went inside, but I was alone at the time so hell no! It looked like the perfect place to be murdered...

At the very top of the peak there was a lookout tower, where 2 guys (one 70ish years old, the other probably younger than me) actually live on the weekends (2 other guys live there during the week). They have 2 cots, a bunch of snacks, radios... and that's about it! Looks like the most amazing job ever. I signed a book at the top and met the 3 other hikers who I'd end up facing the rest of my adventure with: a young-ish girl from the Czech Republic and an awesome young couple from Wisconsin, Jason and Tami. All 3 of them had been caught in the hailstorm on their way up and had been hanging out in the lookout tower for over an hour. I only stayed for about 10-15 minutes before we all decided to hike down together. From the top, we could see rainstorms in every single direction; I think I counted at least 5 distinct rain pockets surrounding us. The sky was completely gray and it was getting chilly. It seemed very unlikely we'd back it back down dry. Aside from the menacing storms around us, the view was gorgeous. We could see Humphrey's, with clouds covering its top, and a bunch of other mountains in the area. On a clear day, we would have been able to see the North Rim (like on the top of Humph). 



About 10 minutes into our hike down, it started pouring again. And I mean pouring. On the way up, I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear my poncho because it was only sprinkling, so I kept putting it on and taking it off, and I ended up ripping it right down the center. It was basically useless so I hiked in shorts and a long sleeve shirt on the way down, which were soaked and freezing cold almost immediately. The thunder got louder and louder and the lightning closer, until they both came at the exact same time, meaning they were directly overhead. I have never ever in my entire life been in a storm like this. It was so scary and lasted the entire hike (1 hr, 20 min) down. If I had been hiking alone, I guarantee I would have been sobbing the entire way down. Luckily, I had 2 awesome new friends from Wisconsin! We talked the entire way down about running, hiking, rafting trips they'd been on, etc., and it totally took my mind off the terrible storm we were in - until, of course, the thunder clapped so loud that I couldn't hear Jason, who was 2 feet away from me, or until the lightning was so bright that we felt like we would go blind. 

By the time we got back to our cars, we were all totally soaked and freezing cold. Luckily, I thought to bring extra clothes in my car, so I went into the outhouse to change - and it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done! My fingers were so cold that I could barely move them. Despite the less than ideal conditions, this hike was great. The views were beautiful, and hanging out in the lookout tower, listening to random facts and stories about the area from the 2 guys up there, was awesome. The weather actually ended up being the best part of the whole experience. Sure, it would have been easier and more enjoyable to hike in the sun, but hiking in the middle of a ridiculously bad thunderstorm was a challenge. And best of all, it helped me make 2 awesome new friends. Stuff like that makes for the best bonding opportunities! 




Monday, August 19, 2013

#1 Highest: Humphrey's Peak

#1 Highest Peak: Humphrey's Peak
Summit Elevation: 12,633 ft.
Trail Length: 9.2 miles
High Point: 12,633 ft.
Elevation Change: 3,333 ft.

8 August 2013

The day after my amazing Grand Canyon hike, I headed back to Tucson - but first stopped in Flagstaff to hike Arizona's highest peak: Humphrey's. I luckily happened upon this hike the night before while Googling, and I'm so happy I did. This was a gorgeous hike from start to finish, and so completely different than the usual hikes I do in Tucson. Humphrey's is a series of long switchbacks through a forest of pine trees. After 3.8 miles you reach a saddle that connects to Weatherford Trail (which leads up to Agassiz Peak, right next to Humph). The next mile up to the summit is a very steep climb along a treeless, very rocky ridge. The rocks (boulders, really) are a little difficult to climb on and you really have to pay attention to your footing. If you're afraid of heights, either don't do this hike or don't look down! It can get pretty windy up there and there are times where you're really close to the edge of the cliff. Good thing I love heights. :) 

There are several false summits so, at times, it feels like you'll never get there. But when you do reach the summit, the view is breathtaking and it feels like you're on the top of the world. You can see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which I was told is like 150 miles away, so that was incredible. You also get amazing views of all of the surrounding peaks (Kendrick included) and the town of Sedona. It was pretty cold up there (50 degrees!) and windy, so I only hung out for about 10 minutes before heading back down. 

Gorgeous hike; would do it again in a heartbeat. 





#1 Deepest: Grand Canyon

#1 Deepest Canyon: Grand Canyon
Canyon Depth: 4,460 ft.
Trail Length: 16 miles
Low Point: 2,800 ft.
Elevation Change: 4,460 ft.

7 August 2013

Happy birthday to me!! Turning 24 sucks, but hiking the Grand Canyon makes it okay. I've hiking the Grand Canyon once before (2 years ago) but it never ceases to amaze me. This time around, the colors were completely different; there was way more green than my last trip, and the rocks had kind of a purple-mauve color. As I hiked down the South Kaibob trail to the river, it was pretty overcast, which made the rocks look even more beautiful. My first glimpse of the Colorado River really surprised me: it was totally brown!! (Light brown). Last time I hiked, the river was bright blue and I saw a ton of people rafting. I'm assuming that the rain the day(s) before caused some erosion and stirred up the river, resulting in the muddy-brown color. It sounds ugly, but it actually looked really cool against the green/blue/purple colors of the rock. 

I met a few cool characters on the hike. First, I met a father-son duo (Jack & Jack) who were attempting to "run" the Canyon. Jack Sr. was pretty intense (I'll put so much money on him being divorced) and Jack Jr. was around my age, pretty cute. They passed by me on the way down, running, but I ended up smoking them on the way up. I also met a 26 year old girl named Kasia from Poland. She was on this incredible road trip across America, hitting up every National Park I've ever heard of - and a ton I haven't heard of. She was cool at first, but then I started getting jealous of hearing about her road trip so I ditched her. On my way up Bright Angel, I hiked with this legit mountain man (full beard, hiking in sandals) who was really nice. 

To sum up, the Grand Canyon is f-ing amazing and hiking it is the only way to truly experience it. The colors change so drastically as you descend, and it's impossible to grasp the enormity and depth of the Canyon without making it all the way to the river. This hike absolutely MADE my birthday. 







INTRO

Disclaimer: Do not read this blog if a) you don't understand hiking, and b) you don't want to hate yourself for living in Illinois/any non-western state. 

Last week I stumbled upon the "AZ 20-20 Challenge," posted on a hiking website. The premise is simple: hike the 20 highest peaks and the 20 deepest canyons in Arizona. There's no time limit and you don't get a free t-shirt; it's just a personal challenge - and it sounds amazing. I looked at both lists and have only checked off 4 out of the total 40 hikes (and I'm not sure if I'm going to count Mt. Lemmon, since I've only hiked on it, not up from the very bottom). Since I'll be stuck in Tucson for at least the next 16 months, I figured this would be an awesome goal to get me through grad school. Instead of just randomly posting pictures on Facebook, I wanted a collection of all my hikes in one place: dates, descriptions, stories, pictures, etc. 

So here we go! I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy hiking :)