Lynn Warren
Congratulations to Clare! On July 2, five PC hikers carried chilled champagne and orange juice on an exploratory hike through saguaros from the new Pima Trailhead in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Early in the hike, before it got too hot, the hikers paused along the Axle Grease Trail to toast a rare accomplishment. Clare Bangs, a former marathon runner, who began hiking and backpacking with the club in 2013, became only the fourth hiker in club history to reach 5,000 career miles—very impressive, but even more impressive since Clare had to take a short time off in 2017 for a knee replacement (obviously this didn’t slow him down much). Check back next year as Clare heads for 6,000. The club enjoys fun and sometimes adventurous hikes all around the valley and challenges the summer heat to explore new trails for the next season; visit the club’s website at pchikers.org for more information and pictures.