Left to right, front: Lynn Warren (photographer), Tom Wellman, Gary Bray; rear: Mark Frumkin, Steve Duncanson, Les Reister, Nancy Love, Jim Gillespie, Julie Walmsley and Clare Bangs sheltered from a cool breeze by a large overhang next to the double arches.
Lynn Warren
No, not the Golden Arches, but an interesting double stone arch accessed by a scenic hike off the Ben Avery Trail in the Eagletail Mountains (the impressive range visible from I-10). On December 4, ten B hikers headed west to exit 81 and then down the Harquahala Valley before turning west toward Courthouse Rock and the beginning of a scenic 11-mile meander including washes, jeep roads and open desert terrain with lunch in unusual double arches followed with close-up views of impressive petroglyphs near Indian Spring (which was dry). The club enjoys interesting hikes all around the valley, as well as overnight trips to more distant areas. The club meets in the Tuscany Ballroom on the third Thursday throughout the hiking season; visit the club’s website at pchikers.org for more information and pictures.
Pete Williams
On December 31, twelve hikers from the PebbleCreek Hiking Club concluded the year with a four mile hike on South Mountain. In the background is downtown Phoenix. It was an unusually clear day in the valley, which made for a very nice hike. Pictured (left to right) are Hal King, Nancy Love, Wayne Wills, Yuko Jamiolkowski, Glenn Wills, Carol Sanders, Roger Sanders, Kay Thomas, Jane Sweet, Carol Ohman and Linda Vaughn. Doug Jamiolkowski was the hike leader and photographer. The club does hikes at three levels – D hikes are about four miles (such as this one), C level hikes are usually five to eight miles, and B level hikes are nine to twelve miles. The club holds monthly meetings on the third Thursday of each month from September to April at 7:00 p.m. in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom. For more information about the club please visit our website at pchikers.org.
Left to right: Marilyn Reynolds, Sandy Mednick, Charlene Elijew, Len Jeffery (guest), Dana Thomas, Clare Bangs, Kay Thomas, Ann Rohlman, Diana Bedwell, Wayne Wills, Pete Williams, Lynn Warren (photographer) and Alex Elijew combined B and C hikers on the trail at Sunrise Mountain.
Lynn Warren
El Nino has presented the hiking club with a few challenges this winter, including some cancelled hikes, but on December 23 the hikers didn’t let the threat of rain keep them from completing hikes on Sunrise and West Wing Mountains in nearby Peoria. The B hikers did a longer, more aggressive hike and met up with the C group, who did a shorter version, for a combined pre-Christmas group photo. Interestingly, the C group got to dust off their rarely used rain gear since they experienced some light rain on Sunrise whereas the B group remained dry. The club hikes five days a week during the regular season (September through April) and explores new trails for the upcoming season during the summer; visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Pete Williams
On a bright clear day in December, six members of the PebbleCreek Hiking Club put in three hours of trail maintenance on the Mule Deer Trail in the White Tanks Regional Park. The club does trail maintenance about once a month at the park. It’s our way of giving back something to the parks where we do many hikes. Contributing to the effort on this day were (left to right) Lynn Warren, Gary Bray, Wayne Wills, Pete Williams, Jim O’Shea, Ann Rohlman and our park contact Warren Pippin. The club does hikes of various lengths Monday through Friday from late September until the first Friday in May. For more photos and information about the club, please visit the club’s website at pchikers.org.