Left to right: Brett (Dreamland guide), Doug Bieker, Lynn Warren, Neal Wring, Tom O’Reilly, and Stacey Miller pausing for a photo before taking a lunch break in the shady heart of the Wave.
Hiking the Wave
Lynn Warren
The Wave is an amazing Arizona rock formation located in Coyote Buttes North near the Utah border. This bucket-list hiking and photographic attraction consists of layers of Navajo sandstone formed over millions of years and later thrust up and eroded to create the undulating striations seen in photographs featured in publications and arts and crafts shows. A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) permit, chosen by lottery, is required to hike this area and only 64 hikers per day (a few years ago, only 20 per day) are lucky enough to be awarded a permit. On July 1, five “B” hikers were lucky enough to win permits and enjoyed a scenic but challenging grand loop hike which included not only the Wave, but also Sand Dune Arch, Top Rock Arch and Melody Arch. Why not join the Hiking Club and enjoy more of the impressive Arizona out-of-doors with a great group; check the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
From left: Hike Leader Barb Kripps, Jim Gillespie, Chris Pelikan, Dennis Zigmunt, Kay Thomas, Mary Hill (photo by Dana Thomas)
Hikers Treated to a Cool July Morning
Dennis Zigmunt
After an evening thunderstorm, an unseasonably cool morning greeted these Thursday morning hikers at Estrella Mountain Regional Park. During the summer, the PebbleCreek Hiking Club schedules eight hikes per week, Monday through Saturday. For hiker safety in the summer heat, we go out early on C, D, and EZ level hikes. For information about the club, please visit our website at pchikers.org.
Left to right: Neal Wring, Doug Bieker, Kerry Walsh, Stacey Miller, Tom O’Reilly, Clare Bangs, Diana Bedwell, Dennis Zigmunt, Kris Raczkiewicz, and Lynn Warren (photographer) pausing along Estrella Foothills’ Up There Trail on the return to the high school.
Hiking in Estrella Foothills
Lynn Warren
Estrella Foothills is a nearby hiking area just a few miles south of PebbleCreek off Estrella Parkway (just east of Goodyear’s Estrella Foothills Community Park) and offers a variety of trails that can be combined in different combinations depending on the desired distance and elevation gain. On June 4, a mix of 10 “B,” “C,” and “D” hikers completed a relatively flat but scenic loop with an elevation gain of only 400 feet. The club hikes all around the valley and offers interesting hikes for almost every fitness level; visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Left to right: Tom O’Reilly, Kris Raczkiewicz, Doug Bieker, Clare Bangs, Rowena Stephenson, Stacey Miller, and Lynn Warren (photographer) pausing after a hydration and snack break along the Gadsden Trail in EMRP.
Hiking in the Heat
Lynn Warren
During the summer, the hiking club conducts close-in, shorter hikes to lessen exposure to our challenging hot conditions. On July 5, seven hardy “B” hikers enjoyed/endured an 8.5-mile loop hike in nearby Estrella Mountain Regional Park (EMRP), a short distance south of PebbleCreek. Although the hikers finished the hike around 9 a.m., the temperature was already around 95 degrees and the humidity around 30%, making for a very hot, steamy, but scenic hike. The club hikes six days a week all around the valley, even in the summer, and offers interesting hikes for almost every fitness level; visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Left to right: Clare Bangs, Kris Raczkiewicz, Lynn Warren (photographer), Neal Wring, Tom O’Reilly, and Stacey Miller taking a snack break on the summit of Blackjack, the highest point on the trails in Estrella Foothills.
Snacking on Blackjack Summit
Lynn Warren
On June 2, before the arrival of our typical monsoon weather, six “B” hikers completed a scenic 7-mile loop hike in Estrella Foothills, accessed from the high school parking lot off Estrella Parkway, a few miles south of PebbleCreek. Although club members have hiked this area many times, Neal, current club president, seemed especially proud to once again be on top of Blackjack, the highest point along the trails. The hiking club frequently visits interesting areas around the valley so why not join the club and enjoy more of the out-of-doors with a great group of hikers.
Kris’ Ale Team creating their Hiker’s Reward brew at OHSO Brewery, left to right: Mike Tansey, Stacey Miller, Brewmaster, Clare Bangs, Lynn Warren, Neal Wring, and Kris Raczkiewicz
Hikers Brew Ale Off Trail
Kris Raczkiewicz
When hikers hike they talk about beer, when hikers finish a hike they drink beer, when hikers have free time they learn how to brew beer! For a change of pace and to escape the summer heat, six PebbleCreek hikers participated in a brewing class at OHSO Brewery in Phoenix. During the four-hour, hands-on session, the hikers added and stirred 100 pounds of milled grain and then added a combination of hops, sugar, and yeast to prepare their brew for fermentation. Their resulting creation—a west coast IPA brewed with Simcoe, Centennial, and Citra Hops and appropriately named Hiker’s Reward by the group (Kris’ Ale Team)—was tapped and served to the public on July 3 at the brewery. Of course, the Ale Team was also there to enjoy their “Hiker’s Reward” following a morning hike.