Left to right front: Jan Sherwood, Atsuko Arner, Joe Clarkson, Nadine Eder, Cheryl Healey; rear: Alex and Charlene Elijew, Diana Bedwell, Linda Schmillen, George Healey, Sandy Mednick, Jim Gillespie, Dave Schuldt, Linda Vaughn, Clare Bangs, Cory Hanson, Pete Williams, Art Arner, Wayne McKinney and Lynn Warren (photographer) along the Chuckwalla Trail.
Hikers enjoy wildflowers in Skyline Park
Lynn Warren
Buckeye’s nearby Skyline Park has great trails which can be combined in numerous ways to meet the distance and elevation desires of hikers. On February 20, twenty PC Hikers completed a relatively easy six-mile hike and enjoyed seeing nice clusters of Mexican Poppies along the Chuckwalla Trail, bringing back memories of the outstanding displays in 2016. So far, it looks like this year may also be great for wildflowers. The club hikes in many interesting areas around the valley, providing the opportunity to enjoy wildflowers, scenery and terrain a person might not experience as a solo hiker. Visit the club’s website at pchikers.org for more information and pictures.
Left to right: Reuben Boorman, Clare Bangs, Marilyn Reynolds and Lynn Warren (photographer) pausing along the trail to Windgate Pass.
Hikers encounter rare snow
Lynn Warren
The Hiking Club enjoys the great trails and scenery in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve but arriving to find that several trailheads are closed because of snow is almost unheard of. On February 25, four “B” hikers arrived at the Gateway Trailhead (east of Loop 101) to enjoy an interesting, ten-mile loop hike to Windgate Pass and Bell Pass and were informed that several trails and trailheads were closed because of snow received over the weekend. Fortunately for the hikers, the trail to Windgate Pass was open although the hikers found the trail a little wet in places and small patches of snow were scattered across the slopes at higher elevations. The group completed the hike and enjoyed seeing familiar landmarks such as Four Peaks covered in snow; of course, like kids, they also had to pause for a selfie with snow in the background (as well as throwing a few snowballs). The hiking club provides opportunities to experience many interesting areas around the valley; visit the club’s website at pchikers.org for more information and pictures.