Left to right: Ed Bobigian, Bill Halte, Pete Williams and Marilyn Reynolds enjoying a leisurely lunch on the colorful rocks in Black Canyon Wash at Bumble Bee.
Lynn Warren
On September 7, four PebbleCreek hikers continued to challenge the Arizona heat with a hike along slick rock and colorful rock formations in Black Canyon Wash at Bumble Bee. The club continued its record setting pace on this hike when Pete Williams passed 1,000 miles, only the fourth member to log this many miles in a single season (this was after passing 6,000 career miles a few weeks ago—he has to be the poster child for successful recovery from bypass surgery at the beginning of 2014). The club conducts interesting hikes five days a week for almost every level of fitness; meetings are held in the Tuscany Ballroom on the third Thursday of the month. Visit the club’s website at PCHIKERS.ORG for more information and pictures.
Pete Williams
The PebbleCreek Hiking Club did a hike on August 27 near Morristown that went by an abandoned mine to the top of Red Picacho Mountain. The rock formations in this area are very interesting. The six hikers included (left to right) Lynn Warren (photographer), Clare Bangs, Bill Halte, Marilyn Reynolds, Jim Gillespie and Pete Williams. The club does hikes all around the valley and as far as Prescott and Sedona. Club meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month in the Tuscany Falls Ballroom. Visit our website at pchikers.org for more photos and information about the club.
Pete Williams
On August 13, seven members of the PebbleCreek Hiking Club did a hike on the newest section of the Prescott Circle Trail. It was a nice change of pace to hike in cooler temperatures (80s) in the woods very close to Prescott. Hikers included (left to right) Jim Gillespie, Marilyn Reynolds, Clare Bangs, Bob McDermott, Pete Williams, Lynn Warren (photographer) and Bill Halte. The club does hikes several days a week at three levels – about four miles with some elevation gain (D level), five to seven miles with moderate elevation gain (C) and 8 plus miles with lots of elevation gain (B). For more information about the club please visit our website at pchikers.org.
Left to right: Ed Bobigian, Clare Bangs, Neal Wring, Bill Halte and Lynn Warren (photographer) at the beginning of the challenging Bill Hall Trail down the North Rim cliffs.
Lynn Warren
August is not the recommended time for backpacking in the Grand Canyon but reservations for campsites are almost guaranteed, so on August 19, five hikers left PebbleCreek shortly after noon and a short six hours later were setting up camp at Jacob Lake. Before dawn the next day, they were headed toward Monument Point, about as far west as you can drive on the North Rim, to begin a three day outing in the canyon. Carrying an extra three liters of water each to cache for the return trip, the team began the steep and challenging hike down the Bill Hall “shortcut” trail on the North Rim cliffs to the Esplanade far below on the way to two unlikely oases deep in the canyon: Thunder River (rumored to be Barry Goldwater’s favorite area in the canyon) and Deer Creek (site of early gold prospecting activity). Thunder River is an impressive scene since a huge volume of water gushes out of a sheer limestone cliff on its short but steep run to the Colorado River. Deer Creek, a four mile hike from Thunder River, is a beautiful, fast-flowing creek which has carved the Antelope Canyon-like Narrows through sandstone on its way to the Colorado, culminating in Deer Creek Falls, a popular stop for river rafters. This 28 mile adventure provided intimate views of the scenic inner canyon but is considered one of the most difficult loop hikes in the canyon, requiring almost 8,000 feet of vertical ascent. The hiking club enjoys local hikes all around the valley, as well as overnight trips to more distant areas, including a couple of backpacking adventures. 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.