Left to right: Lynn Warren (photographer), Neal Wring, Eileen Lords-Mosse, Kris Raczkiewicz, Mike Tansey, and Bob McDermott pausing along the South Mountain National Trail at the top of Goat Hill, overlooking Phoenix below.
Hikers Enjoy First “A” Hike of the Season
Lynn Warren
The hiking club offers hikes at four levels of difficulty and challenge. “D” level hikes are the easiest, and at the other end of the scale are “A” hikes, which are longer, steeper, and generally more challenging. On Oct. 14, six hikers headed for South Mountain and completed a long loop of almost 15 miles with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. The hike began with a steep ascent toward Maricopa Peak, the highest point in the park, and then proceeded across to the National Trail, which follows the ridgeline and rewards hikers with impressive views of Phoenix and the surrounding valley. If outings like this strike your interest, the club offers hikes six days a week at four different levels. Visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Left to right: Clare Bangs, Lyman Gallup, Marilyn Reynolds, Kris Raczkiewicz, Eileen Lords-Mosse, Janice Embry, Neal Wring, and Lynn Warren (photographer), taking a short break at the new water feature in the White Tanks Mountain Regional Park.
Hikers Visit New Water Feature in the White Tanks
Kris Raczkiewicz
On Sept. 29, eight “B” hikers started at the Sun Valley Trailhead, a short distance west of Loop 303 on Bell Road, and hiked six miles on the relatively flat Maricopa Trail, to enter the White Tanks Regional Park near the old windmill. A new attraction has been added to the park, in the form of a small water feature with its own mini-windmill, near the old full-size windmill. This new feature is nicely done with lots of native materials, making it an inviting spot for hikers wanting to take a short break. The club offers hikes six days a week at four different levels, so visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Hikers posed in front of a saguaro skeleton are, from left to right, Dennis Zigmunt, Randy Hellman, Georgia Gamble, Dave Schuldt, Teri deMars, Leon Mosse, Barb Kripps, Art Solorio, Eileen Lords Mosse, Kris Raczkiewicz, Kay Thomas, and Sandy Mednick. (Photo by Dana Thomas)
The Perfect Hiking Weather
Dana Thomas
Mild temperatures and clear, blue skies on the first Tuesday D hike of the new hiking season had many hikers returning to the trail. This hike was in the nearby White Tank Mountains Regional Park. Volunteer hike leaders of the PebbleCreek Hiking Club offer hikes at four levels (A, B, C, and D) that differ in distance, elevation gain, and pace. See pchikers.org for more information.
Left to right: Lyman Gallup, Marilyn Reynolds, Neal Wring, Eileen Lords-Mosse, Clare Bangs, Kris Raczkiewicz, and Lynn Warren (photographer) pause along an extended Granite Mountain Loop trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve with an impressive segmented saguaro in the background.
Hikers Pay a Visit to Michelin Man II
Kris Raczkiewicz
Many people are familiar with a crested saguaro, which is a type of mutation in which arms of the saguaro are fused together. Another variation is a segmented (or jointed) saguaro, which has individual arms, but some arms have impressive bulges that resemble muscles. Hikers tend to call this type “Michelin Man” because of the similarity to some old tire commercials. Cave Creek Regional Park has a nice example that has fascinated hikers for years, but Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve has an even healthier specimen, which formed the background for the group photo on a recent 11-mile “B” hike on Sept. 30. Join the hiking club and experience the excitement of visiting interesting areas that you might not tend to visit on your own. The club offers hikes six days a week to many interesting places and features around the Valley and beyond. Visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.