A Surprise on the Hiking Trail
Front row: Dennis Zigmunt, Mary Hill, Nadine Eder, Fred Nix, Dave Schuldt. Back Row: Julian Bindler, Beverly Kim, Laurel Laax, Joe Clarkson, Ruth Bindler, Dana Thomas. Photographer: Kay Thomas
Early in March the PebbleCreek hikers delayed their early morning hike for an hour to give the rain a chance to clear. Although it was March, the weather was quite cold and while hiking in White Tank Regional Park, there was a fresh snowfall to view on the peaks! The hike had another surprise attached on a stretch of trail just outside the White Tank boundary on the Maricopa Trail. The group came upon a long abandoned 1955 Ford Fairlane, with a little of its robin egg blue color still visible. It was fun to be like teenagers again, piling into a car. If you enjoy unexpected findings on your adventures, come join the Hiking Club. Visit pchikers.org and come to a monthly meeting on the first Monday of the month.
Geriatric Hikers in Estrella Mountain Regional Park
Thirty-nine PebbleCreek hikers with combined ages totaling 2,748 years pause before embarking on a fun “geriatric hike” in Estrella Mountain Regional Park. (Photo by Lynn Warren)
Lynn Warren
Hiking club members often encounter younger hikers on the trail who are impressed with the fact that people several times their age are still able to hike, and hike well. In Skyline Park in early March, when the PebbleCreek group passed some younger hikers resting on a steep climb, it triggered a thought that it would be fun to sponsor a hike of our “older generation” in which ages of all the hikers would be added to see if we might reach a total like 1,500.
Well, the hike was scheduled for March 18 in Estrella Mountain Regional Park and 39 “B,” “C,” and “D” hikers (seven were 80 or older) turned out and the total of all ages was 2,748 years, with the average being 70.4 years. It was a scenic Saturday morning social hike, including colorful wildflowers, and of course there was a tailgate celebration after returning to Eagle’s Nest. Next year, the total years will likely be even higher since several hikers who would have made a nice contribution this year were unable to attend.
Join the Hiking Club and experience interesting areas that you might not visit on your own as well as participate in fun outings such as this; visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.