PebbleCreek Hiking Club members and guests at the annual winter picnic in front of the Fire Up Freedom Fire Truck in White Tanks Regional Park; photo by Lynn Warren.
Lynn Warren
On a mostly sunny January 23, 70 PebbleCreek Hiking Club members and guests enjoyed a unique winter picnic in nearby White Tanks Regional Park. Normally a fire truck carries water to put out fires but, for the picnic, the Fire Up Freedom Fire Truck was equipped with flaming grills to cook up brats, chicken, hamburgers and veggie burgers for hungry hikers. To earn the tasty picnic calories, hikers completed invigorating B, C and D level hikes prior to the picnic. The club hikes five days a week and meets on the third Thursday of the month and has hikes for most levels of fitness; visit the club website at pchikers.org for more information and photos.
Left to right: Julie Walmsley, Steve Duncanson, Les Reister, Jim Gillespie, Grant Sharp, Nancy Love, Bill Baxter and Lynn Warren (photographer) with Elephant Mountain and Indian Fortress (Hohokam archeological site) in the background.
Lynn Warren
Eight PebbleCreek B hikers enjoyed a sunny January 16 hiking the rugged Elephant Mountain loop in Spur Cross Ranch a few miles north of Cave Creek. Even though Jim Gillespie had hiked this trail before, this time was especially meaningful since he passed 2,000 miles on this hike; a distance achieved by only a handful of other club members. Jim, a lifelong hiker and past president of the club, has been a member of the club since 2006 and has hiked many interesting areas of the valley and surrounding areas. 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.