Arizona 2014, Day 4: Piestewa Peak, 2.4 miles hiked

Camelback Mountain in the distance from Piestewa Peak.

A day after reveling in the majestic Grand Canyon, this hike was a bit of a shock to the system. I had stayed up late to watch the Australian Open the night before — an annual test of how much I value sleep — and had followed that up with a morning nap, a luxury of being on vacation during the tennis tournament. But that also left me with just the afternoon to hike before picking up Greg at work, since I was borrowing his car, at 5pm. Since I couldn’t go a day without hiking, I decided on Piestewa Peak, a mountain on the north side of Phoenix neighboring Camelback, which I had ascended two years prior.

From the trailhead, where I saw a shirtless, tattooed man with earbuds preparing to climb, I knew this hike would be an experience. As I hiked up the rough, rocky, unlevel trail in 70-plus degree weather and under a true Phoenix sun, I passed hordes of people. Some walked, some jogged; many had headphones, some had speakers blasting out music; one guy carried a pair of dumbbells, a woman stopped to update her Facebook status. Most people were so zoned in on their “workout,” there was no exchanging of pleasantries. This was quite the change from the serenity of the Grand Canyon a day earlier.

But I got used to the scene and enjoyed the climb, which was no walk in the park. The trail spiraled up the mountain, with the actual summit not coming into view until the last half mile or so. No four-handed rock scrambling was necessary, but it was steep. I worked up a pretty good sweat reaching the top. 

The difficulty of the climb made me appreciate everyone I saw doing it — people clearly way out of shape, guys who looked to be in their 80s, you name it. While the speakers loudly playing music were annoying and the hike lacked the feel of anything in the wilderness, I appreciate it for what it was. To me, the more people who exercise in the outdoors, the better. It might be a process (or a stretch), but I think such progress can and hopefully will lead to more people respecting such beautiful places and treating them better (less trash, more environmental consciousness). 

Of course, this is all very hard to know. Bottom line: I enjoyed another Arizona hike. And got a good workout in, of course.