Pass Mountain Trail

We hiked Pass Mountain Trail this week, a 7.1 mile trail around the base of the mountain in Usery Park.  We began in the same parking lot where the Wind Cave trail starts.

The total hike time was 2 hours and 30 minutes, we kept at a quick steady pace and didn't stop to rest. 


Since this trail is a loop, you can head either left or right... our favorite direction is to go right in a counter-clockwise direction.  When you go this way, you begin the hike with the least scenic and flat portion... and then hit the steepest part of the trail going up.  We prefer steep climbs upward to downward steep angles if we have the choice!

Thankfully, I remembered to bring my actual camera on this hike, as opposed to my cell phone camera which has captured the bleak photos for the last couple posts.

Example of the flat terrain at the beginning of the hike

As the trail begins to climb, we hardly noticed because of the surrounding beauty and hints of green from the recent rain.

Before we knew it, we were higher than we realized!  What a beautiful, overcast day!

The terrain became steeper, but we knew it would only last a short while before flattening out to circle the mountain on the north side... where you experience some of the most amazing and serene undisturbed desert views.  These views continue as the trail begins to wrap peacefully around the west side of the mountain.

Despite the narrow trail, some mountain bikers brave the rocky terrain and steep drop off.  We passed two bikers on our hike and one of them said it is his favorite trail.  It was his second time biking it that week!  Pass Mountain is less frequently traveled than Wind Cave, we passed about 8 other people on our hike.

The last part of the hike is a series of up and down hills and stretches of flat ground.  Both sides of the trail are populated with hundreds of saguaro, quite an amazing experience.

I think this trail would be perfect for out of town visitors looking for a lengthy hike through the desert terrain.

I also think Pass Mountain makes a great alternative to hiking the Wind Cave twice... the length of time for either option would be similar, but Pass Mountain is much more beautiful!  Don't get me wrong, I love the hiking the Wind Cave once, its the perfect length of time to squeeze into a busy day.

Desert Trail Rescue

For starters, there have been a couple changes to the calendar so make sure you check it out if you're planning on joining us :)  Even with all our careful planning ahead, things come up especially during this busy time of year!

We had some excitement on the Wind Cave trail today, it was our first experience with a rescue operation in action.  Thankfully the rescue did not involve anyone in our group.  It all started with a woman who twisted her knee on the way down the trail, I'd guess she still had 3/4 of the hike left so she was quite a ways up there.  She made the decision to call for help... little did she know that three hikers just a few minutes behind her were Sheriffs who could most likely have helped her down the mountain.  Well, by the looks of things, you would have thought there had been a massive accident involving fiery explosions, multiple wounded and possible hostages.  Sirens sounded, a medevac helicopter began circling, then two quick backpack-equipped men were the first to pass us on the trail.

Next came the group with the wheeled gurney... check it out!  Could the two first responders and two follow-up gurney guys not handle the job?  (not to mention the three Sheriffs already on the scene!)

Following this group were 2 or 3 more groups of rescuers.  Seriously, how many people does it take to bring one lady down the mountain?

The parking lot was the grand finale.  It was impossible to get a picture of all the emergency vehicles, at least 13 all together!  Unbelievable.  By chance, our vehicle was one of the only ones not blocked in by the madness.

Don't get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to know that in case of an actual emergency, help would be available!  We even reasoned that perhaps simple injuries like this one are great opportunities to train for more serious circumstances.  But holy smokes... if I had been that lady, I would have died of embarrassment (forget about the knee problem!).  After what we witnessed today, we all decided it might be better to slide down the mountain on our bottoms, or hobble hanging onto a friend, or call a husband to bring a wheelbarrow to cart us down... rather than be subjected to a rescue operation of such massive proportions unnecessarily.

100 Miles of Hiking

Siphon Draw was exhausting this morning on the way up!  But as usual, worth it for the views and sense of accomplishment.  Oh, then there was that little incident where we almost lost Lisa and Erica... glad that didn't end badly :)  lol!

Some of us are participating in the Arizona Centennial Celebration with Maricopa County's park system by hiking 100 miles between Nov. 1st and Jan. 30th!  That may sound like an awful lot, but by hiking just the Wind Cave trail three times a week, we go 36 miles per month.  Add a few longer hikes and even if we miss a few days it is a very attainable goal!  Not to mention, we will earn a free t-shirt... and a chance to have our names drawn for other prizes! 

Click here for more details, or ask one of us about it if you're interested.

October Break Snake

Over October break, Sherree and I decided to take the kiddos for a hike.  The weather was warm, so we packed plenty of water, snacks and high hopes.  At the last minute the dog tagged along too.  We pulled up at Sherre's house, and her clan piled into the car... and we all headed off for our morning adventure.
It turns out that the kids needed to stop for many many rests, and our hike lasted more than an hour longer than usual.

Here's one of many hydration breaks on the way to the top.  Its also the only picture I took of all 5 kiddos... What troopers they are, spending a precious October break day doing something the mom's wanted to do!

The most exciting part of the hike was awaiting us at the wind cave.  You see, all along the trail we had been enthusiastically told by each person passing us on their way down, that a snake was up there!  Since Sherree and I have only seen a couple snakes in all our years on this particular trail, we were quite excited to 1) be able to show the kids and 2) be warned in advance instead of stumbling upon it unexpectedly!

My camera was doing weird blue hue things the whole day... so I can't say I captured the actual colors of the snake... but I'm telling you, it was the prettiest colored rattlesnake I had ever seen!  Almost greenish.  Gorgeous!  The poor thing was so cold it had barely moved at all from where the first hiker reported seeing it.  To zoom in, click on the photo.

Being hikeractive in the desert means two things in the warmer months... Heat and Snakes.  Can't wait for the cooler weather to arrive!

Friendly Faces on the Trail

We meet up with a lot of interesting folks along the trail.  The most common interchanges go something like, "Are we almost to the top?"  "Have you seen any snakes?"  "Will this be worth it?"  and the ever so common variation of: "We heard there's a Starbucks (Dairy Queen... etc) waiting for us up there..." 

Some people we pass are tourists who are experiencing the desert for the first time, some are parents with children out spending family time together, some are young and spry and sprint effortlessly up and down, and some are elderly folks who inspire us to stay active and hiking well into the future. 

Then, there are the familiar faces.  The hiking junkies like us who hit the trails on a regular basis.  Such recognition often leads to comparisons of days and time spent hiking and brief introductions of ourselves.  One guy in particular we see almost everytime we're there... he hikes our usual trail two or three times a day, everyday!  Amazing!  His name is Allen.  Now, usually I can't remember names and rely on someone else in the group to retain such facts.  In Allen's case though, I can easily remember his name because either the same day or shortly after learning it, one of my friends posted this hillarious video on facebook.  Then name connection has stuck.

Why be Hikeractive?

So, I’m just gonna say it… gyms are NOT for me.  There’s something about walking into a crowded, humid, smelly gym full of dangerous looking equipment that makes me feel instantly self conscious and awkward.  Something about bedazzled work-out clothes and perfectly teased up-do’s makes my paint-splattered grubbies seem completely inappropriate... and breaking a sweat suddenly seems like an invitation to end up being featured in an embarrassing moments column in Redbook magazine.

Basically, if I am going to be exercising voluntarily, it will be taking place outdoors in the open air.  Someplace where you can breathe deeply, experience solitude, enjoy the ever-changing landscape, and never feel like you missed the dress code memo.

When we bought our house, I looked forward to the time when all the kids would be in school, and I would be able to regularly take advantage of the close proximity to the hiking trails.  It took a couple years of sidewalk restricted stroller pushing before the hiking dream could become a reality, and now I’m not sure how I functioned before.  I feel like the luckiest girl around, when after a very short drive, I step out of the car with my friends… into a large desert park adjacent to a National Forest.  We make a quick pre-hike stop at the bathroom (a necessity for those of us with small bladders who are about to drink large quantities of water), and head out on the trails.  My own little slice of conversation therapy, exercise, and accomplishment… neatly packaged and scheduled into my otherwise busy life.

Three times a week I am inspired and rejuvenated with words of wisdom, encouragement and an appreciation for the amazing desert landscape where I live.  Three times I week, I receive invaluable suggestions and advice… from recipes, to parenting tips, to great entertainment.  From product reviews, to world news, to life lessons learned.  This blog has been created as a means to track and share our insights and experiences on the trail.  I love my hikeractive life.