The bus ride was quite comfy. I sat next to a girl who belongs to the Grayhawk Hiking club. I found out it is a neighborhood group of about 15 people who hike twice a month at different locations during the cool weather months, and then travel north once or twice to hike together during the hot months. Click here for a link to their facebook page. They should be posting pictures from the event there soon.
The hike took place on St. Patricks Day, and the t-shirts we received were appropriately green in color. Each participant also received a bag with coupons and discounts to local vendors.
Registration for this hike was through Active.com. There was no cut-off date listed, but apparently I was too late to register online and was able to participate only because someone else dropped out. Lucky break for me, unlucky break for them... a broken wrist! Also, the registration fee went up by ten dollars after a while, so just for future reference it is a good idea to register for this type of event well in advance.
As we got on the bus, written instruction/maps were handed out to each participant. These maps also contained our raffle number on the back. The raffle number was the incentive to check-in at the end of the race. No prize winners in our group.
The most festive in our group was Sherree with her bright green shirt. Chattie claimed to have green eyes under those sunglasses... we gave her the benefit of the doubt. I went with a subtle approach, wearing emerald earrings and a green hair band in my pony tail. I should have taken more photos of the other hikers who really dressed up for the occasion!
There was some flat ground to cover before heading up the Mountain.
Here we are at the top of the mountain... at Windgate Pass
And here, looking down at the mansions below.
The rest of the pictures are examples of the pops of color along the trail... springtime is beautiful in the desert.
Happy Hiking!
