Going Hiking! Part III

Part lll

What HAVE We Done?

I don't know if it was our pride that got the best of us or what.  You know.....those school kids did it so we should be able to as well, kind of thinking.  Or it could have been Mr. Fix-it's desire to help me achieve my goal of making to the top once more in my lifetime.  Possibly I might have even been thinking that if Mr. Fix-it wasn't going to bite the bullet and turn around, I sure as heck wasn't going to!

No matter the reason, and certainly not one based on common sense, pride had control and we forged ahead.  

It seemed that as soon as we left the shaded copse of trees, the terrain changed.  The rocks got rockier, the heat got hotter and the elevation really elevated!  It's not hard to tell in this picture, that we are much higher up than when we started.   

As we continued on, our pace slowed.  We had to stop and rest much more than when we were in the lower altitude of the canyon.  I should mention here that the elevation at the peak of this mountain is around 3800 feet and we were half way there.   My heart was pumping much faster than it had been.  Several times I asked Mr. Fix-it if he was ok.  "Fine,  he replied.  You?"   "Oh yeah, I'm good"  I stated!   Uhhhh huh......pride was alive and well. 


A few well toned and younger hikers who had obviously done this before, passed us on their way up, but mostly more people went by us going down.  They were the smarter ones, they had started their climb early so they could be off the mountain by the heat of the day!  And it was also bugging me to see that quite a few of them were much older than Mr. Fix-it and me.  Well for goodness sakes, if they can do it so can I.  Did I mention that both of us are a good fifty pounds overweight and have bad knees?

Good idea #1 - If taking most trails in the Supes, especially on a day the expected high is 87.....DON'T start late!


We quickly learned from those descending, that the estimate of 45 minutes to the top we had received a half hour ago from the chaperon accompanying the school kids was WRONG.  We had at least an hour or more to go.  "Oh but it is worth it"  some said.  "Incredible views up there, shade and a wonderful refreshing mountain breeze,"  said someone else.   One man even joked they had been serving ice cream up there.....NOT!  In everyone's defense, I must say that time seems to stand still up there.  Don't know if it's from the quiet solitude in the mountains or what but you really do loose track of time.

And so....we trudged ahead.  


 
The mountain top had to be just around the next corner behind that saguaro cactus up there.  We were sure of it!  And I couldn't remember for sure as it had been 21 years ago since I had been up this far!!  This is probably a good time to mention that this particular trail is 6.2 miles round trip.  Uphill. And back down.  In the desert. 


Good idea #2 -  before hiking the Peralta Trail, you might want to physically work up to it!

Finally we came across this huge boulder on the side of the path and decided to take advantage of it's shade and coolness for a bit.  Mr. Fix-it pulled out his one and only power bar to share.  Unfortunately, it was quite squashed and melted.  We were getting pretty hungry at this point because our breakfast was long gone and now it was past lunch time.  Consequently, the smooshed power bar was pretty delicious.


Good idea #3 - Pack plenty of carbohydrate rich snacks for energy. 


The other problem I was starting to get concerned about is running out of water.  NEVER a good idea in the desert!   It is so incredibly easy to get dehydrated out here. 

Good idea #4 - take MORE water than you think you need!

 We did run across this small pool of water and survivalists say that if bugs are alive and moving about in the water, it is safe to drink.  We still had some water left so did not have to try it!!



Stay tuned for the final (I promise!) chapter of our Mountain hike!  We truly are very near the top and the reward that goes with getting there. 

And.....it IS worth it!