I DID IT! Hiked Picacho Peak Solo!!!

This is Picacho Mountains. The Peak is that highest point in the middle, towards the left. But the whole thing is locally known as "Picacho Peak" rather than Picacho Mountains. This is the view of the Mtn from a few miles away, coming up to it on the freeway.

Me in the car, almost there, super super excited!!! Check out the weird collar bone/shoulder bone thing on my right shoulder! Damn, makes me look skinny!!! I don't think I've EVER seen that before!

Part of the Mtn coming into the park.

I took the "Hunter Trail" b/c it is the shortest to the top, but it is rated "difficult". If you don't know trial info much they are rated "Easy, moderate, or difficult" and difficult just means that you are going straight UP alot, a lot of climbing, and hard as hell to get back down! :D

My options were Hunter Trail that was 2.1 miles to the top where it meets with another trail to go the rest of the way to the peak. It is difficult the whole way. Or Sunset Trail starts on the other side of the mtn but it's 3 miles to the top, BUT starts out easy first half, moderate the next bit, then gets difficult at the top. I chose Hunter Trail b/c I knew it was shorter and being that I was alone I wanted to do it as quickly as possible and not get stuck at the top, alone, at dusk!

My signature pose outdoors! I was stoked to use my hiking gloves and backpack for the first time!!!

This is the view when you START Hunter Trail. I did not go all the way to the top b/c I thought it'd be better to be cautious than adventerous and stupid. So in this pic if you look at that first ridge I made it just passed that on the right hand side a smidge from the saddle. From there is was straight up and scarred me a bit so I chilled there for a bit and then turned around.

This is what some of the more difficult spots look like. They have cables for you to hold onto as you climb up.

As high up as I made it, this is a view of the peak to my right. I made it a mile up the mountain in about 20-25 minutes.

From where I got to, this is looking down. If you look down and see that little building straight down in the middle, my car is parked right down there. So it is wayyyy down there! :D

Took me 50 minutes to get UP 1 mile and down 1 mile. This is a pic of my tan line in that short of a period! haha! It got to 99 degrees that day, when I was up there.

Me on the south side of the Mtn, I drove around to take pics and it took me like 10 tries to get ME in the shot w/ the Mtn! haha!

This is a view from the Rd coming back around. Hunter's trail is right there in the middle and goes up that bluff thing that looks grassy in the middle. That's where I was!!!

So all in all, it was very empowering! I was never scarred until I got up ON the mountain. On the way I was sooo excited to finally being doing it. I've wanted to for probably 3-4 mths and friends kept blowing me off not wanting to go saying they were injurred or couldn't make it. So I decided I just had to do it on my own or I might not get to. The Ranger thought I was brave and maybe a bit foolish for attempting the difficult trail alone in the heat of the day. But when I came back through she said I made remarkable time even though i didn't go all the way. She said it was good I didn't go all the way up b/c I could've gotten myself into trouble. I know she was initially starring at me (this fat chick) wondering if I was physically fit enough to handle it. But, I think I showed her. I showed her and myself that YES i am capable! And today, I'm not even sore but it was HARD work going up. I was winded like I was running. I could tell I was using muscles in my thighs I don't use often. So it was definetley a good work out and more cardio than I thought b/c my heart was pounding and I was sweating my butt off!!!

I'm so glad I did it. When I thought about it once this morning I was thinking how I'd like to go back with a friend and do the Sunset Trail and make it all the way to the peak in hopes that that is a more leisurely, social hike. B/c I want to get to the top and see the view and take pics from the Peak! But now that I've done it once I won't feel so anxious to do it again soon! I can patiently wait until someone is available to do that one with me. AND I think I'll try to start at Dawn, instead of midday.

Some tips:

I found this awesome website! It's called http://www.trails.com/ and it  provides all the information you need for over 40,000 hiking trails nationwide. You just plug in your state and the type of hike you want and it pulls them all up on a map. Shows you the map, the difficulty rating, the length, the suggested time to do it, pictures, reviews, etc. IT'S AMAZING! You get some info just looking at it but you get all the info you need if you sign up and pay like a $50/year fee. So I'll be doing that soon. Oh you can go on and click "i've done this trail" to save it to your profile. Or youc an click "wishlist trails" to add to your "to do list", it's neat!!!

ITEMS:

I do suggest real hiking boots if you're doing anything over a Moderate Trail. I have done all 3 types of trails now and all I've ever used is my running tennis shoes. Easy trails can handle tennis shoes. Moderate Trails you are pushing it a bit.  Difficult trails; you will be sorry. FOR ME; I felt like I sort of needed the high top hiking boots on the moderate trail I did b/c my ankles hurt. On the difficult trail, you need them for your ankles AND for the grip they provide on the bottom. At least here in the desert, you are climbing UP some smooth rocks at some point. Coming down on that is hard! I will buy THESE hiking boots for $50 before I do another moderate or difficult trail.

I want these pants. They are almost $50 but I think in the long run they'd be worth it. You can see they zip off to be shorts. I've been hiking in my exercising clothes and my lose, cotton pants just don't seem right. So I'm going to aim to get some of these "eventually", I'm not too worried about it right now.

NEW ADVENTURES: NEW GOALS!

THIS is so lovely! This is Whitewater rafting on the Salt Lake River here in Az just about 15 miles north of the East Valley. It only costs $80 to do an all day rafting experience, including stopping on the beach for a chill BBQ. Sounds like so much fun to me! I've always been deathly afraid of this but NOW I want to do it. I want to conquer that fear! My ex Mike said he'd love to go with me! So maybe we'll do that soon, I'm just hoping for sometime this summer!

This picture is sheer, utter, serene, beautifulness to me! This is Havasu Falls IN the Grand Canyon. It is not in the part of the grand canyon that is the national park. It is in the part that is on Indian Reservation, not managed by the park. I'd love to do this this fall. You take a 10 mile hike down into the canyon. It should take almost all day. Only costs $20 if you carry your own pack and opt to not have a donkey do it for you. hehe! So then by dusk you make it to an Indian Village where they have alittle hotel or you can camp. The way it's normally done is you get up the morning of Day 2 and you are about a mile from Havasu Falls. Within a few miles there is also Mooney Falls and Beaver Falls, three of the most beautiful waterfalls in Arizona. You can swim in them, hang out, they just look soooo amazing!  So then if you spend day 2 exploring the bottom of the canyon and the waterfalls, you hike back up/out on day 3. So this would be a weekend journey for me, not to mention I'd have to drive up like 4-5 hrs north of Phnx to get to the grand canyon! But omg doesn't that sound so amazing!!!! I'd obviously do this with a partner as well!

~Happing Trailing~

xoxo,

Libby Lou Lizzle ;)