Hiking Camelback Peak, part 1
Apr. 4th, 2023 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerPhoenix Getaway Travelog #5
Echo Canyon Trail - Sun, 1 Apr 2023, 8am
In Christian tradition Sunday is a day of rest. Not for us... we're not Christian. 😅 Instead we set our alarms for 6am and left our comfy hotel with a waterpark to hike up a mountain. In the desert.
Our quest for today is Camelback Peak. We got to the trailhead parking area around 7:15 and had to wait in line for parking. Yes, the trailhead lot was already full at 7:15am! We got underway at 7:40
The Echo Canyon trail we're hiking looks not-too-hard by the numbers. It's only a 1300 foot elevation gain with a round trip of just over 2 miles. It should take 90 minutes, right? Well, do the math. 1300 feet of gain in about a mile is really freakin' steep.
How steep is it? It's so steep that when we tried hiking the trail on a visit to Phoenix 9 years ago we bailed out partway up. Of course, we did that in much warmer weather. At 5:30am on that trip it was already 86° F (30° C) en route to a dayime high of 109 (43° C). Today we've got much cooler weather. It's supposed to top out around 82° F.
How steep is it? It's so steep that that ridge in the picture above is not Camelback Peak. That ridge isn't even halfway to the top. The trail does at least start (relatively) gently, though.
After a few hundred feet of ascent the trail rounds a bend at Echo Saddle. As you climb there are plenty of views back down across the valley to the south and west, including views of downtown Phoenix. The pic above shows the view to the east, of Paradise Valley.
Notice all the people stretching? That's because from here the trail starts to get steep.
The first steep bit is this staircase. I emphasize this is the first steep bit. I remember from that hike we bailed out partway up on years ago there are at least two steep sections above this, and they are way steeper. This time we've got better weather on our side, and we're better prepared, too. ...Well, physically we're not in as good shape, but at least mentally we're better prepared. We have a better idea how grueling it's going to be! 😰
To be continued....
Echo Canyon Trail - Sun, 1 Apr 2023, 8am
In Christian tradition Sunday is a day of rest. Not for us... we're not Christian. 😅 Instead we set our alarms for 6am and left our comfy hotel with a waterpark to hike up a mountain. In the desert.
Our quest for today is Camelback Peak. We got to the trailhead parking area around 7:15 and had to wait in line for parking. Yes, the trailhead lot was already full at 7:15am! We got underway at 7:40
The Echo Canyon trail we're hiking looks not-too-hard by the numbers. It's only a 1300 foot elevation gain with a round trip of just over 2 miles. It should take 90 minutes, right? Well, do the math. 1300 feet of gain in about a mile is really freakin' steep.
How steep is it? It's so steep that when we tried hiking the trail on a visit to Phoenix 9 years ago we bailed out partway up. Of course, we did that in much warmer weather. At 5:30am on that trip it was already 86° F (30° C) en route to a dayime high of 109 (43° C). Today we've got much cooler weather. It's supposed to top out around 82° F.
How steep is it? It's so steep that that ridge in the picture above is not Camelback Peak. That ridge isn't even halfway to the top. The trail does at least start (relatively) gently, though.
After a few hundred feet of ascent the trail rounds a bend at Echo Saddle. As you climb there are plenty of views back down across the valley to the south and west, including views of downtown Phoenix. The pic above shows the view to the east, of Paradise Valley.
Notice all the people stretching? That's because from here the trail starts to get steep.
The first steep bit is this staircase. I emphasize this is the first steep bit. I remember from that hike we bailed out partway up on years ago there are at least two steep sections above this, and they are way steeper. This time we've got better weather on our side, and we're better prepared, too. ...Well, physically we're not in as good shape, but at least mentally we're better prepared. We have a better idea how grueling it's going to be! 😰
To be continued....
