Twenty-something years ago, when John and I first started visiting my snowbirding parents in Tucson, we drove past this mountain that is literally out in the middle of nowhere and John said, "I want to climb that." And as it turns out, you can.
So, we did.
Let me say once again that this is not really my thing. My thing is closer to sitting by the pool drinking a fruity beverage with a little umbrella in it. But, my family once again encouraged me and promised to go slow and take all the rest stops I needed.
And they did.
Once again, we left Holly's place in Mesa really early. I must say the closer we got to Picacho Peak the more I wasn't looking forward to this hike.
All the blooming wildflowers were super cool. Who knew the dessert could be so colorful?!
Ready to go! It was a 2.8 mile hike with a 2,112 elevation gain.
The hike to the saddle was gradual, winding switchbacks. John kept asking hikers who were on their way back down if they had gone to the summit and EVERYONE was saying no, they had just hiked to the saddle. I thought that sounded like a good idea too.
But I was overruled.
About this time we actually ran into friends from Lynden. It truly is a small world. They were on their way back down and said reaching the peak was no problem.
They lied.
Actually, this part of the hike was hard but it was kinda fun. There were lots of areas where you had to pull yourself up using cables. I was glad I had taken along leather gloves.
At the top!
What goes up must come down.
The views were amazing...and slightly scary.
Almost back down! At this point, I could almost taste that margarita I was going to reward myself with. For some reason, for our family, Mexican food is a must after a hike.
And look who was waiting for us at the bottom! Grampa and Gramma had brought along cards and snacks so we played some "Seven" in the Arizona sunshine before heading into town for some chimichangas and margaritas!
