Daily Dose of Adventure

Superstition Mountains, Just East of Phoenix

It's hot enough out to fry an egg on the sidewalk. This is one of those childhood expressions we all remember, but here, it is not just an expression (I have actually seen kids do it). High of 109 degrees F today. Wheww. So when the temps rise, most of the city disappears inside their air conditioned cookie cutter homes and begin the summer 'hybernation'. But what most people just don't realize is that this heat doesn't stop life, it just changes the game. One activity shifts to another, opportunities arise for new and exciting ways to get outside and beat the heat, and the strong step up to the plate and relish the change in season because 'summer's here!' Along this line, I have persuaded a group of friends to climb Camelback Mt tonight starting at dusk and finishing with headlights. Camelback is an old Phoenix favorite for its steep 1200 ft climb in 1.25 miles where the trail closely resembles a giant boulder field rather than a path. It is fun in the day and should be even more exciting in the dark. But to those up to the challenge, there is nothing better than watching the sun set over the city while being on top of our little speck of civilization in the vastness of the great SW desert.

Watch out for the snakes and scorpians!

[Addendum: We actually ran into a snake on our descent in the darkness, along with getting lost and running out of water. The trail was surprising hard to follow even with headlights since its more of a boulder field than a path. We finally made it home after the excitement of getting locked in the parking lot by a padlocked chain. Thank you random security guard that came to our rescue.]