I also get in a couple of hikes, the most memorable is Picacho Peak itself. It's billed as an extreme hike, approximately 5hrs to complete and 4 miles round trip. The elevation gain is only 1300 feet though. Hmm, this sounds fishy.
My goal for the morning, as seen from my campsite
There are two trails to start the peak hike attempt. On starts on the front side. It's shorter, but steeper. I chose this route.
Plenty of signage on the trail,
and chains to keep you on track in places
Within a few minutes you approach a seemingly unyielding wall. No signs of a way around. This is getting interesting.
The trail comes right up to the above wall, and traverses to the right and over to a col. It's only a few feet wide in places, but doesn't feel overly exposed.
View from the col. Visitor center is just behind the small peak in the foreground.
Newman Peak (4488') in the background.
Zoomed in image of the parking lot. Truck is still there.
View of the far side of the col.
The trail continues on this side.
Cresting the col is where the fun begins. It's a very steep descent to join the backside trail. The chains are essential for support, but most people will use them. The less adventurous would turn back here.
View looking up at the col. I'd have to return this way.
One of the many Saguaro cacti in Picacho Park.
The trail then winds around the backside of the mountain. A few other small scrambles are required to continue the hike, but nothing harder than already encountered. The trail does continue the steep trend.
Then it ramps up to 11. Better have your game face on here, because the hiking becomes nearly vertical. More chains and some fencing is installed to help people ascend the trail and provide some safety from the exposure.
Some of it seemed a bit over the top.
You don't see this in BC.
A couple more of these sections, then it's a 5 minute moderately steep hike to the top.
Not a bad view
View of the camping area
Backside of Picacho Peak
I stop at the peak for a few pictures and a quick drink. One person is also on the peak - a 40something man who doesn't even acknowledge my presence. While I'm sitting, a chipmunk approaches, looking for food. The guy finally looks over and makes some comment. Within a few minutes I find out he's a Tucson local, and gives me some info about the local mountains. When I tell him where I'm from and my trip plans, the floodgates open. "Wow, always wanted to go there", "You've driven across Canada? Always wanted to do that", "Live in BC? Can't wait to go there". He's a motorcycle tourer, so I spend the next 25 minutes giving him information on all the places he's interested in that I've been to. Time to go.
Another one of the exposed sections, from above
And another from on the descent
Saguaros littered the landscape
Some are borderline magestic
Turns out the hike wasn't nearly as long or hard as I had anticipated. It was 2.7 miles round trip, not 4, and only took 1hr 55min to complete. This included the 30 minute discussion on the peak. But, the steepness surpassed expectations.
Profile of the hike
No comments:
Post a Comment