Hike #15 - Baseline Trail - Estrella Mtn. Regional Park, AZ

Estrella Mountain Regional Park is 25 miles West of Phoenix. The Baseline Trail is 2.3 miles with an elevation change of 200'. The temp was in the high 60's, a beautiful sunny day, January 10th. I hiked alone and didn't see many people til the last part of the hike. Luckily I ran into some visitors from Canada who helped me find my way after I accidentally got off the trail. I didn't see any trail markers or cairns. The vegetation was mostly Saguaro, creosote bush and cholla cactus. I had views of mountains and the City of Goodyear. This park has an entrance fee of $6.

Hike #14 - Shaw Butte, Phoenix, AZ

Shaw Butte is in North Phoenix and is 4.1 miles RT with an 800' gain in elevation. Today was another warm day in the 70's and perfect for a hike. I hiked with a 7 people from meetup.com, Phoenix Christian Singles 40+. We started the trail at the North Mountain Visitor Center and made a loop around ending on a service road. There were a lot of video and cell phone antennas at the top. We also passed the remains of a restaurant called Cloud 9 that burned down in 1963. The only downside to this trail is there is a lot of loose rock to walk on.

Hike #13 - Bulldog Canyon, Apache Junction, AZ

This trail in Apache Junction near the Superstition Mountains doesn't have a name that I know of. My retired friends in AJ invited me to join them on their regular hikes they do every MWF. It was a beautiful, warm day and we had a group of approx. 15. Denny was our guide and we hiked approx. 7 miles making a loop in and around Bulldog Canyon. The desert was green and lush since it had rained recently. We saw many varieties of cacti including teddy bear cholla, ocotilla, prickly pear, saguaro, hedgehog cactus etc. We hiked through ravines and washes staying flat most of the time.

Hike #12 - Pinnacle Peak, Scottsdale, AZ

New Year's Day 2012, my sons Mitchell and Chet joined me for this hike at Pinnacle Peak. This was the nicest and most maintained trail I have hiked. It has spectacular views of upscale homes, golf courses, boulders and mountains. It was a clear day and 80 degrees! The plants/cactus are labeled along the way so you can learn about them. The trail was 1.7 miles one way and not difficult.

HIke #11 - South Mountain National - Mormon Loop Trail Phoenix, AZ

On one of my last vacation days, December 29, 2011, I hiked this 6 mile loop trail with my friend Paul. South Mountain Park is 17,000 acres and is reputed to be the largest municipal park in the world. There were several people mountain biking as well as many hikers. I especially liked the views in all directions. We passed many interesting rock formations like fat mans pass.