Hike #19 - Picacho Peak, Picacho, AZ

Picacho Peak is known for it's unique shape and is a landmark between Phoenix and Tucson. I hiked with my friend Paul Pastore who has hiked this trail many times in the past. We hiked up 2 miles on the Hunter Trail, February 18, 2012. The trail is steep and twisting, with steel cables anchored into the rock where the surface is bare. This is a difficult, strenuous but very rewarding hike!

The Battle of Picacho Pass or the Battle of Picacho Peak was an engagement of the American Civil War on April 15, 1862. The action occurred all around Picacho Peak, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Tucson, Arizona. It was fought between a Union cavalry patrol from California and a party of Confederate pickets from Tucson, and marks the westernmost battle of the American Civil War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Picacho_Pass)

Hike #18 - Echo Canyon @ Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, AZ

Camelback Mountain is a landmark in the center of Phoenix and close to where I live. I have hiked this mountain several times over the past 26 years that I have lived here. "It gets it's name as it depicts a gigantic symbol of a resting camel that constantly gazes the beauty from high above the Phoenix horizon." (http://www.phoenixasap.com/camelback-mountain.html) The summit of the trail is at 2,700' and over 300,000 people hike it every year. One man I have seen each time I hike, climbs it 3 times per day! Parking is very limited here so I purposely hiked during the week so I didn't have to walk a mile to the trailhead. The trail is 1.2 miles one way with an elevation gain of 1,200' and considered strenuous due to steep areas. This is one of the most beautiful and scenic trails in Arizona!

Hike #17 - Deem Hills Circumference Trail - Phoenix, AZ

Known as the newest of the City of Phoenix mountain preserves, Deem Hills Park is on the far north side at 51st Ave. & Happy Valley Road. This is a 6 mile loop and mostly flat with a few sections of gradual climb. The vegetation includes saguaro, barrel cacti and teddy bear cholla. There was a nice view of the city and other mountains I have climbed like Shaw Butte and North Mountain.

Hike #16 - L.V. Yates Trail (formally Quartz Ridge Trail), Phoenix, AZ

This 2.5 mile trail is in the Piestewa Peak/Dreamy Draw park in Phoenix. My friend Beth Peterson hiked with me at the end of January. The highlight of this trail is the large piece of beautiful, white glistening quartz near the top. The hike was easy with an elevation gain of 200'. An article from Phoenix Magazine dated December 2007 says "The crumbling rocks in the area are among the oldest on earth. Some date back billions of years to the era when our planet was transitioning from molten lava to solidified landmasses that would eventually become the continents."