Tag: Hiking

too high?

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I’m lying in bed propped up under too many pillows. I am coughing up my lungs, alternating hot cold flashes, parts of my hips, shoulders and back throb with enough pain I’m considering having all of those parts removed.

I’ve been home from Colorado for less than 24 hours. While there I eagerly wandered/hiked my way up to 7000 or so feet above sea level to take in the views. Mother Nature however made sure to make it very clear to me that if I had any intentions of continuing my trek up any higher without the proper time to acclimate she was going to make my lungs explode.

Now don’t start picturing me out there all alone. I was driven out to this beautiful area and guided through this new experience by two extremely capable 20 year CO residents. Lifelong friends I adopted as family in jr.high, their abilities far exceed mine in that terrain or otherwise. I was in good hands.IMG_0793.JPG

I have also made sure to not shut up for most of the hike because

A. I am truly excited to be there with Laura

B. I talk a lot normally and…

C. I am losing oxygen and don’t know it yet.

One of my all-time favorite books is “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer about the 1996 Mt. Everest disaster where 8 climbers were killed. It is written so fantastically well that you take the amazing journey with him to the top of the world then watch in horror as Mother Nature reminds us all her power we cannot equal and that we are tiny specks in comparison easily blown off the side of a Mt.

Born in Las Vegas and raised in the deserts of Southern California, I am fascinated reading about the effects of altitude and the incredible elite athletes who can now summit Mt Everest without supplemental oxygen. You truly have no idea how your body will react to altitude change or at what point. It can make you very sick and can be deadly. This is not something to ignore or pretend it doesn’t exist or is fake news. Our bodies need oxygen.

I know I will never summit Mt. Everest or any of the world’s highest peaks, but I would love to get to explore beautiful parts of the country above sea level and want to spend more time closer to the Rocky Mountains. They are spectacular to behold. Much like the Superstition Mountains, the Rockies command your attention and send off an energy that can be life changing. Add in the flowers and wildlife and it’s almost too much for this lizard’s heart and lungs to take. Todays hike was local to Loveland CO. Arthurs Rock.IMG_0806.JPG

We began the hike at a slow pace allowing me to take in the scenery. The first noticeable reaction to the altitude change was a yawn. I’m awake and my body feels good as we hike on through a meadow but I’m yawning as I’m happily goofing off trying to twirl and sing the Sound of Music. We stop to let me get my bearings and some water. It’s not much longer before my head is in a fish bowl and my ears are plugged and popping.IMG_0778.JPG

I did not feel dizzy until we reached the top. The view is awesome and I was proud to have done it but I was also now starting to get my first taste of what an extreme altitude change can do physically and knew that an hour plus hiking up means at least an hour of hiking back down, unless you take a good toe kick to a rock and gravity takes you down faster and I was not hoping for that type of assistance.

Round trip our hike was roughly 5 miles in about 3 hours. On paper, just an average hike.IMG_0802

I had spent the past 4 days at least at a mile-high elevation flying into Denver and made one trip up to around 7000 elevation driving to Estes Park. But quite obviously that was not enough time for my dusty dried desert lungs to handle slight humidity and what felt like half the normal amount of oxygen I require to not flop over.

Within a few hours of returning from our hike and showering my right eye puffed up as if I had an allergic reaction and it is still possible that’s all that was. I have a couple of small sores in my mouth and now I’m coughing consistently and can’t drink enough water to stop the dehydration. I’m slightly achey all over.

My body 48 year old body was drained already from the normal travel stress I go through. But then I go and carry a far too heavy of an overstuffed back pack because I don’t want to check anything in. One shoulder strap breaks forcing me to tie it and lug this beast as awkwardly as possible through two major airports destroying my back and right shoulder in the process.

So here I am in bed reliving magic memories of a trip that went by too fast. I had briefly escaped the Arizona heat and rattlesnakes only to meet another one of natures beasts… altitude sickness.IMG_0788.JPG

Believe it or not with as miserable as I feel right now, I am excited to go again. I now have the reality of what it will take for my body to do this safely. I am thankful I was with people who didn’t push me, keeping me safe the entire time and carrying extra water for me. I am grateful to be more aware than ever to remind my Superstition Mt. Museum guests traveling from all over the world to be careful out in our desert. Dehydration is as deadly as altitude sickness.

Listen to your body. Know your limitations. When traveling, respect locals who have the experience that can save your life and scoot your ego aside because maybe…just maybe… you don’t know everything even though you think you do to get back home safely.IMG_0810.JPG

Bird Watching

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Have you ever had one of those moments where you question advice you have given?

It’s been about two weeks now that my husband and I hiked the Peralta Trail so we could see Weaver’s Needle. A few months back I introduced some of you to the Peralta Trail and its history but needed to wait for the deserts high temps to break before I could go hiking and get pictures for you. The story is very cool. Go back and read it if you haven’t. I creatively titled it The Peralta Trail.IMG_7074.JPG

Anyways, the weather lately has been fabulous with highs somewhere in the low 90’s. For us desert folk, that Sunday morning felt “chilly” so we waited and left for our hike “late” at 8 am. Peralta is a good four-hour hike, grand total up and back, unless you are running and I’m not going to recommend that ever.IMG_7142.PNG

Peralta is a real hiking trail for sure. It’s far from flat. You are hiking up into the Superstition Mt. over big rocks and boulders to get the spectacular view of Weavers Needle. This spot has so many claims of gold, mystery and death surrounding it not to mention the Apache Indians, their belief this is the home of their Thunder God, and all 200 of Peralta’s men being massacred trying to leave this general area with gold, the Peralta Trail will forever draw visitors from around the world to come and see the view for themselves.

We call our seasonal visitors “Snow Birds”. They come from where ever it is cold and gloomy and enjoy the fabulous weather we have this time of year.IMG_7112.JPG

About twenty minutes into our hike back down from the top of the Mt. we could hear a group coming up. Men, women, probably a few teens too, not really sure, but a good sized group. I didn’t count. What we did over hear as we approached were disgruntled women who had been told this was an easy two-hour hike. Obviously whatever other plans they had for the day were now ruined thanks to whoever had sent them on this sightseeing excursion.

They all are basically lost at this patch of the trail until they see us and that solves their navigation issue. Excited men and a few frustrated women ask us how much further to the top. We answer honestly “about twenty minutes”. With this news most of the group seems ready to run the rest of the way to the top but a few are debating turning around.

(Now mind you at this point they have driven about 6 miles on a lovely bumpy dirt road to reach the start of this trail, hiked about 2 maybe 2 and a half HOURS up into a cactus covered Mt. to see a view, then will have to turn around and get back down for another 2 plus hours! What hateful friend or relative did this to them I don’t know)

Now this is the part of the story I have replayed over and over again in my mind. Should I have…?

I turn to the women and smile and say “You’ve made it this far…you don’t want to miss the view…”

and we hike past.

I guess the size of the group made me feel less concerned about safety or if they really could make it. No one appeared hurt in any way. Also, I figure if you can complain that loud about not wanting to do this anymore then you probably DO have the strength to hike another twenty minutes to the top.

But I should know better. Encouraging tired hikers can be a bad idea. A wonderfully “warm” day to a desert kid like me is not the same to a relative from the East Coast. Strong accents told us at least some of this group was not from around these parts. It is painfully dry in the desert and honestly very few transplants can come out here and hike for 4 hours without feeling seriously dehydrated.

And as I always say, there are no life guard towers out here! No one is going to come rescue you if you flop over. Know your limits.IMG_7328.PNG

The flip side, had I sounded worried or concerned about them making the last twenty minutes they would have assuredly turned around when really the only challenge they were facing was mental. Plus, that just makes for even worse complaining if you didn’t even reach your goal and turned around in defeat because wandering around the mall or watching T.V. seemed like a much better idea for the day. (Admit it ladies, that’s a guaranteed bitch and moan session ALL the way back down the Mt. and no one needs that. Besides, your butt will thank you for this hike later.)

We don’t hear them after a few more minutes and can see up the side of the Mt. they have decided to go the distance. I’m happy for them. I truly am. I almost feel proud. I knew they could do it. Going back down will feel much easier.

I’m reminded it’s that time of year again, our birds are back. We need to watch them. Keep them safe.

(I am also grateful to not know any of the complaining ladies personally so later when they are beyond sore I will have no part in the blame.)

Things that Don’t Belong on a Trail

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I can’t. I just can’t. It used to be cigarette butts but now it’s even worse. It grosses me out to no end to see a nasty discarded travel dental floss thing just tossed onto the ground like it’s just going to magically disappear. Is it someone else’s job to pick it up? Should an animal come eat it?

Help me on this. If you are so concerned about your dental hygiene that you purchase and use these gadgets and obviously you hike or you wouldn’t be on a trail so that means you take care of you, then why can’t you toss the gross thing into the trash where it belongs?

There really isn’t going to be any answer you can give that’s going to make throwing trash on the side of a nature trail ok. It’s not. Stop it.

* photo was taken in the parking area at the start of a local trail.It is not staged

 

 

GOLF?

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Our heat here in AZ has been so extreme this weekend we continue to set records, yet I can look outside my window to the tee box on the 9th hole of the Dinosaur and see 4 men happily waiting their turnimage

Just like the Superstition Mountain we live next to, the game of golf seems to have this pull, this energy, this drive that makes a grown man go outside in 110 degree weather to “play”.

I can hear all of you golfers now “Just get an early tee time.” It was 95 degrees at 5:30 this morning with an expected high of 117! No joke. (6/20/16)

The way our little house sits on the hill we have spectacular views all around. The mighty Superstition dominates the North and East views. But if you look out to the South you see golf, the tee box for the 9th hole. If you look out to the West you see the 11th hole tucked into the mountain.

Living here I’m finding there are golfers for whom excessive heat is not going to stop a good round of golf. Blasts of hot wind, heat radiating in waves on the concrete, doesn’t matter. Its golf. And right now its CHEAP golf on some of the best courses in Arizona. When you normally can pay well over $150 a round during peak season, a $35 tee time can entice a serious golf lover to go withstand oven like heat to start a round at noon.image

$15  will get  you a tee time round 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Just go to http://www.GolfNow.com.

I love golf. It’s a great sport. I just have no idea why anyone would want to play in this heat! But I see them. They are out there.

Now I’m not a golfer. I don’t think what I do out there classifies as actual golfing. I’m told if I “practice” I will get better. If hitting one or two balls  10 times or more at a hole that I never get it into isn’t “practicing” then I don’t know what “practice” is. Just the word “practice” makes me giggle. Practice. I repeat the word “practice” about nine times like I’m Allen Iverson…not a game…we talking about practice. I belong in the cart.

Most courses are beautiful and quiet. Like being in a park. Usually lots of nature too. I have even seen alligators! ( No, not out here. In South Carolina, another home of some amazing golf courses.) An alligator laying by the greens is not enough to stop a golfer! Especially in the South where they are common.image

I guess it’s like us out here in the desert with lizards and snakes, it just comes with the territory.I have seen deer, quail, squirrels, roadrunners, lizards and more bunnies than necessary out on our “home course” Dinosaur. Like a ridiculous amount of wild bunnies. I’ve counted 9 and 10 just hanging out by a fairway. They just kill me. After years of golf course living they still have absolutely no idea how to navigate any oncoming cart traffic. Confusion every time.image

Javelinas usually don’t get to roam on the courses but it wouldn’t surprise me to hear someone tell they saw one or two.They wander through my yard. I’m sure they find their way onto the grass. My husband seems to see coyotes quite often. But coyotes and Javelina are not going to stop a good round of golf any more than an alligator is. Be serious.

Planes were diverted yesterday. Couldn’t land. It was too hot. I’m not making that up. It is illegal for planes to land or take off once the temperature hits 120. Something to do with the effect the heat has on the equipment.

4 hikers died this weekend on our trails due to the heat. The news reporter said one of them was a personal trainer. This heat is serious.

I can just hear the argument that its actually SAFER to be a golfer:“ Golf courses have carts. No hiking except to find your ball. Golfers aren’t walking the whole round. The carts have coolers with ice and beverages. The carts give shade.”

Its 110 degrees outside currently. Just saying.image

Sure, you could also argue that the colorful clothing golfers wear make it much easier to spot one in distress when he flops over on the green holding a flag! I see you guys from a good seven iron away. I see those neons. Golfers are much easier to rescue. Rarely is a helicopter required.

For some even the worst round of golf in this heat can produce an inner happiness that a walk through an air-conditioned mall just can’t provide.image

Don’t believe me? Ask a golfer.

 

Peralta Trail

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Its going to take us 7 miles of bumpy dirt road just to get to the start of the Peralta trail. You ready? Let’s go!

Ever wonder how things get their names ? Who was Peralta and why was a trail was named after him?

* I’m going to tell this basic story to you as my friend not as a teacher or some expert. These are all generally agreed upon facts if you go and look it up. The story is cool so I encourage you to read a full book about the subject from someone who maybe is an expert for all of the details!image

Ok so back in 1845 Don Miguel Peralta travels to the Superstition Mountain in search of hidden gold he has heard stories of. He finds it. Don’t ask me how. I have no clue how he found it.image

There’s enough gold that he wants to go and get workers. A lot of workers. So he covers up his mine and then uses landmarks to help him remember how to get back. He thinks one peak looks like a Sombrero so he calls his mine “Sombrero Mine”.

The Apache believe this same mountain that Peralta is digging in to be the home of their Thunder God. That fact alone should tell you this is not going to go well for Peralta.

Peralta comes back with hundreds of men. Now for me it was learning this fact when I imagerealized Peralta is not poor. I don’t know about you but I cannot go and round up hundreds of men and mules and supplies and all that is needed to take hundreds of men up into a mountain to dig for gold!

When Peraltas workers see the “Sombrero” they think it looks more like the “Finger of God”. Later it is named “Weavers Needle”.

So Peralta and his men mine for 3 years! Gold digging! Real life gold digging! 3 years!image

The Apache are beyond mad. They plan an attack.

Peralta gets news of this and decides it’s time to pack it up and leave. They load up as much as they can carry and head down from the mountain. Straight into the Apache.image

The Apache kill all of them and dump out the gold concentrate Peralta’s mules carried.image

A few years later the US Army comes upon the scene of the massacre and bury what remained. Peralta’s body was not found.

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Like I said this is a VERY interesting story that I just gave you the short version of in hopes you will go and get a book like “The Story of Superstition Mountain and the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine” by Robert Joseph Allen.image

Now you ready to hike the actual trail?image

Superstition Mountain Museum

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Wanna go someplace fun? Something other than some big budget movie or a mall? You should. Do it. Take a drive over to the Superstition Mountain Museum. http://www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org

What a cool place!

Inside the Museum you get the honor of speaking with volunteers who are just amazing. Beyond the hospitality they show and the warmth, these individuals are a wealth of information.

We got the privilege to talk with Historian Jim Swanson while we were there and I hope to have many more visits with him. Though I am born and raised desert this man to me is the real deal. Riding horses into the Superstition for years now he has stories you can’t imagine. I felt like a city dweller next to him and I lived in Baker CA. so that says a lot! Think I saw a small twinkle in his eye, a moment of desert cred, when I told him that I had lived at the Gateway to Death Valley. But it PALES in comparison when you imagine him on horseback being shot at riding through the Superstition. I bow down not worthy. With really cool intense enthusiasm from a hardened desert veteran he shared routes to get some of THE best views. If you don’t go meet this man you’re truly missing out.

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Right down from our house used to be an old movie studio that made westerns. The Apacheland Movie Ranch. Elvis starred in one called Charro! That movie studio burned down but what remained they moved to the museum.imageimage

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imageimageSo not only can you get a tour inside of the museum itself but then you can wander around the old movie studio area and even head into the Elvis Memorial Chapel to get a picture with the King. imageThey show movies in there and keep the schedule in the gift shop. We met Doris volunteering in the chapel. She would be more than happy to take your photo with Elvis and hang out and talk. Her husband John volunteers in the gift shop. It is so nice to go somewhere that you are treated like you are welcome to be there and people talk to you never once looking at a phone. If that’s going back in time then yes, take me.

You need to go!

Excessive Heat Warning

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As I encourage the masses to come and see the beauty that is the desert there is a small voice inside telling me you better make sure to prepare them properly. So I’m going to tell you like a friend, like someone who actually cares about you getting to enjoy the desert safely.

This weekend we had record breaking heat. This is not new for us desert folk. The news reporters seem to take quite a bit of joy announcing repeatedly the triple digit numbers expected. But a fact I am reminded of as I listen to the news is again we lost a hiker due to dehydration. Rescue teams went in search putting even more lives at risk.

Ok so let’s be reasonable, if I plopped you in the middle of the arctic without a jacket you would freeze right? If I plop you in the middle of the desert without water you will die. It’s not a maybe.

No water = death.

Be prepared for where you are going and KNOW your body and your limits.

I wrote earlier about the fact I am born and raised desert and I don’t go hiking in the summer after about 5am. Yesterday it was 100 degrees at 10 am!!!! It only got hotter. (June 6th 2016) Out here high heat doesn’t hit until later in the afternoon.

And I’m going to be honest the desert isn’t even that pretty in the middle of a hot afternoon. The sky is pale blue and everything is radiating heat. Its nap time. Its shut the curtains and block out the sun time.

The mountain range we live next to is magnetic and draws people to it. The energy is strong and almost overwhelming to those who are sensitive to it. With the added attraction of the possibility of finding gold we have people coming from everywhere to hike. But unfortunately not everyone makes it back home.

I found this crazy interesting book called “Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon” by Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers that I have been reading. Arizona has some spectacular natural beauty that draws millions of visitors every year especially to the Canyon but too many seem to come incredibly unprepared and surprised by the weather. I definitely recommend it especially if you want to hike the Grand Canyon or even visit it.

There’s really nothing “soft” out there hiking a desert trail. No couch for you to stop at. If parking and then walking for another 20 minutes before you really get started sounds like too much for you already then guess what? IT IS! Know why? Because your brain didn’t even factor in the 100 degrees part!image

Bring WATER. Not soda. WATER. As much as you can carry.

Don’t expect rescue teams to come for you either…at least not right away. They aren’t sitting out there in the desert in towers like life guards with binoculars watching to see you flop over from heat exhaustion. If you get yourself in a bad spot you could be miles away from any real help. And honestly the hotter it is the less people out there so who are you going to yell “help!” to when your phone doesn’t get a signal? How are you going to describe where you are?..image

A hat and bright clothing are also good ideas along with sunscreen.  If you ever need to be found, wearing brown, gray or camo is not going to help. Think outfit seen from space.

You might also rethink trying to get a tan while hiking. You are better off doing that by a pool… and air conditioning and a drink with ice cubes. Then at least when your body gets hot you can jump in the water. Also some of the lotions for tanning can attract bees. We did recently lose a hiker due to over 1000 bee stings. I don’t think lotion played a part but you don’t want to do anything to attract them.

Having less clothing on is not going to help in regulating your body temperature either and probably just speed up the process of getting you fried to a crisp.

And for goodness sakes wear real shoes! Not flip flops of any brand. Have I not shown you enough pictures of cacti already? Wobble an ankle wearing flip flops and that’s not a fun hike back.image

We have in AZ what’s called the stupid motorist law. If you drive around a barrier into a flooded road and have to be rescued guess what? You are in trouble. I don’t think there is a law for dumb hiking but maybe we should look into it? Bad shoes, no water, too late in the day, tried to find gold digging with a spoon? Dumb hiker law

 

IT’S HOT IN THE DESERT!

 

Not sure what I mean still? Ever open your oven when it’s been cooking for a while and you get that blast of heat at your face and eyes and you wonder for a second if you still have eyelashes? I have stepped outside before and felt that here.

The desert is an extreme climate. Please do your homework before attempting any of the larger hiking trails. If you are planning a trip to see the fabulous Saguaros then start walking or hiking where you live now and build up your stamina. None of the trails I have ever been on are perfectly flat or paved so don’t say you practiced walking at the mall.

Check weather reports before making plans. Always let others know where you are going hiking and for about how long you think you will be. That way when you don’t come back after too many hours we know we might have to go search. I say don’t go alone.image

The Superstition Mountain Range along with Arizona’s other amazing natural attractions have seen enough tragic loss of life. Come visit the desert safely.

Check out HikeArizona.com for great info regarding the trails.