went up to the mcdowell mountains again this morning
started just before sunrise for an over and back on sunrise
shaded for most of the ascent
hit the peak on the way over
a lot more people on the east side
always a nice hike, even if it's not thanksgiving ;)

After six years I finally got invited to the Annual HAZ Turkey Trot

Famous Denny Quote wrote:not every pumpkin hike has to be twenty miles

So I opted for the sensible shorter version

12 years since I hiked Sunrise from 128th. 2029 penciled in!

Great to see everyone!

Another Thanksgiving morning hike to feel like we earned a little of the calories we are going to consume. Always enjoy this one and more so with my son and some friends. Cheers to LP and to a full recovery I hope you are able to join us next year. Thanks to all who joined me . Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

sunrise over and back with the boys
7th time for denny and i
jj's sixth, bob and lil d's third, first time for joe
johnlp is on sabbatical this year
bob caught us just before the peak, which we hit on the way
joe and bob headed back after the peak
started just after 0630, which is when the gate is scheduled to open
usually we wait a few minutes, but today it was already open
warmest temps in the seven years
a lot of people hiking, especially on the east side
nice to see everyone again
happy thanksgiving, y'all!

Sixth annual Thanksgiving day hike. Over and back on Sunrise trail hitting the peak on the first ascent. Special guest appearance from lindaagm, and second cameo from BobP. Very enjoyable hike as always. Everyone on the trails is a little more relaxed on this day. Thanks all, I appreciate your company.

JJ invited me along for the group's annual Turkey Day hike. I was free this morning (no major hosting duties for me today, yay!), so I was able to join in on the fun. We started just after 6:30, and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on our way uphill. Very windy this morning, but not too cold. There were plenty of people on the peak, so we stayed up there just long enough for some pics, then headed down the other side. Took a quick break at the 145th St trailhead, then headed back up. Lots of people on the trail at this point, but everyone was cheerful and friendly. Once we were back on the downhill side, it was an easy walk back to the cars. Fun hike this morning, and nice to see everyone again!

It's that time of year again. A thanksgiving am hike before Family,Feast,and Football. We hit the trail a little after 6:30am. A little cool and a lot windy . It seems people were out earlier this year as the summit had more people than normal this early. I always enjoy this one and the company was top notch. Always an extra bonus when I get to hike with my son . Thanks to everyone that joined in. Like HAZ, . Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

sixth time we've done sunrise over and back thanksgiving morning
perfect distance and elevation gain for a holiday hike
started when the gate opened
warmer temps than usual but quite breezy at the saddle and summit
more people on top than i've ever seen; usually see only one or two others before starting down the east side
jj's a regular, lil d comes half the time, linda joined in today and we met bob as we topped out on the return
nice to see y'all again
going with my route scout stats
almost doubled my aeg for the month with this hike
felt good after recent back problems - be nice to keep it that way
good times indeed

Thought it would be appropriate to make today's sunrise hike up Sunrise Peak. First time up to the McDowell Mountain area and wish I brought a mountain bike instead. The trail was a steady incline up to a couple saddles and then a short spur up to the peak. Nothing too strenuous. Got passed by a dozen of mountain bikers on the more level stretches and then I passed them all on the uphill sections when they were walking their bikes up. We leapfrogged like this 4 times on the way up to the last saddle. It wasn't a big deal and everyone was very nice, it was just a hassle stopping to hold the dog every time they passed. I thought with this much bike traffic, it would be cool if they had a bike rack near the top to park so one could hike the short trail up to the peak. Sure enough there was one up there! (Probably for horses, but who's counting?!) On the summit, the views to the east to Fountain Hills were nice, also it was cool to have a different angle to see the valley from. Overall not too impressed with the area. The trail was kind of lame, It felt like ok here's the path, here's the top, now go back, ho hum.. No real impressive views during the hike either, but this is a large preserve, so I am not giving up on it yet! I am glad to see this area finally, will have to come back sometime to explore some more ...with a mountain bike.

needed a double digit training hike with some aeg, not on south mountain
started from lost dog trailhead, went up to sunrise peak, down to 145th street and back
then took ringtail to the jeep trail, and lost dog to taliesen overlook
lost dog back to the trailhead
didn't know if anyone had a track for the new nature trail, so i finished with that - it's cute
saw maybe 15 hikers and three mountain bikers - no one on the west side of sunrise, old jeep or ringtail
83 degrees when i started, 91 at the finish and quite humid
cloud cover for most of sunrise and a good breeze all morning
always enjoy sunrise peak and the east side views