| | -
-
-
| |  |
|
1 |
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 15.45 Miles |
4,229 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.45 Miles | 6 Hrs 48 Mns | | 2.75 mph |
| 4,229 ft AEG | 1 Hour 11 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Another training hike for Mt. Whitney in July ...
My wife joined my son and me on this one. We wanted to get some elevation gain but stay relatively close to Phoenix, while also trying to get out of the heat a little bit. Mt. Ord seemed to be the best option.
First time on this trail. We were hiking by shortly after 6 a.m. and managed to catch a fair amount of shade on the way up. I actually think it was hotter on the trail at the lower elevations early in the morning than it was at the upper elevations later in the day. In any event, it was definitely warm, but not unbearable. We drank all of our water and extra Gatorades and were glad that we brought some additional cold ones that we left in a cooler in the car and enjoyed upon our return.
Hiking up an old road is not normally my idea of a good hike, but this one was quite nice. I was surprised that you don't get a glimpse of the summit and towers until a good 6.5 miles into the hike.
The views were nice, though a high pressure system was holding in a lot of haze, which obscured visibility.
Ranger Rob was kind enough to extend an invite up the tower upon our arrival at the summit, and we of course took him up on the offer. The views from the tower were great, even if the mesh, metal flooring and additional wind made my wife a bit nervous 
After soaking in the views, we ate lunch and made our return trip without incident. Other than two groups that drove up to the top and passed us while we were on our way down, we only encountered one other person the entire day. So, the solitude factor was great.
All in all, for a 15+ mile hike with 4,000 ft. of elevation gain, this was not as difficult as expected.
I'll plan to use this as training for Rim-to-Rim in the fall (drive up to the top then hike down and back up, to mimic the canyon, with the uphill at the end).
Good day on the trails! |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
