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Phoenix 7 Summit Challenge, AZ
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| Hiking | 22.76 Miles |
5,528 AEG |
| | Hiking | 22.76 Miles | 8 Hrs 25 Mns | | 2.75 mph |
| 5,528 ft AEG | 8 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Phoenix 7 Summit Challenge (2nd time): Begin at 0500, and complete 7 hikes for a total of 22.8 miles with AEG of 5600 feet within 12 hours.
1) Sidewinder to Ridgeback Overlook (2.85 miles, 483 feet AEG, 44 minutes): Began at 0520. Many people had started at 0430, and a number of them were finishing as I was starting. Completely dark except for the headlamps. Flat for almost a mile, then a nice ascent to the peak, then back down. Nice warmup, fun.
2) Lookout Mountain Summit (2.89 miles, 640 feet AEG, 53 minutes): Flat / mediocre for the first mile, then more interesting after that as the slope increased. The last 200m consisted of light scrambling to reach the peak. This was fun.
3) VOAZ peak from Dreamy Draw Trailhead (3.14 miles, 537 feet AEG, 52 minutes): First 200m on concrete walkway. Some nice views of the surrounding peaks. The official route was not marked, and there were multiple forks, so there was occasional confusion about which way to go, but we figured it out. This felt a lot shorter than it was, and felt like we reached the "peak" quickly. This was fun too.
4) Piestewa Peak (2.33 miles, 1151 feet AEG, 84 minutes): Better than last year. Just kept climbing up, stopped at the top for about 5 minutes. My knees were feeling it on the way down. This area was supposed to be closed off for the event, and parking was no problem, but there were still many people on the trail.
5) Las Lomitas Trail to Ranger Summit (3.62 miles, 940 feet AEG, 74 minutes): Las Lomitas trail was boring. Ranger Trail became interesting with decent views after it crossed the road and began climbing. There were great views at the top. Made some new friends on this one.
6) Alta Trail (3.28 miles, 786 feet AEG, 72 minutes): The official starting point was not at the trailhead but further back on the road. This one had a number of switchbacks, and felt a LOT longer than it actually was. The views were decent.
7) Holbert Trail (4.65 miles, 991 feet AEG, 126 minutes): This one was fun, with good views along the way, some mini scrambling, and a lot of people (many of whom were doing the 4 or 5 summit challenge). Good vibes all around.
There was also a total of over 2 hours of driving between trailheads. The sky was overcast most of the day. Overall a fun day and a good challenge. Hamstrings were pretty sore at the end. Spent about 10 minutes at the festival afterward, enough to pick up our free food/drink, then head back home to the shower and hot tub. |
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Route Editor
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- not fun). Ate my lunch at the San Juan lookout, then headed north to Ma Ha Tuak Perimeter trail. There was a nice breeze that kept it cool and comfortable. As the trail got closer to the 202 freeway that breeze turned into a stiff headwind that tried to take my hat. All day there were times with no wind when it was hot, and strong wind when it felt cold. On average it was pretty comfortable. 
