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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
Route Scout
Route 
. Anyway, I parked below the TH and hiked clockwise. The Brittlebush seems to be blooming in sections so I photographed it as I wrapped around the mountain. 
). And so up I went. I forgot how straight up and long this hill was. Some quail distracted me for a few moments so I tried to get a couple pictures; but wish I had my regular camera that was sitting on my desk at home. The quail were very active throughout my climbing and hike today. I just kept trudging upward and upward taking some use trails next to the scree-filled area that is now somewhat rutted. I was glad to get to the top and took a quick look around. I did eye the next level that you can take straight up the side to the Lookout Summit. I think I tried that once and decided it was too tricky.
. I said that wasn't Humphreys and yes I had climbed Humphreys years ago, ha! I got up to the summit and said, "yep, I still got it." I saw a jug of water with three roses next to the summit pole and as I looked over the top I smelled... you know, the thing. She was coughing so I hope she got over it. ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
. I came down what is considered the actual Circumference Trail and then hooked up with the bottom part of my northwest loop back to Tonto. I was proud that I could still do that scrambling. I've always really liked it; except for the down part. The quail were quite active on this part of the hike and I saw another rabbit, the second of the day. 
