Congratulations Arizona. You’ve finally done it. After more than a year of exploring the Grand Canyon State’s backwoods, trails and deserts Fallon and I found a hike reminiscent of Montana: a hike that was rated “difficult” and for once, actually was. Picacho Peak State Park is nestled to the west of I-10 in between Tucson and Phoenix. Barely a half hour drive from our home on the northwest side, it was an adventure I had been craving for quite some time. The views atop the monstrous peak weren’t all that appealing (it’s desert and fields in every direction) but the hike itself seemed to make up for the lack of scenery. The Hunter’s Trail wraps up the east side of the tower with the occasional wooden plank steps built in. The dirt quickly turns to rock which is where the adventure truly begins. Rebar handles and steel cables serve as handrails to lift you above the stone trail. My feet (and in certain areas, my shoulders) could barely fit between the narrow pathway scaling the hill. It wasn’t long before my calves were burning and it wasn’t the 85 degree temperatures to blame. Fallon, the marathon runner she is, took the lead and never relinquished it until the summit. As mentioned, the viewers are not what I would describe as mesmerizing but you can see for miles in every direction. We took what pictures we could, but the ratio between bugs and oxygen was a little too close for our comfort so we scaled back down. Arizona is a beautiful state and Tucson offers mountain ranges that at the very least remind us of the Treasure State, but Picacho Peak, a tower slab of stone in the middle of nowhere, is the most strenuous hike we have found so far.
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AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
April 2016
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