Dutchman to Coffee Flats

The Superstition Mountains is our most favorite place to hike in the area. The Peralta Trail is probably the best trail and, for visitors interested in a moderate hike, it's where we take them.

Our second favorite is the Dutchman Trail which starts at the same trailhead as Peralta. The Dutchman leads into a large canyon area and then connects with several other trails allowing for a long hike in the back country or a shorter out/back trip. Whatever your heart desires.

Today we opted to go to the Coffee Flats trail junction and then take the trail to Coffee Flats. We've hiked the trail to the junction several times before but have usually chosen to head farther East to Whiskey Springs and LaBarge Canyon.  This time we took a new route and headed more south to Coffee Flats.

The route was very similar to the Dutchman Trail. I was surprised to see how much the slight elevation change made in the view of the canyon. It really impressed me on just how large the Superstition area is.  We haven't made a dent in exploring all the trails.

Below is a video of our hike. We ended up going about 6.75 miles in 3.75 hours. Not a fast hike but it let us know where are strengths/weaknesses are as we train for the Grand Canyon in just three short weeks.  Yikes!

Bike Ride Weather

When the summer heat breaks and double digits return, neighborhoods come alive again. People in the Valley are out walking, running, biking, hiking, blading, just having fun. It's the same in the Midwest after a long winter. Everyone's breaking out.

Yesterday Papa and I went on a 41.5 mile bike ride.  Destination was our son's house and a little help on a backyard project there. The twist to the normal bike ride was to take our 50 pound black lab mix 'child' with us.

Star is a runner.  She runs two-three miles every day alongside the bike. She normally keeps between and 8-12 mph pace. Yesterday was a challenge because the distance was too great for her to run the entire way. She would need to be compliant to ride in the trailer a good amount of the trip. (see video below)

Well, Star did pretty well. She only tried to escape from the trailer a few times. She did whine most of the time in the trailer, however. She ended up running about 12 miles at various times during the trip in short spurts.

Today, Star is a very tired dog.  She slept all night and this morning she's not under our feet begging for her morning run. We think it'll be a quiet Sunday at our house.

For Papa and I, we're not experiencing any residual aches or tiredness. If anything, maybe a slight headache, sign of a little dehydration which is understandable. It was definitely a fun thing to do!

Beautiful Easter Weekend

Perfect. Paradise. Beautiful. That only starts to describe Easter weekend 2010. To celebrate the holiday weekend, Papa and I decided to enjoy the gorgeous weather Saturday by spending the entire day on a bike trip around the East Valley. The highlights: enjoying brunch with our son and his fiancee and soaking up the beautiful flowers at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Training? Yes, we took a break from hiking but still stayed active. This week we biked approximately 75 miles and walked 13 miles. The next couple weeks we will be focusing on the 4.2 mile Pat's Run training. Then it's back to training for the Grand Canyon for the remaining six weeks.

Back to Saturday. The Desert Botanical Garden is always a beautiful place to visit, but in the spring it's exceptional. The wildflowers are breathtaking, the birds are chirping, the butterflies fluttering, nature is exploding with beauty. Words can't adequately describe but hopefully these pictures and the video below capture some of the wonder we were blessed to experience.

Saturday summary:

• 16 miles (bike)
  
• Brunch with son/fiancee
  
• 9 miles (bus)
  
• 2.5 miles (bike)
  
• 2 miles (walk-we covered all trails @ Garden)
  
• 2.5 miles (bike)
  
• 3 miles (light rail)
  
• 16 miles (bike)

Did We Conquer?

The Dutchman Loop. There are different routes possible using the name Dutchman Loop. Some do a shorter loop taking Bluff Springs to Terrapin and back. We opted for the longest trail, as highlighted on the map (click on map to enlarge).  It was about 18 miles total distance and an estimated cumulative elevation of 4,500 ft. (see video at end of blog for complete summary-click 720P in lower right for best video).

Four years ago we attempted this loop trail, but several things went wrong. This time, we wanted to conquer the trail. Did we?

Let's evaluate:

Description	2006	2010
Water	Ran out just over halfway	Returned home with just over 1L remaining
Electrolytes	What's that?	Several powdered drinks, mixed & enjoyed at breaks
Dog	Pup, 35 lbs. Ended up carrying	Dog, 50 lbs. Stayed at home
Food	Ran out	Good variety, plenty left.
Breaks	Long hike, kept pushing	Every two hours at least 15 min. Had 'blanket' so we could lay down, rest
Directions	Wrong turn, got on undeveloped trail (lost)	Planned route w/ times, watched trail carefully. Notified people of times and plan for backup
Completion	Almost lost sunlight. No flashlight	Started early with headlamps, done before sunset

Papa and I feel pretty good that we conquered, however, it certainly isn't the ultimate conquest. Today, the day after the hike, we are tired and can feel the effect the mountains had on us. The mountains, the desert are still forces to be respected.

What we've learned:

• always take more water than you think you'll need (about .5L for every 2-3miles)
• for longer hikes, have powdered drink mixes to replace electrolytes
• pack an all-weather light weight blanket. Great way to lay out an relax & provide rain protection and/or warmth, if needed
• bring extra pair of socks. We changed socks about 2/3 of the way through. Big help for feet!
• pack a variety of foods: protein, carbs, salty, sugar.
• plan the hike before leaving. Know waypoints and determine approximate times to reach. Provides motivation and gives someone at home a reference point if help is needed.

Now the trip (with our best time/distance estimates):
5:45am  At trailhead. This was about 45 minutes later than planned but still early. The sun was just starting to break the solid darkness yet we needed our headlamps to begin.

7:00am  2.2 miles   Coffee Flat Trail junction. This is one of our favorite day hikes.  It's a quick in/out trail that is relatively easy and, especially in the spring, is beautiful with wildflowers and lots of mountains and rock formations. There is a great little sitting area at the junction perfect for a picnic before heading back...or in our case continuing.

8:15am   3.6 miles  Whiskey Springs Trail junction. About 1/4 of the trip so good place to take a 10-15 min break. There are approximately 10 switchbacks to reach this point so there is a grade. It's not real steep, but it's constant and it seems like it takes a long time to get to the trailhead. From here you'll descend into the back country/LaBarge Canyon.

9:15am   4.8 miles  Bluff Springs. We continued through this junction on our way to the next one.

10:40am 6.0 miles  Red Tanks Trail.  We stopped just past the trail junction and had lunch next to a little stream. It was a very relaxing spot. A group we met said that they were at 8 miles at this point. Our GPS app on the iPhone was spotty so we don't have definite mileage.

11:35am  7.3miles  Peter's Trail. Definitely getting back into the wilderness area. Beautiful mountains and lots of water flowing. When we did this hike four years ago, it was dry, completely dry. This year we crossed streams and heard water running several times during the hike.

12:30pm  8.8miles Cavalry Trail. We're halfway. The mountains are beautiful with brightly colored layers of rock...yellows, pinks, greens, salmon and more. Haven't seen this coloring anywhere else. (pictures and video do not do it justice)

12:50pm  9.6miles  Bull Pass Trail. We noted but we kept moving.

1:20pm   10.4 miles  Terrapin Trail. This is where we made our near-fatal mistake four years ago. The trail guide we'd printed from trails.com said to "keep left" at this point.  Left meant going onto Terrapin Trail. Terrapin is not maintained. In areas you can loose the trail completely.  Somehow we did it and made it back to our car, but both Papa and I agree that Terrapin was our downfall. This time we laughed at Terrapin and continued on Dutchman. What a blessing. Dutchman is a breathtakingly beautiful trail!

2:25pm   11.4 miles  Peralta Canyon Trail. We're so thankful that we did this loop again. We feel much better and more confident that we can conquer the trail. We are, however, starting the longest and steepest grade of the entire loop. We stopped for a good 15 minute break (changed our socks and let the feet be free of shoes for a bit) and then started the long ascent to Freemont Saddle passing Weaver's Needle on the west side.

5:30pm   15.6 miles   Freemont Saddle. We did it.  We're tired, our feet hurt. Our pace slowed as we approached the saddle but we didn't stop. This is an accomplishment. Rhythmic breathing and rest steps provided the balance so we could make it up the approximate 10% grade.  At Freemont we took our last break to rest and hydrate before the 2.3 mile descent on Peralta Trail.

6:30pm   17.9 miles  The Trailhead.  Success.  We made it to the car before the sun was down. We were tired but that's expected.  We still had food and water.

Remember, this isn't recommended as a day hike; this is a 2-3 day backpacking trip.

This is, however, good training for the Canyon.  The first day at the Canyon on the North Kaibab trail, we will go about 17 miles (with side trip to Ribbon Falls) and about 6,000 feet down.  The trip out on Bright Angel Trail will be about 8 miles and 4,400 ft. approximately. We will need to be ready.

Camelback - Cholla Trail

After last week's climb and the resulting sore thigh muscles, which took a few days to recover, Papa and I were a little concerned about doing another "strenuous" trail again. Camelback, the Cholla Trail, is about 1.4 miles and 1,280 ft. one way. The first part of the hike isn't too bad. The second part has climbing involved but not as vertical as Flat Iron.

Star went with us on this hike. This is the most challenging hike that she'll probably do. She did great on the way up but had a couple stumbles on steep sections going down. As a result, our normally black dog was very brown by the time we got home requiring an immediate bath. Today, she's a very mellow dog, resting from her adventure.

First, some observations:

• The Cholla Trail is extremely popular. Since we stop with the dog whenever we meet people (as a courtesy since some people aren't real dog friendly), we made very frequent stops, so hiking was slow. 
• It was also pretty windy in sections which provided nice relief from the heat. 
• We were very amazed at how many people we saw with ONE bottle of water for the hike. The more we hike, the more we understand the rescue stories in the news; people do not respect the mountains/desert.

The first part of the hike is relatively easy. This would be rated a "moderate" hike up to the saddle. There are steps but they can be handled without hiking poles or scrambling. From the trail the Phoenician Resort is visible on the south side.  (remember, click on any picture to see larger view/more detail)

The open area at the saddle provided views of ASU, Papago Buttes, downtown Phoenix to the south and Paradise Valley and mountain ranges to the north. The views are really spectacular.

As we looked up the trail, the grade appeared to increase but it didn't look far to the crest so we continued. What we didn't realize, since this was our first attempt at Camelback, is that there is a ridge that hides the final crest.  The ascent between this ridge and the top is the steepest ascent with a couple short, 2-3 feet, vertical climbs.

We did it. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the top and soaked in the views. Star was very happy to share a little of our sandwiches (we'll remember to bring her treats in the future) and just relax. This was a perfect outing for her.  (yellow area in the back of the picture points to the Superstition Mountains and where we were last week)

One of the best things about hiking is the people. We met people from all over the country and shared wonderful stories. Our round trip took us nearly five hours but we probably had an hour at the top and spent a lot of time talking with people whom we knew or just met along the way. What fun!

The people, being outdoors and getting exercise are what Papa and I enjoy about hiking together. The reward, however, are the views. This is a composite picture of the view to the west/southwest from the top of Camelback.

Click here for this week's video of our hike. Remember to change to 720p in the lower right section of the You Tube screen, for a better quality video.

Today, the day after the hike, Papa and I are not feeling any discomfort. That is encouraging. We still have 10 weeks...or ONLY 10 weeks...until the Grand Canyon R2R hike. We are confident we will be able to do the hike. We've researched the corridor trails and confirmed they do not involve any vertical climbs, just challenging grades/switchbacks. All we need to do now is increase our aerobic capacity and keep up the training. We will continue to hike each week and, as we have last week and this, will carry the full packs we will use in the Canyon to get accustomed to the extra weight.

Next week we relive the greatest hiking challenge of our lives. Four years ago on Palm Sunday, Papa and I set out to do a loop hike in the back country of Superstition Mountains. Star was a pup and went with us. We ran out of water, Star refused to continue and we had to carry her, and we got lost. We finally got back to our car with just a sliver of daylight on the horizon and no flashlight with us. It was as close as we ever want to come to a hiking disaster. Next week, we will retrace our steps...without Star, with much more water, better map/compass, and starting earlier in the day with our headlamps. We will conquer our greatest challenge to date. Check back next week!

Flat Iron (Siphon Draw)

This is one of those hikes (climbs) that stays in your memory. For individuals who enjoy climbing this is a delight. Our guides, Mark and Ron, are just those individuals and had both done this trip several times in the past couple months. Our friend, Dan, was on his first adventure but also seemed ready for the climb.

After a short distance, we asked them to go ahead of us.  I, Nana, learned I am a "Sunday afternoon hiker." I like to take my time, talk with others on the trail and soak in everything. I was surprised how much trying to stay with the group affected me, triggering my asthma and really stressing me.  Once they went ahead, it was much more relaxing. Nothing that they did for sure. Don't know if it's competitiveness or being a little introverted or what, but I do like the almost private, intimate hiking experience. This was an interesting thing to learn. I am glad now that Papa and I are doing the Grand Canyon together and not in a group.

The other good thing about this adventure was learning about where we need to work on conditioning for the next 11 weeks.  Overall, both Papa and I are doing well the day after this hike/climb. Our area of soreness is in the upper thighs. Of course, the aerobic side needs work and Nana needs another 20 lbs. off too. This is good motivation to get those things covered in the weeks ahead.

The Siphon Draw trail up to the stream is relatively well maintained. It was an ascent but it was good hiking. This is a trail that we would possibly do again or take adventure loving guests with us.

After the slide rock area (Siphon Springs) is where the climb started, which is well-described in the links below. Although there are pretty good hand/foot holds, they aren't well-spaced for vertically challenged legs. I found myself several times on the way up having to climb with one knee in order to scale the vertical distance. This made it interesting on the way back down, lowering myself to one knee in order to reach far enough with my other leg to get that foot on the rock below. Thankfully Papa was a good spotter during these balancing feats.

The most challenging of the climbs is a 12 ft. vertical wall just before reaching Flat Iron. There is a tree to one side which many people used to climb the wall. We happened upon the area when a man was coming down and took the other side of the wall with a very narrow (less than a foot wide) ledge.

As you ascend on the narrow ledge on the right side, you have to straddle an opening about 8-10 ft. straight down and about 2.5 ft wide to make an L-shape turn to a wider ledge to finish the last couple feet up the wall. Going up was scary but I did it.  On the descent, I had a crowd of about 8 people watching. It must have been quite the show as I was nearly in tears and begged Papa to help watch my footing and guide me (he went down first). I heard encouragement from the group. Hikers are the nicest people!

By the time we got through the second vertical wall (this one a little less challenging, but still challenging), my legs were feeling tired. I also neglected to wear my gel toes which meant my toes were jamming into the top of my shoes causing pain to the toe nails.  (Note to self: always remember the gel toes when hiking! Papa had his and had no discomfort at all.) Those two items meant that a good portion of the downhill trek to the slide rock, I lowered myself to my bottom and slid down rocks to secure footing. Great ab workout. I'm sure it was another comical sight for onlookers, too.

We met one man on the way down who was also doing the bottom-scooting routine, although not as frequently as I did. He, however, didn't have gloves and his hands/palms were scraped and bleeding. We were SO thankful we read about the hike/climb and purchased the recommended hiking gloves. (Dan also encouraged us to have gloves.  Thanks Dan!) They were a blessing on this trip.

All-in-all, a very good adventure. I'm glad I did it once, but can honestly say that I'm not motivated by that degree of climbing. A little is good, but 12 ft. vertical climbs are not appealing to me. I'm not really afraid of heights, yet I did have a couple dreams last night about falling that woke me up. Guess you could say I have a healthy respect for the potential dangers of heights and falling on hard, jagged rocks.

We are doing more research on the corridor trails at the Grand Canyon. Although there are sections of the trails rated "strenuous" like this trail, I don't believe they involve climbing like this. The Canyon's strenuous trails are more steep elevation changes with switchbacks I believe. Again, we will be looking into this and making sure. This was about a 5-6 mile round trip with 45 degree or greater ascent/descent on a rocky path. We would not want to do 14-17 miles at the Canyon in a day in those conditions. Again, we're nearly certain it's not, since most of the trail is marked as moderate or even easy, but we will make sure. Better safe than sorry.

Another thing to learn before the Grand Canyon: Working with FlipVideo to get some good footage of our adventure. This is just the second week of working with the software and it's getting there; learned how to add captions this week. I'll keep working on it.  This week's video adventure.

Additional links/blogs about Siphon Draw/Flatiron:
http://hikingarizona.blogspot.com/
http://www.azhikers.org/
http://www.dankat.com/

I Like To Ride My Bicycle

This week we were on our bikes.  Each of us commuted to work two days this week plus our Saturday adventure was a bike ride around Tempe Town Lake (more below).  Nana rode a total of 46 miles, walked 13 miles and 30 minutes of weight training. Papa rode about 49 miles, walked 10 miles and 30 minutes of weight training.

Weather was inspirational this week with temps in the 70's and sunny skies. People are walking, running, biking, roller blading on the trails. It's contagious to see all the activity.

Saturday we explored Tempe Town Lake on bike. All the winter rains have the lake, which is the Salt River dammed to create the lake, over capacity. This means that water is being released at the end of the lake allowing the Salt River to flow.

We started by biking the route for Pat's Run. This 4.2 mile is near Tempe Town Lake and the Arizona State University campus/football stadium. Easy bike ride. Will be a more challenging run/walk in six weeks though.

We continued our ride back to Tempe Beach Park to enjoy a picnic under the railroad bridges. One bridge for the train; the second for the light rail. Between trains, airplanes from Sky Harbor, military jets and helicopters, car traffic we got the full "planes, trains and automobiles" sensory experience.

After the lunch we rode the path around the Lake (video below-about 7 min. long). The trail was busy. The Marina was busy with a Rowing event. It was a fun day just feeling alive with all the activity outdoors in the perfect weather.

Next week: Hiking for Saturday's adventure. As green as the mountains are turning, the desert has to be exploding with color.  Can't wait!