Picacho Peak - May 16, 2010

Even though I do fly, I don't usually go into detail about weekends when I'm hanging out with Babe since we usually chill at home, but this time, we actually ventured out of doors.  This calls for a blog entry!

Due to Arizona's budget crisis, the state government decided to shut down many of the state parks this year.  Picacho Peak State Park is scheduled to be closed early June and the hike to the top of the peak is one of Babe's favorites, so we made a trip out there.

Picacho means "peak" in Spanish, so the name is redundant.  Peak Peak.  Haha.  It reminds me of the movie "Mickey Blue Eyes" with Hugh Grant and "The La Trattoria".

It took about half an hour to drive there, going through a bunch of small towns.  I think time forgot them.  I don't know what people do for a living and how they survive.  Someone was selling wilting potted plants out of a beat-up white van at the crossroads of two lonely highways.  There were dollar stores across the street from each other.  A "swap meet" sign stood in the front yard of someone's home, with folding tables littered with assorted knick-knacks, but neither customers nor sellers in sight.  Makes you totally grateful for what you have. 

We arrive at the perfect time for a hike...at 12pm.  In Arizona.  Is the hot tea "hot hot hot"?  That's okay, we packed a ton of water, Gatorade, and snacks.  He got to carry it all.  :)  Fortunately he did because my stamina isn't as good as his.  We had to stop a few times for me to catch my breath.  The "Hunter Trail" gains 1780 feet in 2.1 miles...pretty steep.  (my calves are still sore as I write this)  He thought we'd only make it up to the saddle, halfway to the peak.  He underestimated my determination.  Plus, I wanted to do the cables.  We brought gloves to improve the grip.  There were sections that were just crazy as you can see in the pictures.  But finishers are rewarded with a 360 degree view of the desert and cactus forest.   There weren't too many people on the trail so when we reached the peak, we had it to ourselves.  We took a short snack break before heading back down.  After coming down the steepest portion of the cables, we ran into a family of four heading up.  The children looked to be around 8-10 years old.  What troopers!  The parents must have no worries.  I think most of my friends with kids wouldn't take them on this hike until they were teenagers.

This hike was definitely challenging but lots of fun because of the rock climbing aspects.  There were portions that you had to walk on railroad ties.  If there wasn't any fencing, you could fall straight down if you weren't careful.  Because the trail went uphill and downhill getting to the peak, returning back to the car also required effort.  This is why my calves are burning!  The cables on this trail makes Half Dome seem elementary (not counting the smooth rock face at Half Dome nor the flimsy cables that want to break away...).  It was good experience for when we are climbing Half Dome this Labor Day weekend.  Yup, another trip in the works.  I secured reservations at Upper Pines plus Half Dome permits.  (permits are required for 2010 during the busy summer season)  I had to wake up at 7am on the first day of availability to do it, both times interrupting my Saturday morning beauty sleep!

After our hike, I wanted to hug a cactus, so we drove around the park to find a decent looking one with lots of arms.  (unfortunately the arms don't show in my picture)  It takes years and years to grow an arm.  Notice I didn't get super close to it.  A bit prickly!

The hike took about three hours (not counting breaks) round trip, which translates to around 1000 calories burned!  I was ecstatic.  I remembered seeing a McDonald's on the interstate, so we shared a double cheeseburger (that second piece of cheese makes a big difference!) and we each had a regular-sized Oreo McFlurry.   McFlurry's have a ton of calories...over 550 for a regular size, ouch!  But as everyone says, it tastes great after you've earned it!

Little less than two weeks until Maui!  I finally traded a timeshare week yesterday, which is pretty last-minute, even for me.  I was holding out for a two- or three-bedroom villa in the new towers at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club with a Saturday check-in to show up in the timeshare exchange database.  A two-bedroom did appear, but with a Friday check-in, so I passed on it.  I eventually lowered my standards to a one-bedroom villa with Saturday check-in, but nothing.  Then yesterday morning, a one-bedroom at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas appeared but with a Friday check-in.  I'm still holding out for a Saturday check-in.  I don't bother booking it and it disappears.  It shows up again at lunchtime, and I realized that this was the place I really wanted to try out, because I had stayed at the Marriott last time I was in Maui, albeit in the older towers.  So I booked it!  The Friday night is wasted, but for the last night, I'm planning to book one night in a hotel in Hana, to reduce the pain of the drive.  It takes three or more hours to get there from West Maui one way (depending on how many times you stop along the way to take in the scenery).  Staying in Hana means the return trip doesn't happen until the next day, plus it allows time to do more sightseeing in the area instead of cutting the day short to do the three hour drive back.  So it all worked out in the end.  I'm looking forward to experience the Westin "Heavenly Bed and Bath".  The beach in front of the resort is supposed to have great snorkeling.  I think the property is also near where my friend Jennifer is staying (we are vacationing the same week!).  By the way, timesharing is great.  I'll blog about how to get the most out of timesharing in the near future.