Tag Archives: hiking

Night Hiking at Squaw (Piestewa) Peak

Check out this view
 Being atop any mountain is wonderful.  At night it’s twice as nice.

Last night was my first night hike and definitely won’t be my last. We went to Squaw or Piestewa Peak mountain, located off of 24th Street & Lincoln.  My friend Leanne hikes and goes on backpacking trips often, so when she asked me to come along I was so excited. I had my flashlight in tow, but I wore my running shoes and I freakin slipped three times when we were coming down. aaaah.

Other than that – the hike was fun, peaceful, beautiful and a good time. We were able to catch up and just hang out. This pic shows me to left and Leanne to the right.

We hiked the Summit trail, which is 1.2 miles to the top. The beginning of the trail is pretty simple  but the higher up you go the trail becomes thinner and steeper making it slightly difficult. Going up is always easier than going down. For me, at least.
So back to me slipping three times. Oh my gosh, I’m pretty positive that I manifested that whole episode. I was so worried about slipping and possibly becoming one of persons who had to be rescued by helicopter – that I was soley focused on that when we were coming back down. The shoes definitely played a factor, but I think if I wasn’t thinking about slipping that it may not have happened. I also scraped my arm. (sad face)

Squaw (Piestewa) Peak is a great mountain. The Summit trail (the most popular) is extremely steep but it’s a great workout. You can feel it in your glutes and quads.  I’ve noticed that weekends at Squaw Peak are very, very busy. Tons of people. (tons of shirtless guys too!)  I recommend this mountain to anyone. They have various trails with varying levels of difficulty.  Check it out. Even try a night hike if your up to it. I don’t recommend going alone. Please take a flashlight as it’s very dark.

Phoenix is one of the Best Hiking Cities

Phoenix is listed as one of the Best U.S. Hiking Cities by National Geographic.  See the story here. Cool! I can’t say that I’m surprised that Phoenix is in the top 15. I’ve always been grateful that I can drive 20 minutes any direction and the environment will completely change. You can go from middle of the city to the top of a mountain overlooking the city in no time.

I’m not a hardcore hiker, I wouldn’t even call myself an avid hiker. I just try to be outside as much as I can when the temperature is decent here.  They say hiking is good for you right? So why not get out there and do it. For me a major plus of hiking is the view when you get to the top.   Some people hike year round. My opinion – the best time to hike is October to early May.

I got this guide a few years ago and I love it. It’s called, Hiking Phoenix: Favorite Day Hikes, by Cosmic Ray. It’s a super  cute book with illustrations of the different mountains and trails.

Cosmic Ray (the author) ranks the trails by Easy, Moderate or Hard, offers hiking tips, lists driving and parking instructions etc. I found this guide to be pretty informative and a fun read. I revisit it every know and then and when I have a hard time deciding where to hike.

Hiking is fun! Do it.