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Joel and I hiked Picacho Peak (left) yesterday, which is a tall and pointed that sits
adjacent to I-10 between Tucson and Phoenix. |
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There are two routes to Picacho Peak and we took the shorter
and steeper route to the saddle of the mountain before the ascent that included some scrambling and use of metal ropes. |
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This trail has quite a few steep areas, including this stretch about halfway in our journey. |
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As we continued to head upward, I turned back to get a good
perspective photo of people walking, saguaros and the massive cliff to the right. |
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Past the saddle, you'll begin to have some really beautiful views of
Arizona's desert beauty and mountains to the west. |
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There are plenty of saguaros on this trail. Here are three! :)
My other saguaro pages:
Gates Pass (Tucson)
Tall Saguaro
Saguaros Around Tucson
Saguaro in Saguaro National Park East
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As we hiked along some cliffs, we noticed saguaros
and barrel cacti growing perilously close to the edge ... sometimes even on the side of
cliffs! (Right photo: A large red-thorned golden barrel cactus.) |
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Getting closer to the summit, I got a shot of Joel amidst
these saguaros. He was usually ahead of me during the hike! :p) |
| There are a few areas requiring the uses of metal ropes and fences! :) |
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At the summit of Picacho Peak, altitude 3,374 feet!
This is my last weekend in Arizona before returning back to Colorado, and this adventure had it all: Saguaros,
Arizona desert scenery and the opportunity to stand on a mountain's summit. What a day!
The adjacent photos were all taken at the summit. Photo #1 is myself with the Santa Catalina Mountains
and I-10 (heading towards Tucson) in the background. Photo #2 is the view looking down towards the Picacho Peak State Park grounds.
Photo #3 is a great one of Joel looking out towards the sun to the west. Photo #4 is the view to the north;
Note the grayish hue where the sky meets the land, which is the smog of the Phoenix area.
Photo #5 is the view towards the west while doing my best to block off the sun. |
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Two final photos. One is me scrambling down during the decent and special thanks to Joel (right),
a really tough 40-something who loves the desert, hot weather and the Arizona Cardinals. Special
thanks to Joel for his generosity in putting me up while in Tucson and for taking me on some great Arizona adventures. Here are just a few:
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Chiricahua National Monument (Snow in Arizona)
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