Hiking Pass Mountain...

On Saturday morning the alarm buzzed at 5:00 a.m. I did not want to get up. After a few snoozes I awoke and started preparing my camelback. Shit...I had forgotten to shave my legs. Oh well, it's going to be hot. I'm wearing shorts anyway. I started getting ready for the hike. As you know Sam backed out on Wednesday, so it was just me and Michael.

We piled all of our gear in the car and began the drive to the Usery Mountain Park. We usually go trail riding there, but today we were trying something new. Michael had told me that he tried to bike Pass Mountain, but it was a bitch to bike. He had decided that we should try to hike it. It's a 7.1 mile hike with a 700 foot incline. That didn't sound too daunting to me. I walk almost 4 miles each day, so I felt ready for the distance. I was kind of concerned about the terrain, because of my back and my knee. I didn't know how they were going to handle such an uneven path.

We arrived at the base of the mountain and lathered ourselves with sunblock 50. We learned our lesson from the bike ride at Grace's. Michael had read that traveling clockwise around the mountain was a better hike, so that's what we did.

Upon setting out we were greeted with beautiful cactus blooms. A few moments later we heard rustling in the brush. A wimpy, little lizard scurried across our path. He was so cute. We were about a fourth of the way around the mountain when I noticed what looked like day-glo yellow spray paint on some rocks. After further inspection we determined it was moss...yes bright yellow moss. It's amazing how the Arizona sun affects things. When I think of moss, I think of a dark, hunter green color.

About half way around there was a huge ravine and I tried not to look down. When I looked up I could see the city bustling in the distance. All of the sudden there were other hikers coming our way. As we passed each other we exchanged pleasantries. One hiker said that we looked hot and that lots of shade lay ahead of us. I told him he had lots of lizards coming his way. He laughed and remarked how tasty lizards are. Everyone we encountered seemed giddy with being in nature.

We must have been almost three fourths of the way around the mountain when Michael started to remark how surprised he was that I was bounding around like a school girl. I took point the whole way too. Just after that I stumbled over a rock and fell. I broke my fall with my hands and left side of my body. I felt like such an ass. A bit less boundy and slightly bloody, I returned to our hiking and pleasantries.

As we approached the finish of our hike we saw two beautiful horses descending a small ravine on our path. We stepped aside and watched as they past, their coats glistening in the morning sun. I couldn't help thinking about horseback riding with my father as a child.

We made it. We finished the hike in about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We had a great time doing it. We took pictures throughout the hike, they are here. We're already planning the next hike...