Hiking at South Mountain

So, I have told you previously that I have been hiking with a friend, several times a week and have meant to get pictuures. Well, here are a few. We are fortunate enough to live just 5 minutes from this park, 'South Mountain Park' it is called, and so it is very convenient. In the summer time we usually go at 5 am, but in the winter it is too chilly at 5am, so we go at 8am. Much nicer. Now, those of you who live in the northern areas of the country, where you are dealing with the cold and snow, sorry....these pictures were taken a few days ago, when it was a balmy 60 degrees at 8 am. Gotta love Phoenix winters!



Above is a view from the first part of the trail.. we have about 1/2 mile of this semi-paved trail, and then it turns into dirt/rocks. The goal is the dip or bottom of the 'v' where the sky meets the mountain.




About 3/4 of the way up the mountain, I needed a breather and took this of our state plant.... the saguaro cactus. This is a fairly young one, only a couple hundred years old or so. ;-)





This is a view from the top... well, the first stop. you can continue which we do sometimes do, but lately we have stopped here and headed down. You can see the trail below. It is quite the hike, and I am surprised my heart hasn't given out yet. Apparently the more we do this, the easier it is supposed to get.... hasn't happened yet!