Paul and I decided to "go for the gusto" and hike to the top of Picacho Peak today, instead of doing a smaller hike today, and then tackling the peak tomorrow. It probably wasn't the best idea, since neither of us has done anything physical in almost two months. We started out early, at about 10 am, and the weather was gorgeous- low 70s. As I was walking behind Paul, my thoughts wandered, and I started thinking about my "rules" for hiking. First thing is, never make the backpack so heavy that Paul will need a break from carrying it. Plus, I usually let Paul lead for two reasons- he is more experienced, but also, when I get really tired, I just follow exactly where his feet went, no thinking involved. My first rule and most important one, is to always take a picture of the map at the beginning of the trail, if there is one. The only place we actually
bought trail maps was Big Bend because we were doing a ton of hiking there. The books are usually $12, so it isn't usually worth it, but if I take a picture of the trail, I can refer to it, and not have to carry anything!
Today was a strenuous 5 mile hike, with a 2 mile walk back to the truck, since we went up the Sunset Trail and down Hunter trail (elevation 3375 ft/1685 ft gain). I was really excited about this hike because its the first time I have done a hike that required cables. The first 2 miles were fairly easy, but the last mile was more like rock climbing, with lots of cables and very steep drop offs. We really had a blast, but were completely exhausted afterwards.
Once we trudged back to the truck, we went to see if we could find nearby groceries. We didn't, but we did find a Dairy Queen, so life is good.
Back at the campsite we sat outside with a nice fire and a nice drink and watched the sunset. We cooked hamburgers and ate them outside by the fire before heading in for the night.
Paul and I decided to "go for the gusto" and hike to the top of Picacho Peak today, instead of doing a smaller hike today, and then tackling the peak tomorrow. It probably wasn't the best idea, since neither of us has done anything physical in almost two months. We started out early, at about 10 am, and the weather was gorgeous- low 70s. As I was walking behind Paul, my thoughts wandered, and I started thinking about my "rules" for hiking. First thing is, never make the backpack so heavy that Paul will need a break from carrying it. Plus, I usually let Paul lead for two reasons- he is more experienced, but also, when I get really tired, I just follow exactly where his feet went, no thinking involved. My first rule and most important one, is to always take a picture of the map at the beginning of the trail, if there is one. The only place we actually bought trail maps was Big Bend because we were doing a ton of hiking there. The books are usually $12, so it isn't usually worth it, but if I take a picture of the trail, I can refer to it, and not have to carry anything! 
Today was a strenuous 5 mile hike, with a 2 mile walk back to the truck, since we went up the Sunset Trail and down Hunter trail (elevation 3375 ft/1685 ft gain). I was really excited about this hike because its the first time I have done a hike that required cables. The first 2 miles were fairly easy, but the last mile was more like rock climbing, with lots of cables and very steep drop offs. We really had a blast, but were completely exhausted afterwards.
10 am early? It must be nice to be retired.
ReplyDeleteum, yes, yes it is!! lol...
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