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| - I hiked the Cholla Trail at Camelback Mountain last Thursday. Previously, I had hiked Echo Canyon, but this was the first time I have done this hike.
I really enjoyed this hike. I did it alone due to a last minute cancellation by a friend. It was pretty strenuous since I hadn't done a hike of this magnitude in awhile and I was under a pretty strict time constraint (I had found out my kiddo was having a half day last minute).
I hiked up to the saddle and back down in about an hour and a half, with some pretty decent breaks. Next week, I plan to go up to the top.
The negatives of this hike?
It is a VERY popular trail. Even mid day during the week, the trail was very busy. At times it seemed like I was on an escalator since there were people both immediately in front of and in back of me.
Because of its popularity, parking is also an issue. You have to street park and it is quite limited. *Luckily, I am a good parallel parker so I found a spot in between two giant SUVs.
Also, lots of people bring their dogs onto this trail. I was extremely upset at how infrequently I saw people actually giving their dogs water. I offered several people water for their dogs and I was turned down every time. One guy even told me his dog "cheated and didn't go to the top so she'll be fine until she gets down." Ummm, if you are taking water breaks for yourself... your dog needs water. If you aren't... your dog still needs water.
Oh... maybe it is just me, but if you need to listen to your jam while hiking... PLEASE wear headphones. It is so inconsiderate for you to blast your music and break up the serenity for those of us who are there to appreciate nature.
The positives?
It gave me a really decent workout.
The view is spectacular!
The hike made me appreciate Arizona so much more.
All in all, I LOVED this hike. If only it were a little less busy, I would love it all the more.
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