Tom Van Lew, Jason Van Lew, Holly Johnson, Crystal Brillhart, Bill Ruppert, Mike Haverty, and Angie Lien met at Einstein Bagels on Ray Road and I-10 to begin our trek. We were met at the Picacho State Park by my son Jon and his friend Alison Kocek.

We arrived at Picacho Peak at 8:45 and began the hike near the Saguaro Ramada using the Hunter Trail. From the parking lot, we climbed the North Slope to the upper saddle. The elevation gain gave us all a good workout. The weather was beautiful; comfortable in the sun and cold in the shade. The wind was blowing fairly hard at the saddle and we decided to hurry on down to the south side of the peak. The trek around to the back of the peak took us down a steep portion badly in need of some trail maintenance and then up to the top of the peak.

The strategically placed iron posts and cables came in handy for this part of the hike. We finally reached the top around 10:45 and enjoyed a snack and the view. After a rest, we started back down. Just as we left the switchbacks, we ran into Dan Bishop and his wife Sherri. He laughed and said that he could not get his wife up early enough to meet us at 7:30. That’s OK. At least they made the hike. A few of us went over to the other peak to sign the log that someone has maintained over the years. The coffee can is in need of replacement and maybe we can bring an AMMO can the next time we come.

All in all, it was a beautiful day and the view from the top of the peak was awesome.