Picacho Peak is an exhilarating hike and remains one of my favorites. I had hiked this a couple of years ago and loved it. This time I ventured out alone and loved it even more. This was my first solo summit and I found the experience to be very fulfilling.

I drove down from Phoenix on an early Friday morning, reaching the trailhead at 7:30 a.m. It was the perfect day: 31 degrees. Peaceful. Still. The sun peering around the peak, the birds starting to rouse. Hardly a soul in sight.

The Big Dipper

• Quite possibly my favorite part of this hike is the 300-foot drop before you round the bend and resume your climb to the peak. It’s a welcomed break from climbing before things get serious and the ascent escalates. This mountain is like a seesaw, and just as fun!

Snagging Incident

• I learned one very important thing on this hike: if not planning to use your trekking poles, do not take them. I knew I wouldn’t need them on this hike and should have removed them from my pack. So during my descent, I was kicking myself, as they got caught up in one of the nets (thankfully built to prevent falls when scaling along rock facings). This is one moment I was grateful I wasn’t alone on this mountain. I wasn’t aware I was snagged and a helpful hiker behind me cautioned me, reached out, and unhooked me before I lost my footing.

The cables were not only helpful (and necessary) but gave my legs a little break and let my upper body do some work. An exciting series of switchbacks to the summit keeps you guessing a little bit; it feels like a gradual winding spiral to the top. At the peak: a clear 360° view! What an indescribable feeling to experience the stillness and magnificence of being alone at the top! Just little ole me, and the whole world before me.

A few hikers soon joined me at the summit, and then during my descent, I met several late starters heading up the trail. With a long pause at the top and multiple picture-taking stops along the way, I completed my journey in about two and a half hours. Back at the trailhead, l looked back with an even bigger appreciation for the pure magnitude that is perfectly Picacho.