For all the fame that Arizona gets as a hot state with nothing but deserts for as far as you can see…. well, they were only half right on this particular morning. Starting temps were at or just around 40 degrees.

I coordinated a group hike with my favorite Veteran organization – Team RWB. This would be my second hike with the group; the first being in March. I had only been in Arizona for a month at that point. Having been somewhat used to rucking I simply saw that it was a short hike and brought my 20# ruck to the fun. Well, I wasn't acclimated and that hike was anything but fun!

The 5 of us set out just a little after 8. From the get go I knew this was going to be a different experience. I felt relatively strong and looked forward to peaking this mountain again and letting it know that as strong as it is I am also just a bit stronger now. My group had different strength levels and different motivations for coming and we all seemed to be enjoying our outing.

We peaked at about 2:05:00. There was rest to be had and snacks to be eaten. And, of course, the obligatory “I'm on top of the world” pics.

Then we headed down. We had a nice lunch at a Tucson Indian buffet and went shopping. It was a great day with great company.