Intense

Flatiron is a challenging hike in the Superstition Mountains. The fee for parking is $10 on the weekend, $8 during the week. When I arrived around 6:00 a.m., the weather was absolutely perfect in the upper 50’s with intermittent gusts of wind and some clouds.  I don’t think I would have enjoyed this hike on a hot day because it is pretty intense. The uniquely shaped mountains were surrounded by a blanket of yellow blooms. The trail takes you through towering rock formations, narrow ledges, grades that are steep and slick, and areas with large, geometrical rocks. It is quite a workout with lots of lunges. It seems like there is a completely different view down the mountain with every 15 minutes of ascent. Right before you reach the top, there is a 12-foot wall that must be negotiated. It was a little intimidating at first but someone suggested that I remove my backpack for better balance. That solved the problem. I then followed in the footsteps of those before me and climbed it with no issues. The reward at the top was, of course, the breathtaking views. I took it all in during lunch. Thirty minutes later, I was heading back down. The descent definitely put my knees to the test. I heard many others talking about their knees as well:) When I finally reached the latter part of the trail at the base of the mountains, I saw my first rattlesnake of the season. He was stretched out across a nearby trail, warming in the sun. It took 6.5 hours (including lunch) to hike 7 miles but it was well worth the effort.