Could I do two hikes in two days, even after like… minimal training (except skiing) and a winter of pizza and beer? Well, today — I hiked Camelback yesterday — I woke up only rather sore, not debilitatingly sore, and so it was off to the races. This morning's plan was Fremont Saddle, which seemed like it would be pretty manageable because it had about the same elevation gain as Camelback but over double the distance. My feet need to work up to longer hikes, so this seemed like a great way to do that.

It was more or less exactly as expected, with the only surprise being how much driving I'd have to do on a rough dirt road to get to the trailhead. Luckily, I had a pickup truck, so that wasn't a problem, but if you're in a less rugged vehicle you may want to be careful of things like rocks in the road — or longhorn cattle, several of which I saw roaming around.

There are a couple of trails from the parking lot (which I could see filling up on a weekend, by the way), and they aren't super well marked. Thankfully, a very friendly park ranger was there to guide me in the right direction. Another trail apparently had an amazing superbloom of flowers as well as a herd of mountain goats roaming around, but those mountain goats weren't going to get me closer to the Six-Pack, so I stuck with the original plan.

The reviews aren't lying — this is absolutely classic Arizona scenery, from the rock formations to the endless saguaro cacti. I've done a fair amount of hiking in the Southwest, and these views still totally blew me away. You'll feel like you're in an old Western. The hike is not very difficult at all; the only thing that makes it “slow going” is that it's very rocky. And, obviously, it gets hot in this part of the country. So take that into consideration — I started hiking before 8:30 AM, and was surprised to see so many people just starting the trail as I was nearing the end of the hike. There are some lovely shady spots, though, including a cool little cave not far from the summit. Pack lots of water and you'll have a great time.