Elden was the first of our two grand finale hikes that day. We started at 7:50 am after driving from Phoenix. The weather was perfect and the trail was much more interesting than I imagined. Rocks rocks big beautiful rocks everywhere! And banana yucca fruits galore. And twisting slithering alligator juniper around each corner. The hike is short and fun and we reached the summit in 1 hr 40 min (after a few picture stops & typical hike ridiculousness). Rested for a minute and enjoyed the views. Unfortunately we also witnessed what looked like a chopper rescue of two separate individuals from the Humphrey's area. Sad but good reminder that, though these mountains are well traveled and in the middle of town, they are no joke. Back at the car by 11:30 am and on our way to our 2nd mountain!