Early Winter (Late Fall?) we went to Sedona to do some Hiking. We did Bell Rock Loop and thought, “Hey! This is a breeze!” Newly transplanted in Phoenix, when I saw the “Six Pack of Peaks” come up-we jumped on it. We see Camelback every day and thought we would just start there! When we got there, we saw that Echo Canyon was a “little steeper” and Cholla was a “little longer” with this being our first Peak, we thought we would stick to the shorter route. Are you laughing yet? This “hike” was more of a foray into mountain climbing, and I had several “take-aways” First-I will always wear gloves. Second, I will bring chapstick, Third, I will bring lots of tissue-my nose ran constantly! I will be 60 in March and my husband has been weight training me for over a year-THANK GOD! I am only 5'2″ and there were time that I grabbed a rock and used my arms to pull myself up. This was an amazing workout and SO worth it! I am normally petrified of heights, but I didn't find myself panicking at all. Rest assured I didn't venture toward the edge when we reached the Summit. It took us 55 Minutes to get up and an Hour and 20 Minutes to come down.
The weather was in the 70's and beautiful-noticeably cooler at the top-but by then I needed the breeze and the cool! I felt a great sense of accomplishment and the other people on the trail were very polite and respectful of others around them. We can't wait for the next peak!