Camelback Mountain Conquered Again

Terry and I went up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix again while i was there visiting my folks. I looked up Camelback on Wikipedia (it has everything!) to see how big a mountain it is.

It's only about 1400 feet above the valley floor, and the two trails are 1.2 and 1.4 miles. But the way is steep and it's not easy.

I had a heart rate monitor on me as I hiked the trail. I tested at one point 182 beats per minute. I don't know if it was right, but I was struggling, my heart was pounding. Thing is, 190 is aobut the limit for the human heart. After that you kind of explode.

About 1/3 of the way up I was in a lot of pain. I was feeling my hip terribly. It's one of the mileage things I deal with. ("It's not the years it's the mileage," Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark.) I really wanted to quit. I just didn't think I'd be able to make it up to the top. Terry, my friend who knows what buttons to push, basically shamed me into continuing. And I'm glad he did.

I made it to the top in 47:54 minutes and the way down was 40:02 minutes. The way down could have gone quicker, but my shoes where hurting my feet after the laborious climb up. You know where your toes are smacking into the front of your shoes? That's the thing that happened to me.

At the top we were asked to take the picture of a mom with her two sons. One was soon headed to Afghanistan in the Army. The other was also in the army. A redheaded daughter came puffing up shortly thereafter. She was going into the Navy. I am impressed that all 3 kids are serving. I didn't learn their names, but I hope they all stay safe. She took the picture you see at the top of this post of me and Terry.

There is a Christmas tree at the top of the mountain. A climbing club drags it up every year in a night climb. So you see flashlights spidering up the mountain in the dark. But they are taking a full sized fake tree to the top. It's pretty impressive. Next year we will remember to bring an ornament to put on the tree.

I do this climb every year to test myself. To see if I am broken down. This year the answer is NO!