Riding my Birthday, and a Bit of My Friend’s to Boot

I rode my birthday yesterday after taking my 69th off last year because I was still recovering from shoulder surgery in May from my hiking accident in February, 2025. Started out in the wee hours (wee for me), around 6:30, dark as a coal mine with the new moon, and the headlamps were barely adequate to navigate the twisty turning Greenbelt Trail in Clive. But we survived that stretch without crashing into the creek or a tree; and the sun came up about an hour later, and with that, the temps rose to a fairly comfortable 75 degrees. Had coffee in Waukee before heading to Linden. Saw very few bikers in the morning, but quite a few more on the return.

Ended up riding more than 70 miles to accommodate my friend Carl, who is turning 78 in November, seven days after my birthday on October 30. Feel pretty okay today despite not having trained for this ride in the least, and missing my ride last year. Knock wood.

Linden “depot”, with Carl (Photo by Daren).

Daren, from Lake Panorama.

Adel is on the other side of Redfield, by about 10 miles, so no, not 4.1 miles.

Final odometer reading when I got home.

Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak 26

Today, we hiked the 10-mile Hugh Norris Trail to Wasson Peak, which also has around 2,400 feet of elevation gain. 

I hiked extra hard today to rinse my mind of the rancid offal oozing out of Dear Leader's diseased brain and becoming policy. But I digress...

We find ourselves at the end of yet another hiking season—my twelfth here in Arizona. How do I know it's the final hike? Because it's March and it's Wasson Peak, and for some reason, it is now a tradition to start and end the season with some hike or other up Wasson. 

The Hugh Norris approach to Wasson is a bit like spending an hour on a stair-stepping machine, at least for the first two-plus miles, where it settles down into something more like a trail. While I do appreciate the trail builders skill in constructing these incredible trails, the stairs are right up there with sand as two of my least favorite trail beds on which to hike. But I also know that these stairs are a great way to control erosion on such a well-trafficked trail, and so I abide them, and obviously, return each year.

We ran into a fellow hiker today, Kurt, who said the steps were a relatively new addition to these much older trails. He's been hiking here for 40 years after wending his way down from Minnesota and lacking the desire to give it up and leave. He also lives close by and hikes the Hugh Norris regularly as a training hike up to the saddle, where other trails converge for the ascent to the summit. The saddle is about 5.5 miles round trip from the Hugh Norris Trailhead, and we would leave him at the saddle while we continued on up to the peak for another 2 miles.

I was originally going to hike this tomorrow, but weather changes meant it would be warmer and clearer today and it was. Around 60º at the start at 9:30 or so, rising to 75º by hike's end three+ hours later. Lots of other hikers taking various routes to the peak, or just to the saddle. 

Kurt. He said he always stops by these three Saguaros

on his hikes up the Hugh Norris, and refers to them as 

his amigos. The sun was in a blinding spot, so I took the

pic from the other side, somewhat obscuring Martin Short.

Kurt's Three Amigos, more visible on the return.

Clockwise from the rear: Chevy, Steve, and Martin.

Misty setting a great pace.

I think the summit is, well, less than overwhelming, so I didn't take any photos this trip. This one is from a couple visits ago, in 2024. #truthinadvertising

Nature, Sutherland, Link, 50-Year, and Bridle Trail Loop

We chose this little 10-mile loop in the Catalinas for our penultimate hike of the season; my Wasson bookend hike will be the final act next Tuesday.

The parking lot was packed with cars, most of which with out-of-state plates. No doubt a lot of folks escaping into the outdoors to distract from the Republican fascism rising in this once-great country. A bumpersticker on a Tesla in the lot says tomes.

Ravishing weather today, perfect really except for a little wind in parts. Clear and sunny with a high of 65º, and we managed 63º of that by hike's end around 12:50. 

After the first couple of miles, we saw no other people on the final three trails. And none of the mountain bikers and horsey types one often sees on the Bridle and 50-Year trails.  

The afore-mentioned bumper sticker. One needs these to avoid being called a MAGA dick.

The April poppies have been out for two months, an ominous 

harbinger of this and future summers’ intense heat I fear.

The Bridle Trail is, well, what one would expect. Luckily, we were only on it for about a mile-and-a-half. But nice views of the Catalinas.