Blackett’s Ridge for the Umteenth Time

The second hike of the season came with a little trepidation: I twisted my ankle the day before on a similarly steep and grueling hike so was a little wary about exacerbating the sprain and the pain. I actually think the hike helped the situation by keeping everything limber. 

This was a group hike with the Baja Arizona Hikers. The leader is a stickler about punctuality and I arrived about ten minutes late as I took a wrong turn. They waited for five minutes and I arrived five minutes after they left. They’re mostly strong hikers so I had to hoof it if I was to catch them before the summit. This is a short hike, 6 miles round trip, but the ascent is almost 2,000 feet of elevation gain over two miles. It is rated as a hard hike because of that. 

I caught the laggards about 20 minutes from the terminus, and the rest of the group was already enjoying the views when I arrived. Great hike on a very crowded trail. 

Pontatoc Ridge Redux Redux

Two days after arriving in Tucson, champing at the bit for my first hike, I finally got out there for an early morning heart-pumper. The closest trailheads to our new digs on Copper and Campbell are a twenty minute drive to the end of Alvernon Way. There is a choice of three hikes here, the 8.8 mile Mount Kimball via Finger Rock Trail, the 5.8 mile Pontatoc Canyon Trail, and the 4.2 miles Pontatoc Ridge Trail. I chose the latter as I wanted to be back home in two hours.

I had forgotten how challenging this trail is, with its rocky steepness. I was a bit slow starting out as I still wasn’t quite acclimated to the elevation, and I had’t been hiking in two years apart from a three-day 32-mile backpacking trip in the Lost Creek Wilderness in August. To get my time closer to two hours, and my pace under 30 minutes per mile, I foolishly picked up the pace on my return and twisted my ankle—possibly jeopardizing my hike up the challenging Blackett’s Ridge the following day.

Finger Rock closeup.

Nearing the summit.

Finger Rock (barely visible).

Made it in almost two hours, but my pace was under 30 as I hiked an extra .3 miles due to an overgrown trail which I lost a couple of times.

A Tale of Two Rides

If first you don’t succeed, ride ride again. My friend Carl and I were to ride our annual birthday ride on Tuesday. Our birthdays are eight years and eight days apart and we usually combine our birthday rides into one event. My birthday is October 30 and Carl’s is November 7 and we try to choose a decent weather day some time in late October or early November. This year we chose Tuesday, October 26. Unfortunately Carl, who is also an avid runner, twisted his ankle the Sunday before while on a run in the hills of Brown’s Woods. So on Tuesday I rode my birthday (I just turned 65) with my friend Jeff. The mileage was actually 70 miles but I always capture the mileage when reaching the required distance. 

Saturday was my actual birthday, and it turned out to be a beautiful day, with mild winds and a clear sunny sky, albeit a bit chilly at 35° when we started at 8 am. Carl said he was up for a ride, having cleared it with his doctor. So on Saturday we rode Carl’s birthday.

Each day included lunch at the wonderful La Ventura Panaderia & Restaurante Salvadoreño.

Tuesday, we rode from our place to Perry and back, exactly 70 miles.

Carl wanted to do a loop from Waukee to Panora to Perry and back to Waukee, so that is what we did.

Photo taken at Herndon, about 7 miles past the halfway point. Naturally, Carl knew the group of Des Moines cyclists also taking a break at Herndon, and hence this pic.

Our wonderful lunch spot in Perry. The immigrant  Latino has saved this small town of about 8,000 folks.

I had two bean and cheese pupusas and a half-liter Mexican coke. 8 bucks. Ridiculous.

Carl used his usual brazen charm to convince a passerby to take this pic.