Wasson Peak Yearly Bookends

I decided to begin this hiking season with the final hike of 2022-2023. Apparently, I also began last season with the same hike, so I think I might be on to some ritual or other. One benefit to bookending a season with the same hike across multiple seasons is that it functions as a rough gauge of one's fitness from year to year. If comparison to last year is any indication, I just might be in better shape this December than I was last December. One expects a drop-off in performance after a nine month layoff from hiking, but my time today was very close to what it was in February when I ended the season with this same hike and was quite fit. And that is good because I have a 14-mile hike up Mt. Wrightson on Sunday.

Not many other hikers out today. Met three or four soloists, and maybe five couples. The weather was gorgeous, clear skies all day, temp at the trailhead at 8:30 was a comfortable 50º, which would rise to 70º by hike's end. This is a good first hike, with the substantial elevation gain (over 2,000 feet) spread out over ~4.5 miles. Easier than one of my other favorite first hikes, Blackett's Ridge, which gains about the 1,600 feet over about 2 miles.

About 3.5 miles in, the Sweetwater meets the King's Canyon Trail, which comes up from the south near the Desert Museum and connects with the Hugh Norris Trails for a slightly shorter (7.9 miles) loop hike. Most hikers choose this option.

 

Wasson Peak, with the trail obliquely climbing up the side.

Only .3 miles yet to go. I did pass a fellow who ascended from the Sender Esperanza Trail. When I came up behind him and said hello, he asked me if I was in a hurry, like I was just going to follow him up. I simply replied that I was not in any particular hurry, just hiking my normal pace. I'm sure he wasn't happy with that response.

Slower going up than the descent, as can be expected, but 2.7 mph ain't too shabby for an elderly man.

Here is a little panoramic video from the summit. 

Riding my Birthday

One annual check on my health is to see if I can still ride my birthday. This year that is 67 miles. Not a problem that I can tell as I feel great after this quick jaunt to Perry for lunch with my pals Gerry and Carl. Carl was also riding his birthday (75) and I hope in 8 years I am still as strong a rider as Carl.  I actually rode a little over 68 miles, so I’m set for next year’s route.

Lunch at La Ventura, an excellent pupusaria in Perry. My lunch was 5 bucks.

Carl and me posing at the trailhead in Waukee, photo by Gerry who rode from Waukee.

Loess Hills

Took my first hike in Iowa with the Iowa Explorer's Club, a Meetup group in Des Moines that does hikes, backpacking and canoe trips, and other outings in Iowa (and occasionally other, more-far-flung destinations). Meetup does't seem to have much of a presence in Des Moines, as far as I can tell, so it was nice to connect with folks of common interest. This trip was to the Loess Hills Wildlife Management Area, near Onawa, Iowa the county seat of Monona, County.

Iowa isn't known for great hiking, so I was pleasantly surprised by this little outing. The person leading the hike has many years of experience traipsing around Iowa, so knows a few "secret" spots. This trail was barely visible in most spots, trafficked more by deer than by bipeds. In the future, I'll probably stick to AllTrails maps if I revisit the area.

The Loess Hills are an unusual geologic formation of wind-blown hills comprising about 650,000 acres along the Missouri River in Western Iowa. The only other place on the planet that has loess hills over 200 feet deep is the Yellow River Valley in China.

Not much of a workout.

We got off track and made our way out of the woods to the gravel road that brought us in.