Phoenix
At 10 a.m., a group of six of us left on bikes to hike up nearby Camelback Mountain and the climb was strenuous, fun, and exhilarating. After a while, the Echo Canyon Trail we took got rockier and steeper; we had to use installed railings to help pull ourselves up some parts, and then other parts were a long scramble up towards the summit.
© Lily Baldwin, 2008
A man named Claude came up behind us when we were not quite halfway up and asked if we needed water. This guy was going to offer us his own water!? It seems Claude is a self-appointed Good Samaritan on this trail. He has gone up and down every other day for 20 years now! He said we really needed more water than we had with us (one small bottle each) so he topped us up and directed us when to bear right or left.
At the summit there was a lovely breeze and one could see the immense sprawl of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and the many extravagantly green golf courses scattered here and there.
Mark, Mauro and I © Jenni Muldaur, 2008
When I commented on how much water it must take to keep those yards and golf courses green, Claude offered that the golf courses at least use gray water — recycled from toilets — but it’s still water that’s got to come from somewhere, and those somewheres are drying up fast.
