Club hikers enjoying the Boulder Canyon Trail; back row (left to right): Scott Downey, Ron Deraas, Joan Carlisle, Paul Feeney, David Coffman, Tim Donovan, and Steve Collier; front row (left to right): Fabiola Scotto and Shaun Collier (Photo by Tom Scotto)
Warren Wasescha
Hard to believe this month is the end of our formal hiking for the season. The time has quickly flown by. The hikes have been good, the conversations on the trail great, and the relationships built priceless. But your hiking can continue through the summer. Just give a call to your club hiking friends and create your own summer hiking schedule. Many in our club do this to continue the good exercise that hiking offers.
Summer hiking includes a number of different strategies. Early starts are a must, often getting to the trailhead at the crack of dawn or earlier to avoid the hotter part of the day. It’s not unusual for club members to be done with their hikes before 10 a.m. or earlier, depending upon the expected highs for the day. Because of this, South Mountain is an obvious choice due to its closeness to Sun Lakes. Shorter hikes are another strategy. You don’t need a long hike to get in a good aerobic workout. And traveling to higher elevation locations is yet another strategy. Common summer hiking destinations for club members include Payson, Prescott, or Sedona.
Because we’re now into April’s hotter weather, it’s important to be mindful of the water supply you take with you. If you’ve been taking a liter or so of water with you, now’s the time to up that to two or more. And because with the heat you’ll be perspiring more, it’s a good time to think about adding electrolytes to your water supply or bring drinks like Gatorade.
Snakes are another thing to be mindful about. While I haven’t seen any on the hikes I’ve taken, I’ve heard reports from others that they’ve already spotted rattlesnakes on the trail in places like the Goldfield Mountains, so they’re out there. Snakes don’t like humans any more than humans like snakes. Just be mindful that while walking on the trails that you keep an eye out ahead of you for a possible snake crossing. And if you see or hear one, give it plenty of space.
If this was your first season hiking with the club, we thoroughly enjoyed hiking with you. If you are thinking about joining our club, you can review all of our information on our Meetup website. Simply type in “Sun Lakes Hiking Club” into your web browser to be directed to the sight. All of our information is there, including a listing of upcoming and past hikes, along with descriptions and photos of those hikes. It’s a good way to learn more about the club. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, contact our club president DeEtte Faith at [email protected] to learn more.
Our club hikes at three different intensity levels, from November through April. Due to COVID-19, we hiked this season on Mondays only, but next season look forward to hikes offered on both Mondays and Wednesdays. And, as always, we are a friendly, inclusive group that welcomes all able-bodied hiking enthusiasts!