Flatiron follow up

I'd mentioned in the Flatiron video that I want to get some topographic maps and compare it to the other peaks I've done. Well, I didn't get any maps but I found the info online and it's pretty much as I thought...

Piestewa Peak (aka Squaw Peak) has a prominence of 1,176 feet. It's what I've always considered "Level One:" A decent workout, but pretty much anybody can do it. The trail feels the most gradual, and it has the least amount of hand-over-foot actual climbing.  The only tough part is that the summit is completely covered in red-hot, pointy, jagged rocks. So there's no place to sit down and rest!  But of all of these peaks, it's the one that really anybody can reasonably do.

My video from Piestewa:


Camelback Mountain is my "Level Two."  It has a prominence of 1,334 feet. There are two trails. The Echo Canyon trail is the more "relentless climb" of the two.  It's hand-over-foot boulder scramble almost the entire way.  No question: It's an ass-kicker. But I recommend it over the Cholla Trail for anyone who has any issues about heights. The Cholla trail starts out gradual, like Piestewa, until you reach the saddle, about halfway, maybe 2/3 of the way up. THEN it's a much steeper boulder scramble than Echo, and also one that leaves you feeling a bit more exposed - hence my warning to anyone who has issues with heights. (At one point you'll walk about 50 yard along a 3-foot wide trail atop a ridge with a steep, sheer-face drop off on both sides. If that kind of thing doesn't sound "cool" to you? Stick to the Echo Canyon trail.

My video from Camelback:


Picacho Peak is "Level Three" and probably my favorite. It has a prominence of 1,574 feet, but a total gain of 2,290 feet. This is due to the Hunter Trail going half way to the top, before going all the way back down the other side, and then all the way to the summit. So in a round trip, you'll make THREE ascents: two on the way up, one more on the way down!  It's also the most fun, in my opinion, as there are many sections with ropes and cables to hold onto while you climb. This, and the many rickety bridges, give it a real, "grown up's jungle gym" feel.  It's a tough climb, and will challenge your fears quite a bit, but it's still the most fun in my opinion.  And as it's well out side of the city, about half way between Phoenix and Tucson, it has the best view as well.

My video from Picacho:


So... just to recap:
Piestewa: 1176 foot prominence
Camelback: 1334 foot prominence
Picacho: 2290 foot gain

Flat Iron? about 2800 feet!  More than DOUBLE Camelback!  You start out with a 2-mile hike, gradually ascending just over 1000 feet in the process, before ascending 1761 feet in the last 0.8 miles alone; almost completely a hand-over-foot, boulder-scramble the entire way up. BRUTAL. You almost hike the equivalent of one of the prior peaks just to get to the base of mountain and then start climbing!  I'm not sure what "Level Four" is, I'm calling this one "Level Five."

Videos of Flat Iron in the previous post.

All that said, I highly recommend all of these. The area in and around Phoenix is awesome for hiking. Just go in late-winter or early spring.  By July it just gets way too hot. I was lucky the day I did Piestewa: The Temperature dropped to 90 degrees that day. The rest of the week it was closer to 100. It was 100 degrees on the day of my second try at Flat Iron - so it's no surprise that we didn't make very far up at all that day!  I've been in Phoenix when it's been 115 degrees out. So... Highly recommended... from November to May.

FLATIRON, BITCHES!

I've been an avid hiker in Arizona for a couple of years now, mainly in the Phoenix area and farther south.  I live in Michigan but I travel to the area a couple of times a year on business and when I do, weather, time and travel-companions permitting, I try to make sure there's a free day either at the beginning of the week or the end to hike some of the trails and mountains in the area.  Until last year, most of the stops have been primarily tourist destinations: Seguaro National Park, Shaw Butte, Camelback (both the Echo Canyon and Cholla Trails), Piestewa (aka Squaw Peak) and Piccacho. Those last three will certainly give an out-of-towner good workout, but last March I tried one that even the locals will admit is a fair challenge: The Siphon Draw trail, on the Superstitions Mountains, up to the Flat Iron at Lost Dutchman State Park. It took me four tries, but yesterday, I FINALLY made it to the top.

My first attempt, back in March of 2014, ended when... Well, you can watch the video, or just skip to 8:10.  It ended with some really bad luck:


I have no pictures or video from the second attempt.  Not worth it, as me and my partner that day didn't make it even a third of the way up.  It was ~100° F, so not a good day to attempt this.  Realistically there was no way I/we were making it to the top that day, but I'm happy to say that he said "quit" LONG before I did.  (You can't always be the strongest or the fastest, but you can always be the toughest.)

My third attempt, this past Monday (Feb 16, 2015), started out later than I expected, as my flight out of Detroit was delayed 2 1/2 hours, and had to be aborted as I risked running out of daylight.  Fear makes you weak, but pride makes you stupid. And, being a Liberal, I'm sure everyone can guess which I will choose when faced with either weakness or stupidity:


BTW... Please disregard every statement I make in that video that includes a NUMBER: 1/2 way up, 3 miles, 1000's of people, etc... Pretty much every estimate I make in that video is off, to a truly absurd degree. I know I've made some mistakes here before, but that video is just beyond the pale in that regard.)
But on Friday's attempt, Feb 20, 2015, my fourth, I finally made it to the Flat Iron:


I said earlier that fear makes you weak but pride makes you stupid... Well, there's more to that: Courage is not the absence of fear, it's finding the will to face it.  Wisdom is not knowing all the answers, it knowing when you don't. And strength isn't being able to do everything on your own: It's having the wisdom and courage to ask for help (and accept it) when you need it.  And I didn't make it to the top on my own.  I got a hand right at the end, scaling the last wall before the top, from a very kind (not to mention patient) local.  I shared a lot of laughs and got a lot of encouragement from fellow climbers along the way, including another tourist/hiker who I exchanged fist bumps with every time we passed each other taking a break as we leap-frogged up the trail. (He made it to the top before me, but then waited for me to make it up.) I got some first aid from a woman with a 1st aid kit on her after I cut up my knee.  I managed to return that favor right away: She stood up and then immediately lost her balance and I quickly grabbed her arm, saving her from a nasty fall. 

The people you meet along these trails and hikes are truly some of the friendliest you'll encounter (a very close second only to fellow mountain bikers, in my experience.)  I wouldn't have made it up without them, and I thank each and every one of them for their help, encouragement, companionship along the way, and congratulations at the top. And some heart felt congratulation to that German tourist, who was significantly more afraid of heights than I am: Well, done sir. And good courage! (Thanks also to all of the very helpful trees along the way, always ready and able to lend a helping hand, and a hearty fuck you to all those scumbag cacti that just got in way! Also the rocks. You guys suck too.)

The other thing I kept telling myself: If Dad can face what he's fighting, for a third time now, I can sure as hell can get to the top of this god-damned rock. Well I made it, Dad. And I'm sure you'll pull through as well.

Times flies and Civil discourse...

Before I begin, I want to say that this was written last week and I still haven't posted it.  I have be so busy, there is like no time left in my week anymore.  3 Blogs, an art class, and I've joined a gym.  Plus my wife still does aikido twice a week, which is (1) time I have to watch the kids, so can't blog; and (2) time I can't go to the gym, so I have to find other time.  Not that I mind her doing Aikido - I'm happy she's doing it, and doing well in it, I might add.  But somethig's got to give and SO FAR, it's been IMHO.  Now, without any further pitchign and moaning: On with the show...

Wow. So a couple of weeks have flown right on by, and I didn’t make any time to write anything down about it! And what a couple of weeks it’s been. “Speaker” Boehner. *shudder* We’ll see how long that lasts! The unfortunate events in Tucson, and the terrible fate that played out on January 8th. And part of me wants to say “Thank God” that it WASN’T some deranged Tea-Bagger or Glenn Beck fan, or else there would now be some liberal, somewhere, embarrassing himself and the rest of us the way Sarah Palin did for her crowd. Hey: I watched it happen after Seung-Hui Cho and Virginia Tech – the closest thing I have to hallowed ground, I might add. The vigil hadn’t ended before you had assholes on one side calling for more gun control laws (note: the ones we already have weren’t enforced, and the existing system was not operating the way it was designed to, or even being used) and assholes on the other side saying that it's just proof that we ALL need to start carrying guns. Right. Because apparently what Blacksburg and Tucson needed on those terrible days were MORE confused, panicked people finring weapons through the crowd. Anyway, the one guy I think had the best take on the inevitable politicization of public tragedies was Professor Bob Carrol, someone who I usually think has the best take on just about everything. Check it out: Contrary-to-fact Conditionals & Media Vultures in my Crosshairs

I’m not saying that we SHOULDN’T be more civil in our discourse, but using tragedy to highlight even THAT (which to some people STILL constitutes an “agenda”) is still politicizing it. At some point, we need to let the families grieve in piece and realize that the WORLD is not like the INTERNET: People don’t want to hear our opinions immediately after a loved one has died, and no one is looking to us to solve all the world’s problems with a proposal that can fit on a bumper sticker. It’s tempting, I know. But this was nothing more than “just one of those crazy things that happens in this fucked up world.” Civil discourse would not have prevented it. Nor would gun control laws. Nor would MORE guns. Nor would the death penalty. Nor would anything that some dipshit in our sad excuse for the media has to suggest. And little they’re going to say will help anyone make sense of what happened either. There’s not a lesson to be learned, nor is there any hidden meaning, and God doesn’t have a grand plan, here. Each was simply the random act of a madman.

Personally? I might say it’s the price we pay to live in a free and open society. I don’t know if I REALLY DO believe that, entirely, in this case. But the principles are there, and I’ve argued it before. But if I DID decide to make that case, I’d at least have the decency to wait until the dead had been buried and mourned, and not say that in a forum where one of the family would hear it! (Which means… NATIONAL TV is probably out!) What I WILL say is this: My heart goes out to the victims and their families. I can not imagine the pain they must be feeling. They have my sincerest condolences, and I do hope that in time they will find peace.

Was that so hard?

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A quick adendum... my condolences also go out to the Kennedy and Shriver families for their loss today of Sargent Shriver.  I can't wait to read about Ann Coulter's summary of the man's life, as she evicerates him for the crimes of being (1) a democrat, (2) a Kennedy (sort of) and (3) someone who actually accomplished some GOOD with their life.

Back, finally!

I’m back!

Sorry, I was out of town all last week and didn’t find a whole lot of time for posting, and I've been so busy as a result, this week has flown by as well!
I was down in Arizona, visiting out plant in Mexico. We’d heard a lot of rumors about how difficult it was going to be to cross the border (and cross back) but we didn’t have any trouble at all. We did see a checkpoint in AZ that in the past was either closed or just waved people through that was really back up (thank you Jan Brewer) but by the time we finally hit it (heading back north) we were just waved through.

Guard: What country y’all from?

Us: This one!

Guard: OK, have a nice day.

No need to check the passports or ID’s of anyone who doesn’t look illegal, I guess. (Not that I’m suggesting that they racially profile or anything!)

Since we had been to Mexico (and needed our passport anyway) we would have been prepared later that evening when we got pulled over for speeding. (You know, if the cops were still required to check for citizenship.) But there was no need (no thanks to Jan Brewer) and we were let off with a warning. (Good thing we didn’t look illegal, huh? Not that I’m suggesting that they racially profile or anything!)

Anyway, enough of that.

Although a few of these are out of date at this points, there are a few things I came accross over the past two weeks that I wanted to share with y’all...


Glenn Beck’s big rally cam and went without the Rapture occurring or the Second Coming or even free Ice Cream fro the kids. Considering how much hey pumped it up over the past few months, I’d imagine that the bulk of the crowd ended up thinking, “THAT was what I came to D.C.? Oh well, at least the weather was nice.” (But maybe not, I mean if you’re impressed by Glenn Beck, you can’t be that hard to impress!) Daily Kos had a interest first hand account of the event, from a liberal Black man who attended out of curiosity. Very enlightening read.  Worth checking out.


Robert Kuttner had a savage response to the rumblings of the Cat-food commission regarding social security. It’s amazing how easy these problems would be to sovle, and how far even the “liberal” (notice the “quotes”?) politicians are willing to go to screw over the lower 99% of the country to satisfy the top 1%. We’re NOT a "conservative country” but we sure as hell are RULED by them, aren’t we? What the hell would it take to get congress to just ACT IN THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE? Why is that SO HARD? What would it take? Breaking out the tar and feathers? Shooting some of them? Seriously! But then it’s no surprise that even our “liberal” (notice the “quotes”?) politicans are so god dmaned useless, because we have such a stupid and uneducated electorate that doesn’t hold them accountable! And since the “liberal” (notice the “quotes”?) media is no better, it’s not surprising at all that we have such a stupid and uneducated populace! In fact, it’s depressingly predicatble.


And what the fuck is up with THESE PEOPLE?! Book-burning? Really? One of the most visible and recognizable hallmarks of the Nazi’s, and every other vile Dictatorship and suppression of human rights and free expression and free religious practice that America ever stood against? That’s what we’ve been reduced to? What UnAmerican SCUM. I hope their church burns down with their children asleep in the nursery


(No.  I'm not apologizing for that last bit.  Fuck 'em.)


Coming up in the next few days…

- A continuation of Steeve’s and my conversation about the origin of Christianity.

- A Republican Propaganda Video that shows just how gullible Republican’s are.

- And I’ve read and replied to all of the comments that you’ve all left over the past couple weeks, just so you know that I DO read them and very much appreciate them!

Trying to have it both ways?

I was reading Snopes.com the other day and found what I thought was a rather ironic juxtaposition of articles. The first one was a “Correctly Attributed” blog entry from the rather conservative Country Music Legend Charlie Daniels. (Hey – credit where it’s due: he may be on the wrong side of politics, but even though I HATE country music, I still say that “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” is one of the greatest songs ever written.) It’s basically a slightly more principled defense of the new Arizona Immigration Law than the Right has been offering for several weeks now. It goes without saying that I disagree with his overall judgment on the law, but there was a whole lot less overt, outright racism then we’ve typically seen. It focused on the idea that the LAW is the LAW and you cannot break the LAW. I’m not going to bother to disassemble this entire philosophy right now, but it should be pretty obvious that this country has a well established system for CHALLENGING laws that we think go too far, and there is ample precedent for such laws being struck down. Given the controversy, it’s almost a given that this law will find it self in that process. And if it’s just frustration about the Federal Agencies not enforcing existing law, all I have to say is: That’s their discretion! What AZ has essentially done is say, we don’t like how YOU’RE enforcing the law, so we’re going to do it ourselves. If anyone other than a STATE did that, I’m sure even Mister Daniels would call that “VIGILANTISM.” (And the Supreme Court may yet decide that AZ DID overstep.) In any case, if he’s truly not racist, as he claims he’s not, then I’m sure he would not approve of vigilante action as a means of enforcing immigration law, or indeed ANY law.


That made it very interesting for me to read the NEXT post, which was an update about the Cross Memorial being placed on federal land. What does the LAW say about this? Well… primarily it says that openly Christian memorials can not be erected on Federal Land. And SEVERAL court cases not only upheld that judgment, but even upheld it against several clumsy and still unconstitutional compromises, and even struck down several CONGRESSIONAL actions to try and find a remedy that didn’t involve removing the cross. (Which was put the illegally and without proper authorization in the first place, I might add.) As I read this, I just kept thinking, “Hmmmm, I wonder what Charlie Daniels thinks about the LAW in this case.” I mean – the LAW was clear, and it was upheld numerous times, so what’s the problem? REMOVE THE DAMNED CROSS!

And while I will never presume to speak for a Musical Legend, why do I get the feeling that Mister Daniels probably feels that the cross should stay, and to hell with the Law. IOW: That it’s the LAW that must change.

Now… that’s his prerogative. EVERYONE has some law they don’t like; that they’d like to see repealed or revised or enforced or enacted anew. I’m got tons of ‘em. So there’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t pull that “The LAW’S the LAW” bullshit whenever it suits you and then act like the law can be challenged whenever you don’t like it. Some laws are just no damned good, and it a matter of interpretation how to APPLY the law in any given case. That’s why we have COURTS, and a CONSTITUTION. So you can’t have it both ways.

Now… as for the guy who STOLE the cross? Speaking for myself, as an individual, I say, “RIGHT ON! BRAVO! And JOB WELL DONE!” The cross has no place on federal land, and was never authorized to have been put there in the first place, and our government should have the balls to enforce the law as had been interpreted MANY TIMES by the court. BUT – to avoid the hypocrisy charge on vigilantism – I will gladly concede that, should the perpetrator be apprehended, he should and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I applaud the act, but he was the one who decided to take his chances legally speaking. I hope he’s never caught. But if he is, and if he’s convicted, you won’t hear me complain. I’ll SYMPATHIZE, but hey: The law’s the law, right?