When I was a lot younger than I am now, I lived about five or ten minutes away by bicycle from the base of what was then called "Squaw Peak." At that time there was no trail up the mountain, no parking lot, not even a paved road past 16th Street and Glendale Avenue. There were no million dollar homes up the side of the hills, no five star resorts with gated entries. Nothing but rocks, creosote bushes, brittle bushes and cactus. Oh, yes, there were a few palo verde trees also.
There were also no skinny sun-burned hikers, running full tilt up the trails after driving to the base of the mountain in their BMWs. Come to think of it, there weren't any BMWs either. We could hike around in the desert and climb up the mountain and never see another person all day. Now, on a popular holiday, the parking lot is jambed and thousands of people climb the hill in one day.
The view above is from the trail up the south side of the mountain. Anciently, (like when I was a teenager) you could see for miles in every direction. North and northeast there were few houses and nothing much but desert. Now, as you can see by the photo, the city stops only at the boundary of the City park. Just to the northwest is the North Mountain Preserve. Above is a map of the North Mountain Area.
I enjoy living in a big city but I can also see the advantages of having the desert nearby. Presently, I live about five minutes from the desert, which is just about right.
There were also no skinny sun-burned hikers, running full tilt up the trails after driving to the base of the mountain in their BMWs. Come to think of it, there weren't any BMWs either. We could hike around in the desert and climb up the mountain and never see another person all day. Now, on a popular holiday, the parking lot is jambed and thousands of people climb the hill in one day.
The view above is from the trail up the south side of the mountain. Anciently, (like when I was a teenager) you could see for miles in every direction. North and northeast there were few houses and nothing much but desert. Now, as you can see by the photo, the city stops only at the boundary of the City park. Just to the northwest is the North Mountain Preserve. Above is a map of the North Mountain Area.
I enjoy living in a big city but I can also see the advantages of having the desert nearby. Presently, I live about five minutes from the desert, which is just about right.
It's amazing to hear how much Piestewa Peak has changed over the years! I guess it's kind of sad realizing that there used to be so much more natural landscape and it is now consumed by real estate, but it also shows the progression of Phoenix as an emerging city.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you mention the "skinny-sun burned hikers" that run aggressively up the mountain. I hikes Piestewa Peak about three weeks ago and I was amazed by how many serious hikers and runners were practically sprinting up the trail that leads to the very top.
That's great that you live so close to the desert. Right now I'm living in downtown Phoenix, but I still enjoy being a short 20-30 minute drive away from so many great hiking destinations!