This weekend I decided to drag my butt out of bed early and go on a hike around Daisy Mountain. I had planned to take Adri but when reviewing the trail last minute I decided it wasn't a good idea. It was definitely a good idea not to take her, although she was disappointed. I'm going to have to find an easier trail for this kid.
I started at 7:26 am on a 3 hour 12 minute hike. It's six miles round trip starting at about elev 1,900 hiking up to elev 3,140. It was a long hike on a hot morning. When I got just about half way up the mountain I saw something jump in front of me and take off into the bushes. At first I thought Gila Monster. But once it stopped I could see it was a horny toad. This is the first horny toad I have seen in Arizona and it blended in perfectly with its surroundings. I snapped a couple pictures of it and went on my way. About 25 minutes later the trail got confusing and I ended up hiking up the mountain cross country. When I finally got to the peak it was hot, I was half way through with my water, and I realized I forgot to put on my sunblock before I left. So needless to say I didn't get to have my juicy mango at the peak. Instead I took a couple pictures and took off.
I thought going down the mountain it would be easier to stay on the trail. I was wrong. I was descending fast but after 10 minutes I lost the trail. I could see the trail on my phone but I was still having a hard time staying on it. I was looking around and nothing seemed familiar and it looked like going to the trail I could see on my phone was completely off course. I don't know if it's because it's a different trail or this one really wrapped around the mountain that many times. I'm still confused. I probably got off trail at least 3-4 times. Finally I found a spot that I remembered from earlier and I knew it would be easy from there on. As I was one step from getting back onto the trail a rock came out from under me and I ate it falling on my right side. Lucky for me I have heavy padding on my holster so my Glock .45 broke my fall and kept me from possibly sliding past the trail. I managed to get up, shake it off and, and hike the 2 miles back to the car. Maybe it's time I invest in a life alert?
This was a fun hike but definitely a lot harder than I was expecting. I would have to say this is the second hardest hike I have done so far in Arizona, after the Flat Iron. Without a doubt its harder than Camelback especially since its so hard to stay on the trail. According to my phone I burned 1700+ calories on this hike, plus it doesn't take into account the heat. I think it was a good use of a Saturday morning. I burned some calories without going to a gym, got to enjoy nature, and got a really good view of the entire area. I only ran into a couple people on the entire hike and I was the only person that made it to the peak that day, at least as far as I know. There was one crazy kid walking up alone as I was halfway down with just a small water bottle (as the temperature was approaching 100).
The horny toad.
I think this was the back side of the mountain.
The highest guy around.
From the top of Daisy Mountain.
From my phone. On the fourth pic you can see how lost I got at the end of the trail.
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