Piestewa Peak Peak will forever be Squaw Peak to me. I have called it Squaw Peak for more than 20 years... and it will probably always be that for me. For those of you who don't know, here is a very short explanation of the name change, which was officially approved on April 10, 2008:
- Squaw Peak was renamed Piestewa Peak in honor of Army Spc. Lori Piestewa who is thought to be the first Native American woman killed in combat. She was killed in Iraq on March 23, 2003 after the convoy she was driving was ambushed. She was from Tuba City, AZ.
Anyway... I have recently decided to take up hiking mountains in the area. Some of you might find this ironic if you know that growing up - hiking was NOT on my list of favorite activities. Though, I did hike a lot of places with my parents growing up, this peak included.
The Night Before
Let me start this little... adventure... by telling you that as I prepared for this hike the night before, I was really excited. I did a little research online to make sure I knew where to go, what trail to hike to ensure that I did the trail that went to the summit. I did this all before going to bed.
I dreamed about it, and it was a very dramatic dream. I don't know how well I can describe it now, but as I approached the mountain in my dream, I couldn't see it until rounding this house, which was guarded by a GIANT dog. And, as is "normal" for dreams, we could understand the dogs barks. It was basically barking that it was dangerous and not to pass.
Weird, right? Well, it gets better. As the mountain came into view, there was a feeling of loud, swelling orchestra music - like it would be when something in a movie is revealed. I say "a feeling" because I don't remember that I could actually hear anything. In front of the mountain was a long rectangular area - very similar to the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Expect this one in my dream was not filled with water. It was a hole. A very deep, rectangular hole and people were losing there balance and falling. From here... the dream jumps a little to people having trouble staying on the mountain and I think that is when I woke up.
So, my morning started off with THAT in mind. Not the best thing to be thinking about when getting ready to hike a mountain...
Morning of My Hike
Anyway, I tried to shake it off and I left for my hike. I got to the base of Summit Trail #300 at 6:20 a.m. and began my trek up the mountain. It was a constant uphill walk/climb. The rocks formed a staircase in a lot of areas. The ascent is quick - you ascend 1,200 feet to the top in 1.2 miles.
Unless you are me and make it to ALMOST the top. I made the mistake - right near the top - of looking down. There is a point near the top that has handrails and after passing that point, I stopped and looked out and down. And I freaked out a little bit, thinking about going back down. So, that is where I stopped and decided to start back. I am disappointed that I couldn't suck it up and finish the last little bit - but I guess that gives me something to shoot for after the summer is over.
Enjoy the pictures I did get. Probably in October, I will do it again and have pictures from the actual top!
