Our first hike of 2007 took us to Lost Dutchman State Park an hour east of Phoenix, Arizona. It was a sunny but cold January morning, perfect for a winter hike up a desert mountain. Darin came along, our companion from our trip to the Canadian Rockies who we (half) jokingly claim almost died on the Iceline Trail. ;)

This was a five-mile hike out and back, up a very steep wash with an elevation gain of 2,800 ft over just 2.5 miles. I knew it was going to be extremely strenuous, but I found out later that it wasn't only because of its steepness, but also because it required you to scramble, not just over boulders, but up them, too!

As we made our way up towards our destination, The Flatiron, I felt my left knee start to buckle as it tired of lifting my weight up many large steps again and again. Also, since we didn't leave the trailhead until 11:15 a.m., I wondered if we would have enough time to make it to the top and back before sunset, or would just have to settle for an incomplete hike. Fortunately, with a few encouraging words from some hikers on the way down, we made it to the top of The Flatiron in about three hours -- right on schedule!

The view from there was amazing: distant city skylines, sprawling suburbs, gorgeous desert mountains, and the awesome Superstition wilderness. What was even more thrilling was that at the top, we found remnants of snow! At an elevation of 4,800 feet, it was windy and extremely cold when we got there -- probably in the 40's Fahrenheit with windchill. Fortunately, we came prepared! We stayed for half an hour to enjoy the view and some snacks, and made it back to the trailhead before 6 p.m. The icing on the cake: sunset by these, the Superstition mountains, are absolutely gorgeous. My best pictures are towards the end of the album as the setting sun cast a golden sheen on the mountain.

Click on the first picture to view the slideshow. Play, rewind, and slideshow buttons are located on the top right corner of each slide.