Thursday, March 17, 2022

Climbing Picacho Peak

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!!πŸ‘½πŸ’š

Didn't sleep well last night.  Woke up at 3:30 and couldn't go back to sleep till around 5 o'clock, but finally dozed off.  Up again at 7:30 to take Yuma for this desert walk.

Had a partial breakfast and it was 10 o'clock and no sign of Anthony.  Hope he didn't get fired for the mishap yesterday.  I do have to say this place is very busy.  Lots of trucks coming in and thankfully out too.

At 10:30 I spotted Anthony and went over for an update.  He said Steve had pulled him to work on other projects so no update.  I didn't want to sit around waiting all day for something to happen so told him I would leave the White Lion open and if they are planning to work on it today they could get to everything.  

Nick, Yuma and me are planning to do some hiking today.  While staying at Nancy's driveway in December, we drove to Picacho Peak  but didn't climb to the top.  Today is the day for Nick to give it a try.  It's only 12 miles east on I-10 to the Picacho Peak State Park, so off the three of us went.



We paid our $7 entrance fee per carload and drove to the Hunter Trailhead.  Nick is planning to hike to the peak while Yuma and I plan to walk a mile or so and return to the Jeep and wait for Nick.  The hike is two miles up and two miles back.  Outside my hiking range.


The trail is well worn and steps have been placed where needed.  It is considered a moderate hike for the first one and a half miles till it takes a steep turn directly towards the peak.

Yuma and I walked for about a mile and on a hot 85 degree day with no shade, that was enough for me.





Looking west at the Kofa mountains.
Come on Dad!  Climb faster.

Yuma and I returned around 2:30 to the Jeep to wait for Nick to return.  The following pictures are from his hike.  Much higher and more rugged than mine.


Local resident on the peak.

They were kind enough to place cables and screens at dangerous locations to assist with climbing.


Looking west along I-10.  Pinal Mountains in the distance.


Nick enjoyed the climb and when he came down the mountain ended up taking a different trail.  Thank goodness I had the keys to go and pick him up.😊

We were home an hour before curfew at 4 o'clock.  They lock the gates here at 5 when they close for the night.  Crowded parking lot.  We look small next to these big rigs.

While gone, they had done more investigation into the problem.  Not being able to start the engine is complicating getting diagnostic information.  As it stands now they are thinking it is an oil pump problem or oil sensor problem.  Hopefully, they have time to dig further tomorrow and get some definite answers.

Time to publish and get the grill out for dinner.  Beautiful evening except for the smell of diesel fuel. πŸ˜€

Thanks for stopping by.

16 comments:

  1. Gee, that was a pretty tough trek up to the top of Picacho. It's good that you could find Nick when he got down. Neat pictures of rhe steps. Loved the pictures of the peak and the area. Hopefully, you'll hear some news on MH tomorrow.

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    1. It was rugged. Glad they had barriers. Nick was glad I had the keys or he was in for a long walk 🚢‍♂️. πŸ˜ƒ

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  2. I've lived in Arizona 64 years and never knew Picacho Peak hike was that tough. Also nice to see what is beyond it on the other side. I hope tomorrow is your lucky day.

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    1. Amazing we don't see the beauty near us. I hope something happens soon but I see another weekend in this place.

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  3. Have they checked your CAT Heui pump? I had to replace mine in a 97 CAT 3126 engine. Fortunately my service dealer discovered it was failing before it totally failed. I don't recall the exact specifications, but the Heui pump should put out about 3000 psi and mine was not quite 2000 psi. Hopefully your problem will not be too difficult to trace and repair!

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  4. Today's pictures of your hikes are beautiful. Fingers crossed tomorrow is the day they figure something out.

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    1. Thanks Deb. I'm hoping too but not overly optimistic.

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  5. Well that was quite a hike for a warm day! Probably good idea to not wait around there expecting things to happenπŸ™„.

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    1. Nick had fun. Me, not so much. Very warm day. I think they wait for me to leave to do anything πŸ™ƒ

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  6. Now that's a great hike!!! The views are amazing. I love that Yuma always stops and tells you to hurry up!! At least with you actually IN the shop, they will get it fixed just to get you OUT!!

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    1. Nick enjoyed it. Too bad it was out of my walking range. Hope you're right about the in and out logic πŸ˜„

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  7. Wow. That was quite a hike. Beautiful 😍. Elva

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  8. Oh to be young and have no fear!! Gorgeous pictures Nick took, but no way am I going there! So sorry it's taking so long with the White Lion! At least you are in beautiful country!

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    1. Wish I could have hiked with Nick but too many miles for this old manπŸ₯Ί You're right about location. Perfect weather and are for exploring. I think the wait is nearing an end. Good or bad, I don't know 😩

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