Mark's Cycling & Hiking Blog
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups
  • Home
  • Mark's Cycling Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Boulder Canyon Posts
  • Cycling Event Meet-Ups

The Rains of February

2/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Not since Columbus was sailing the ocean blue or......
Picture
….maybe one would have to go back to Noah's arc to find a February in AZ that produced so much rain.  I haven't actually looked to see if we are closing in on a record amount of rain but it sure seems like it.  For Saturday, so many trails and some parks were closed from the deluge of Thursday night, it took some thought to figure out where to go.
Picture
Fortunately, I am about a mile away from the trailhead at Pusch Peak and once out the car, it is all climbing. Although the water was flowing through the canyon the trail stays above that.  I was alone and motivated so wanted to see if I could get a good time on Strava for the 2+ mile climb to the summit.  As I have noted before, from the parking lot the average grade is 25% and for the steepest final 1/2 mile, it is over 30%.
Picture
I had a couple of issues.  The water was not flowing from my pack so I had to take it off and fix and then I missed a turn on one of the switchbacks so had to back track.  Still.....
Picture
….I was happy with the outcome.  Really wanted to break an hour but don't think I can do that even with no hiccups. 
Picture
The sky was partly cloudy so the shadows from the clouds provided some nice effects.  At the top, I was joined by a couple of guys who were in town with the New York Red Bulls, a MLS team.  They were coaches of the team and while the soccer players rested, the coaches came out to hike.
Picture
We departed together.  I'm pretty cautious on the descents so lost them half way down which is ok because I use the descent to take....
Picture
….lots of pictures.
Picture
A guy pauses to take a selfie.  Finished with a little over 4 miles and 2700' of climbing.  Dang, now two more fronts are scheduled to swoop in from CA, one on Monday and one on Thursday.  Highs this week will only be in the 50s!!!  About 20 degrees below normal.  Snow is forecast too and it may reach the valley.  Glad I have the option to hike since bike riding is out.  Oh, I bought a tennis racket and joined a tennis group and oh, I am hosting a ping pong event.  The thought of having backhand smashes bounced against my forehead is appealing. I'm pretty sure if this was a normal winter I would be doing none of the aforementioned activities.     
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Mark is a long-time cyclist, hiker, golfer and plays some table tennis...ok, it's ping pong.

    Categories

    All
    April
    California Riding
    Grand Canyon Backpacking
    March
    The Characters

    Archives

    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.