Hike from Heck!

I got a phone call one Thursday night from someone in our ward that I didn't know, asking if I could go on a young women's hike/campout the next day. Apparently all of their leaders had to back out and nobody else could go short notice because they have kids. I said I would go, I hadn't been hiking in a long time and camping is something I enjoy (as long as there is a toilet).

I showed up at the church the next afternoon and got a couple of teenage girls shoved in my car, along with Tons of luggage.... for our ONE night trip. None of the girls wanted to sit in the front with "sister roper" so I felt like a chueffer. I tried talking to them but only got one word answers so gave up and turned the music up.

Turns out they listen to the same radio stations as me, I have the same music tastes as 14 year olds?! Oh no! Time to branch out I guess :P

They sat in the back seat and gossiped about freshman year in high school for the full 2 hours. After that car ride I decided that if I have a daughter, I do NOT want her to be 14! And I do NOT want to ever let her near a high school! Geeeesh!

Anyways.... we got there and set up camp. I didn't know a soul there. The other adults thought I was one of the girls. (For the record, all of the girls were 14 and personally don't think I look like a 14 year old)

We went on this rediculously hard hike the next day. Out of the 7 girls that started, only 3 made it the whole way. I was not expecting such a tough experience, and I'm very proud that I survived it lol. First off, who thinks it's a good idea to hike in the Arizona DESERT?? I don't care if it is still April, it's still freaking hot out there in the beating sun! The hike was about 5-6miles long, and parts of it were straight up the side of a sheer rock. There were these cables you have to pull yourself up to get there. You have to scale along the side of a cliff with just one cable in front of you to cling to. And something they don't tell you, is that once you reach the very tip top of this Huge peak, you have to go back down the same way you came up. Going down backwards, hanging onto this cable for dear life, trying to reach for somewhere to place your toe so you don't just slip and smack your face all the way down the mountain. Blah! lol. I barely made it. I am scared of heights, and there were a few times where I could feel myself start panicking, but I had to keep going. I missed my Josh, I knew if he had been there he would make sure nothing happened to me. ♥

We did make it to the top, and then back down to the bottom again. 3 girls and 3 adults. The other 4 girls had to quit 5 and 30 minutes in to the hike because of being diabetic, and/or out of shape.

It took us about 5 hours I think, and on the last stretch I thought my legs were going to give out from under me. I was sore for the next three days! My arms and shoulders hurt from pulling myself up cables, my legs were gone! I kept telling myself I would never do that hike again, but now that I've fully recovered I think I might try it again some day, but bring my Josh to protect me :)

Here are some pictures (I didn't take them, I was to busy not falling)

We went to the very top of this peak:

These pictures don't come close to how steep or scary this was

The view from the very tip top!