...because it was there

Piestewa Peak (FKA - Squaw Peak)

Location - Phoenix Mountain Preserve, Phoenix Arizona

Elevation 2,608 Feet

Elevation Gain: Hikers gain more than 1,200 feet in elevation

Length of Summit Trail: 1.2 miles from base to summit




Date: Sunday February 12, 2006

Time: 1:00p.m.

We drive the 20 minutes in the team truck and set up a bivouac in the parking lot on the right arm of the "L" shown in the picture. We check canteens and equipment and prepare for departure. Hopes are high that the weather will remain stable during our assault on the summit.

We've decided for forgo the Sherpas to save costs. The locals think this is a bad choice, but we are committed to the climb and committed to doing it without guides.

Our first temporary encampment is at about quarter mile marker. We look back down the mountain at basecamp. A shudder runs down our back as we realize how far we are away from base. My truck is barely visible at this point and our climb has only just begun.

As we climb higher, the same smaller mountain peak shown in the prior picture can be seen getting smaller as we rise into the stratosphere. The air begins to grow thin and the narrower band of ozone lends less and less protection against the powerful rays of the sun. We are fortunate that the weather is good but in this environment, conditions are still very dangerous and inhospitable to human existence.

At this point during the quest, I volunteer to take position behind my climbing team - in case of a fall, I want to be on anchor for my fellow climbers. I have made this ascent many times and feel responsible for the welfare and safety of Marquez (the Pool Boy) and Mad Dog. I will get them home safely.


Earth becomes small beneath our feet as you almost get the sense of soaring. The climb becomes very steep; breathing is difficult. Have we trained enough. Are we prepared for what lies ahead. We are barely half way into the journey and I am already having doubts regarding the potential success of this climb. Not every summit assault is successful; letting your ego get in the way can be deadly. A safe climb includes knowing when to give up and turn back. We aren't ready to do that just yet.

Forging ahead, I take a moment to catch my breath and look around at the beauty and majesty before me. There are rocky crags protruding through the stubbly brush and saguaro cacti dot the sides of the mountain. A few unidentifiable birds dart about through the thin air. Off in the distance, I can hear the yelps of several coyote far below.

Onward and upward we trudge. Clambering laboriously over rocks and boulders is exhausting work - more so at this altitude.

As we grow nearer to the summit, the climb steepens further. That combined with the blazing 72 degree sun and the light 5 mile per hour winds out of the northwest make conditions virtually unbearable. At this point, we can nearly taste the summit, so not even these brutal conditions are going to discourage us from the final attack on the summit.

I am near collapse. I send Marquez (the Pool Boy) and Mad Dog ahead while I take a refreshing drink of water only to find that the water has now become the temperature of urine. It is now the breaking point. I have to reach way down into my gut if I am going to successfully reach my goal.

I scramble over the last 15 feet of rock - almost straight up and join Marquez (the Pool Boy) and Mad Dog at the summit.

Marquez (the Pool Boy) celebrates at the summit. This was his first mountain climbing adventure. I can tell that he is delighted with our success yet slightly worried about returning to base camp safely.

Mad Dog reclines against a rocky crag at the summit. Mad Dog is cool; he has been here before. Because he has been here before, he knows that there are no guarantees. One minute the mountain can be a beautiful oasis in the middle of the sixth largest city in the United States. The next minute, the mountain can turn into a raging killer.

You do not trifle with its power and uncertainty.

We rest at the summit as long as we think is safe and then begin our descent.

While gravity certainly makes the descent less work than the ascent, there is always a danger that gravity will make the descent too easy as well as to rapid. It is best to remain in contact with the mountain at all times. If you ever hike a mountain, keep that in mind on your way back down.

At the half-way point down the mountain Marquez (the Pool Boy) grows cocky, believing he has defeated the mountain today. I will let him have this litte victory for the moment. Later I will make clear to him that he should never, ever take the responsibility of safe climbing lightly. This is serious business. Dead serious.

My climbing team. Dammit I am proud of these guys!

When we reached base camp, we celebrated our victory over Piestewa Peak with a victory bathroom break, climb into the team assault vehicle and head for home.

We live to climb another day.