r/CYLTE

This picture was taken heading south on the Beeline highway portion of state route 87. The oranges and yellows of the sky were so vivid that day. A very scenic road around golden hour.

In my hiking career so far, Camelback Mountain takes the cake. Piestewa Peak was a close 2nd.

Camelback was my first time going up a mountain, so I had no clue what to expect. Improper footwear, lack of water, inexperienced thinking. I kept thinking we were about to summit, and then we would go down and then back up steeply to a point where we were scrambling up large boulders. Not only was it physically demanding, but it was mentally demanding too trying to get to the top of the mountain from the Echo Canyon side.

Piestewa Peak was basically a gigantic stairstepper. My quads and hamstrings were on fire every step for miles straight up into the air.

Both views were amazing though, and definitely worth the trek.

What’s your toughest hike story?

This trail marker pointing in the direction of the Siphon Draw Trail feels very rustic and western in the best way possible. Snapped this photo on the walk to and from the trail that leads up to Flatiron atop the Superstition Mountains.

We did not go to the top of said Flatiron, but the view that we had at the foothills of the Superstitions was vast and spacious (just the way we like it). From a certain point, you could even see downtown Phoenix far off in the distance.

If you’re curious about which part of this picture Flatiron is shown, it’s the one that literally looks like a Flatiron in the middle-left portion of the photo (or a rectangular steam engine bursting from the mountain).

Apparently, it’s one of the most challenging hikes you can do not only near the Phoenix Metro area, but also the state of Arizona.

Fun fact, when heavy rains descend upon the Superstition Mountains, the smooth, volcanic rock basin acts as a giant funnel or siphon for the water (hence the name of the trail being “Siphon Draw”). Because of this, you would not want to be caught in this area during a rainstorm as it can experience sudden flash flooding and slippery conditions (even on minor rainstorm days).

This young saguaro looks to be suffering from a type of infectious attack by an invisible foe. Seems like it would be too early for it to be suffering from something like this. Might’ve had some frost damage? And that allowed the enemy to seep into the cactus and begin to deteriorate its flesh from the inside out.

Any other theories?

One of my favorite shots during the tail end of monsoon season. Captured this in North Scottsdale near the SDL airport. The contrast between the blue sky, the white of the clouds and the cream, rainy atmosphere in the background make for a captivating scene in my opinion (at least that’s why I took this picture lol).

Feel free to post some desert weather shots or beautiful cloud formations in the comments below.