Hiking on New Year's Day

On New Year's Day I woke up and decided I needed to get out of the house and go for a hike--commune with friends and with nature.  Fortunately my friends, Kirk and Karen Mosley, were thinking the same thing.  Kirk said he would guide us on a medium to hard hike to the top of Sombrero Peak.  Sombrero or Safford Peak is that cute little square peak as a person looks to the Tucson Mountains just west from Continental Ranch.  It is next to the pug-nosed dog looking formation.  There is a 1200 ft. elevation gain from Sanctuary Cove, which would make it over 3,000 ft. high.

We made it to the top of Sombrero Peak

The 360 degree view was phenomenal.  We could see Picacho Peak to the north, but even farther north than that, we could see part of the Superstition Mts. which are east of Mesa.  Then of course a full view of the Santa Catalinas and Rincon Mts. to the east and the Santa Rita's to the South.  And we were right in middle of the northern Tucson Mts.  How blessed are we to live amongst all these mountain ranges!

I read something the other day by Robert Millet that struck a cord in my being:  "By means of the Light of Christ, God uses the beauty and wonder and magnificence of the created order to teach us, to testify of God's reality and to focus our minds and hearts upon those creations in our world that are easily missed or overlooked when we are driven by the tyranny of the urgent.  This is why such activities as camping, long walks in nature and taking time to smell the roses (literally and figuratively ) are so emotionally and spiritually therapeutic: regular contact with and reflection of the Creation links us wonderfully to the Creator." 

A scary and treacherous descent!

 

Looks like I'm going to heave!