A Sacred Pilgrimage

Yesterday I journeyed to the top of Mt. Wrightson. 15 mile round trip. The climb starts at 5000 feet and the summit is 9000 feet. Afterward, I am thinking of swearing off group trips on extreme elevation gain hikes. What irks me is going at a group pace. Even though it is a slower pace I find myself tiring more easily because I have to trek at someone else’s pace and the trip takes longer than if I had ventured alone.

It was a trip I had to take. It was a sacred pilgrimage. It was a destination that I should have arrived at a long time ago with someone else as my cherished companion. That’s all I will say about that.

I plan someday to go back. Rent a cabin for a weekend. Madera Canyon is only a 1-1.5 hour drive south of Tucson. It is much cooler too. I was surprised at how cool it was. Even so, I got an extreme sunburn. I should not have stayed so long at the exposed summit. I had too much fun with the cherubically fat squirrels that live at the top of the mountain, affectionately named Peanut and Mrs. Nut.