Lazarow World-Hike-About: 48.24 Arizona: Picacho Mountain outside Tucson, an opportunity to climb...and quickly.

LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT

San Ramon: At first, I thought it needed explanation. Not true. Top Left: "You're kidding me. After hiking 4 miles from the base below, you still want to climb up there...and snakes...?" The stance revealed it all. The rest is self-explanatory, too. (Not part of the formal trail either).

'LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT: WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HIKE-ABOUT?'

Hike-about is an adventure that commenced June 2010. After storing our household movables, ridding ourselves of a house but retaining our 'home' together, we set off with the purpose of hiking in different parts of the world, not forgetting the home country, the USA.

Our primary focus is hiking to mountain peaks but any challenging hike will do just fine. Extended stays enable us to enjoy and experience living in various places amongst differing cultures. Hike-about has evolved into a way of life. It's also a process of discovery, both the world and ourselves.

We work and live 'on the road' but return to the city in which our grandchildren reside, every couple of months. This provides us the wonderful opportunity to be with them as well as a child or two, even three and of course, friends.

By the end of 2023, the blog contained over 1,560 hikes (less than that actually undertaken), each a set of pictures with stories and anecdotes from the trails. An index to the right allows the viewer to identify earlier experiences.

Finally, we are often asked about the journey's end. Our reply, as accurate as we can state, is: "When we are either forced to cease through health issues or the enjoyment level no longer reaches our aspirations, we will hang up the boots."

"A Life Experience As No Other: Dare to Seize the Day Together", published by Fulton Books, depicts our life on the road and mountains until the beginning of 2017. It has developed 'exponentially' since then.

Jenni and Jeffrey Lazarow

Whereas we continue to update the blog regularly, we circulate email notifications infrequently.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

48.24 Arizona: Picacho Mountain outside Tucson, an opportunity to climb...and quickly.

It’s not so much that we tackle the challenge of the hike or climb, but more so that we allow nature to show us the path.

The Picacho experience is fascinating. The mountain lies between Tucson and Phoenix, closer to the former, on the I-10 Freeway and along the railway line. Both the train and vehicles remain at ground-level, while those seeking the challenge, rise to the peak and return to complete the exercise. To the east, and visible through the camera telephoto, hundreds of airplanes sit on a tarmac, in storage. It makes one wonder why planes are being manufactured nowadays.

It is a very steep climb and of course, descent as well as very decent. Upon reaching the initial shoulder, after of course, a steep climb, one heads west and then reaches the other side of the mountain, descends two hundred feet or so, heads east and then sharply upwards again until reaching the peak. The up-down and up again is the work of a trail designer with an off-center sense of humor. The views both sides of the mountain are wonderful.

The mountains rise vertically.