Phoenix Mountain Preserve

Sorry North and South Carolina…..y’all have nothing on the peaks and mountains of Arizona!

Dry and hot….that is exactly what the Arizona desert gave us and boy did we feel it….still feeling the after effects from it! A completely different atmosphere from the humid ocean and river air we are used to…..the desert sucked the moisture right out of our skin and by the time we left, both of my kids developed eczema on considerable amounts of their skin (BUT do not let that deter you…..just continuously reapply lotion to your skin until your body adapts to the arid environment). I’m sure if we had permanently decided to live in Arizona, our bodies would adapt (vice versa for those traveling to ocean living….the humidity can cause excess sweating….eventually causing rashes and a number of suffocating occurrences….but as we all know….the good always outweighs the bad….no matter where you are).

We were fortunate enough to stay at my Sister in-law’s friend’s condo in Anasazi Village Condos for the duration of our stay! It is a very spacious complex that has a beautiful cactus garden (we always found ourselves taking an early morning walk through there as we adapted to the three-hour time zone change). The garden has a wide variety of cacti including the mighty Saguaro Cactus! Saguaros are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert and are the tallest cacti in the WORLD! They can live for 150-200 years; grow up to 60-feet; AND their root systems only grow 3 to 6-inches below the ground, but span outward the same length as the cactus is tall. I also learned that the Saguaros start growing their arms at 70 years of age! It was really cool to witness as we drove over mountains and landscapes, you would see thousands of Saguaros and then absolutely none at all….they only thrive at the right elevation with the right weather conditions.

My sister in-law lives in Phoenix (specifically the Paradise Valley area) along with her Husband and three little boys! Her residence sits as the base of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve….you can literally walk through her neighborhood and stumble onto numerous trails, however we chose to drive around the corner to hike the Phoenix Mountain Preserve 40th Street Trailhead! I am so proud of Kade and Indy for hiking all the way up to the peak! I am not going to lie…..going from sea level to a few thousand feet in elevation….in full cardio mode….is not easy for anyone as oxygen becomes thinner the higher you go! We ALWAYS had water with us when we hiked….that was so IMPORTANT! People die every year from dehydration while hiking in Arizona because it will sneak up on you in a heartbeat!

Phoenix Mountain Preserve

The views were unbelievable once we made it to the top! If only we had mountains like these where we live! It was a moderate hike, but well worth the effort!