It’s been a tough week, and I decided that I should skip out on two service projects and take the weekend off. 
Unfortunately, Kim’s pretty sick, so we weren’t able to go camping as I had originally intended. Instead, I left Kim at home on Saturday and met my mom for a short hike in the Phoenix Mountains, a just a few miles from the house.
We started at the 40th Street trailhead and proceeded up the unnamed trail towards the eastern-most peaks of the preserve. After a short while, the trail starts to get a bit steep. Mom had to stop quite a bit, and even i was feeling a bit winded, but he continued. Reaching the top, nearly 850 vertical feet later, provided some outstanding 360-degree views. You can see just about every range within 60-75 miles from up there. Despite hiking in that area for years, Kim and I had never actually gone to the top; I think you’ll find us make this trip much more frequently now. It was a pleasant surprise. Check out the photos if you’d like.