Now before you get your knickers in a knot, I'm not making light of people who have weight issues. I myself am at least 30 pounds overweight.
I took my first hike in South Mountain Park today with the Arizona Travel and Outdoor Club (AOTC). When I learned we would be going through an area known as "Fat Man's Pass", I was wondering whether I would be able to fit through the fabled pass. Well, I did and it was fun.
Fat Man Pass in Hidden Valley, South Mountain Park
The trail leads you through three giant boulders with just enough room to squeeze through. So, calling it Fat Man's Pass is a bit of a misnomer, hence the title of my blog post. :) The views on the way up were spectacular!
Looking northeast from about 500' up the trail.
We couldn't have asked for better weather for our hike. When we started out it was in the low 70's with clouds and a nice breeze. This particular hike reminded me a lot of the East Pinnacles Monument in California, which was one of my favorite places to hike when I lived there (my two daughters called it the "Pig's Knuckles"). Just like the Pinnacles, there's literally tons of granite, with many lying one on top of the other creating small caves and tubes.
Boulders in Hidden Valley
Boulder Tube
I noticed in many places that erosion over the millenia have carved out round hollows in the rock. I'm sure if this area could talk, the stories it could tell of the native peoples who lived here.
This was my second outing related to AOTC, and I must say, they really took good care of me. I haven't hiked much in the past four years, and let me tell you, this hike is not for the faint of heart. It climbs steeply from the get go, so I ended having to take many "sit breaks" to catch my breath. A couple of the hikers from the group (Larry and Jon), came back looking for me and made sure I got down from the mountain without any trouble. I hated slowing them down, but this is why I joined this particular club. I had heard they were a great group of people, and they haven't let me down yet.
