Performing Trail Maintenance with Phoenix Parks and Recreation, Part 2...

Some Background About Piestewa Peak Summit Trail

After I registered to volunteer to work on the Irregular Trail at Dreamy Draw, I searched the City of Phoenix Volunteer Portal for any additional volunteer opportunities performing trail maintenance. After a short search, I noticed that there was an opportunity to perform trail maintenance on the famous, or infamous, if you prefer, Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300.

The Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 is arguably the most popular hiking trail at Phoenix Mountain Preserve. There are some reasons for this. First, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail is relatively close to all of the hotels located in the downtown Phoenix area. It also turns out that the Phoenix Mountain Preserve is also fairly close to the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Third, my best guess is that all of the tourist guidebooks for the Phoenix area mention the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 as a recommended day hike due to the trail’s short length. Once you reach the trail’s summit, you are rewarded with a 360-degree view of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area from an elevation of 2,600 feet. As a result, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 attracts A LOT of tourists who are visiting Phoenix for the weekend.

As I mentioned in a previous post (see link here), I hiked about halfway up the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 before I switched over to hiking on the Freedom Trail #302. I remember the section of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 that I hiked on as a challenging experience. However, I didn't remember it as being excessively difficult. Without much thought, I went ahead and signed up.

Some Facts About Piestewa Peak Summit Trail

According to the AllTrails website, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 has a round trip length of only 2.3 miles. To get to the summit of the trail, you have to hike approximately 1.1 miles. The total elevation gain for the hike is 1,151 feet. Don’t let those statistics fool you, however. The Piestewa Peak Summit Trail features numerous switchbacks. Plus, the trail can get really steep in a hurry. At the trailhead, the grade of the trail is at 18%. As you ascend up the trail, the grade of the trail can get as high as 33% before reaching the summit.

Trail Maintenance Location IVO Piestewa Peak Summit

Then there is the condition of the hiking trail itself. Depending on where you are, the hiking trail can be smooth and easy to hike on with stairs constructed out of rocks and cement. At other times, the hiking trail can be downright difficult to navigate. According to the Trails Rating Guide on the Phoenix Parks and Recreation website, the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail has a Double Black Diamond rating for being extremely difficult.

Here is the explanation for the Double Black Diamond rating:

1. Surface: Maximum elevation change over extremely uneven footing.
2. Obstacles: 12 inches or greater; loose rocks, ruts, large drops, and increased exposure to the elements.

Trails Rating Guide

Preparations Before Leaving the House 

The trail maintenance volunteer opportunity was scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2024. Trail from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. According to the description, you were to meet the park ranger and other volunteers at the trailhead for the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail before ascending the trail as a group to the trail maintenance area.

My preparations for working on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail was similar to my preparations for working on the Irregular Trail the day prior. I gathered together everything I needed into my Gregory hydration pack the night before. This would include work gloves, Clif bars, grapes, an apple, sunscreen, headlamp, flashlight, and a pocketknife, among other items. Of course, I made sure to refill my 3-liter hydration pack full of water. I tried to go to bed no later than 10:30 PM. During the night, I kept having dreams about hiking on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. I wouldn't exactly call them dreams. I was probably having nightmares about hiking up the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. Whatever they were, I just knew that I woke up several times while trying to sleep. Then, before I knew it, the time was 4:15 AM. It was time to get up. I even woke up before the alarm on my cellphone could go off. I got up and got dressed. While I didn't even bother to take a shower, I did brush my teeth and shave. 

After a small bowl of cereal for breakfast, I made sure to drink at least one cup of coffee before loading up my car and getting out on Highway 101. While the eastbound traffic on Highway 101 from Peoria, AZ wasn't as busy as it was on Friday morning, traffic was surprisingly heavy at 5:00 AM on a Saturday morning. Speed limit? What's that? Thus, it was another white-knuckle drive from Peoria down to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve along Highway 101 and then on AZ-51. Even though I was driving my car at 65 MPH, the posted speed limit, it was like I was moving in slow motion the entire time. It took forever to reach the exit for Glendale Ave from AZ-51. After exiting AZ-51 and turning left, Glendale Ave then changed over to Lincoln Dr. After driving a short distance southeast on Lincoln Dr, I turned left on Piestewa Peak Dr. Then, before I knew it, I was at the parking lot for the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. The parking lot was PACKED at 5:30 AM!!! The main parking lot for the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail was full of parked cars. In addition, there were people driving their cars around the parking lot for any empty spaces. I knew that the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail parking lot would be busy on a Saturday, but I didn't think that it would be that BUSY. I ended up parking my car at an overflow lot just east of the trailhead.

Meeting Up at the Trailhead

When I got out of the car to get my hiking boots from the trunk, I noticed that the nighttime sky was crystal clear. All kinds of stars and what I assumed to be planets were clearly visible. Was I looking at Venus or was it really Jupiter? I couldn't tell. I will remember to bring an astronomical guide the next time I go hiking at nighttime.  

As I was putting on my Zamberlan hiking boots, I noticed that the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail was already PACKED full of hikers at 5:30 AM. When I looked up and followed the length of the trail with my eyes, I noticed all of the flashlights and headlamps that were illuminating the trail in the dark all the way to the top of Piestewa Peak itself. It was an impressive sight to see. For whatever reason, I didn't take out my cell phone and try to take a photo. I probably thought that it was too dark for the camera on my cell phone. Besides, if you have read any of my previous hiking posts here on my blog, you would know that I am experiencing all kinds of difficulties using my LG Stylo 6 cellphone.   

After putting on my Zamberlan hiking boots and socks, my Gregory hydration pack, my work gloves, and my hat, I locked my car and made my way to the trailhead. Along the way, I noticed all kinds of people in the parking lot getting ready to go hiking on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. It was an interesting cross-section of people. There was a group of five or six men and women that had just exited their car and were getting ready to go hiking. Where they were from, I couldn't tell, but I did hear them speak Spanish to each other. I just figured that they were probably tourists from Mexico. Under one of the ramadas that I passed, there was a Japanese man that was listening to some kind of Buddhist chant from the speaker on his cell phone. As someone who has watched numerous Japanese TV dramas and movies, I can definitely tell you that the language was definitely Japanese. The Japanese man wore sweatpants and running shoes without a shirt. He resembled a Sumo wrestler that was about to go hiking. There were people who were planning to run or jog up the trail as they wore spandex shirts and shorts, expensive running shoes, and were blasting music from their Bluetooth headphones. There were also people who were obviously serious hikers as they wore daypacks and fanny packs and well-worn hiking boots. Believe it or not, there were people who wore just a simple T-shirt and jeans. There were muscular people. There were overweight people. There were people in between. It was definitely an interesting crowd to observe as I walked along the path to the trailhead.

Eventually, I arrived at the trailhead. It looked as though I was the first to arrive. Then, a familiar figure from the day before appeared out of the shadows at the trailhead. It was Ranger Brian. He had been sitting in his official Phoenix Parks and Recreation truck in the parking lot, waiting for volunteers to show up. We laughed when we saw each other and then shook hands. Then, two more familiar figures from the day before appeared: Heidi and Zach. It quickly emerged that Heidi was some kind of a senior trail steward with Phoenix Parks and Recreation. Zach had been doing trail maintenance as a volunteer park steward since August. Then, two more volunteers showed up: Mark (I think that was his name) and Stephanie. Like Heidi and Zach, I quickly concluded that Mark had been a volunteer park steward with Phoenix Parks and Recreation for some time. He knew both Heidi and Ranger Brian. Like me, Stephanie was new at being a volunteer park steward with Phoenix Parks and Recreation. Stephanie said that she was a project manager who worked remotely from her home in Peoria, AZ. If I remember correctly, she was volunteering in order to get out of her house. 

Heading Up the Trail

When it became apparent that we were the only volunteers for the morning, Ranger Brian restated that we were going to hike up approximately three-quarters of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail and perform some trail maintenance just below the summit. He stated that the trail would be difficult and that if anyone wanted to change their mind about volunteering, they would be free to do so. I must have had a look of trepidation on my face as I looked at the summit of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. It just SUDDENLY hit me when I realized just how steep the trail really was. Ranger Brian said that we would hike up the trail at a slow pace, so that we could stay together as a group. For the briefest of moments, I thought about leaving and heading back to my car. Then, I quickly realized that this was an opportunity to go hiking on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail with a group of people. For me, that kind of an opportunity doesn't happen all of the time. Besides, with the amount of people that go hiking on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail each day that the park is open, just how bad could the trail be? Given those factors, I decided to go ahead up the trail with the group. We then followed Ranger Brian over to his truck. Everyone grabbed either a Macleod or a Mattock (see this post for images of a Macleod and a Mattock) and headed back over to the trailhead. We then began our ascent of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail.    

Once you leave the trailhead, the ascent up Piestewa Peak Summit Trail rapidly increases in both elevation and steepness. The trail itself alternates between stairs consisting of rocks held together with cement, bare dirt, and rocks of various sizes that needed to be carefully stepped on. Before reaching the T-intersection for the Alternate Summit Trail 300A trail, which was closed to the public, we had passed through at least five switchbacks. The elevation of the trail changed from 1,417 feet at the trailhead to 1,592 feet at the turnoff for the Alternate Summit Trail 300A trail. The steepness grade actually declined from 18% at the trailhead to 16%, indicating that the trail had become flat. We were only hiked 0.2 miles up the trail. So far, so good. Nothing too challenging, right? 

The next major point on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail was where the trail intersects with the Freedom Trail. To get to that point, we hiked another 0.4 miles. At that point, we had completed a total of 0.6 miles, which is about halfway up to Piestewa Peak itself. The sun had finally risen, and twilight had faded away. There had to have been at least a dozen or so switchbacks that we hiked through as we continued our ascent up a terrain feature known as a spur. Carrying a Macleod turned out to be rather helpful as I used it like a walking stick for balance to get me through some rocky parts of the trail. As we made our way up the trail, we encountered dozens of people that were either ascending or descending the trail. There were also sections of the trail that were visibly falling apart due to the amount of daily usage. Rocks were worn down. Cement that had held rocks together to form steps had cracks and was falling apart. There were obvious signs of trail erosion. Whenever the group took a break, Ranger Brian was quick to point out ways how the trail needed to be improved. At the intersection for the Freedom Trail, the elevation is 1,918 feet, yet the steepness grade is only 13%. We were 400 feet higher in elevation than when we had previously taken a break. After drinking some water and having a quick rest, the group began the third leg of the hike. 

For me, the third leg of our ascent up the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail proved to be the most difficult. While carrying the MacLeod proved to be useful for maintaining my balance on the trail, the MacLeod also started to become rather heavy to carry. My breathing became faster. My pace became slower. Before I knew it, I was the last person in our group. I also had to take more frequent breaks to get my breath back. At one point, Heidi or Stephanie told me that my face looked tomato red. Thinking about it now, I should have had one of them take my photo, so I could see it. The elevation of the trail continued to get higher, and the grade continued to get steeper as well. There were more switchbacks that we had to hike through. Despite the difficulties I was having, hikers and trail runners kept going up and coming down the trail. I remember wondering if we were ever going to reach the location where we going to do some trail maintenance. The location had to be just around the next switchback. 

Getting Down to Work

Suddenly, Ranger Brian let everyone know that we had arrived at the location where we were going to perform trail maintenance on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. Looking at the trail map on AllTrails.com for Piestewa Peak, we had to be close to the contour line for an elevation of 2,395 feet. It must have taken us close to an hour to hike one mile. The trail's summit was really close.  It was about one-tenth of a mile away from our location. The location where we were going to perform trail maintenance would be a textbook example of what Ranger Brian often referred to as trail creep. The idea behind trail creep is that the trail becomes wider than how it was originally planned due to hikers avoiding debris on the trail, such as large rocks or a fallen saguaro cactus. The section of the trail where we were at featured several steps made from rocks held together by cement. The rock stairs weren't in the best condition. It looked like it had been several years since the last time the trail had any improvements made to it. Due to the poor condition of the rock steps, hikers had been going off the trail and hiking on the edge of the trail instead. As a result, the edge of the trail had worn down and erosion was starting to occur. More importantly, the width of the trail had expanded beyond the design of the original trail. According to Ranger Brian, the goal of the morning was to create some obstacles along the edge of the trail, so that hikers would stay on the official trail. 

Area where we performed trail maintenance on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail.

Before we began work, we split into two groups. The first group consisted of Heidi, Zach, and me. Once we began work, I had completely forgotten how tired I was. With Ranger Brian's guidance, Zach used a Pulaski to smash a large rock into smaller rocks. Heidi and I then created an obstacle by stacking the rocks into a pile. We then created a second pile of rocks a little further up the trail. I then began to use the McLeod to create a flatten the edge of the trail and to remove and large rocks. I then added the large rocks to the two rock obstacles we had created. Heidi then took out a foldable saw from her backpack. Zach went up the trail and began cutting branches from a nearby tree. Heidi and I then placed the cut tree branches over the two rock obstacles. Down the trail, the second group, consisting of Stephanie, Mark, and Ranger Brian, also started to pile up rocks into obstacles. Ranger Brian would also walk up and down the trail to push large rocks into new positions. Ranger Brian would also critique our work and make suggestions on improvements. 

Another view of the trail maintenance area.

After about two hours or so of difficult trail maintenance and some minor adjustments, Ranger Brian walked around and surveyed the work that we had completed. He was satisfied with the completed work. It's amazing the amount of work six people can accomplish in a couple of hours. We had completely changed this small section of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. Yes, the work was exhausting. More importantly, there was a sense of satisfaction when both groups were finished.  

Photo of Heidi (yellow shirt) and Zach (wearing black hat).

With the work completed, we were now at a decision point. Someone in the group suggested that since we were so close to the top of the trail that we hike up the last tenth of a mile to the summit of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. Another person then suggested that we should begin our descent down the trail back to the trailhead. Ranger Brian put each suggestion to a vote. The group ultimately decided to make our descent back down to the bottom of the trail.     

Close up of rock obstacle created during trail maintenance.

The hike down the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail was a complete BLUR. After carrying a McLeod tool up the trail, I was carrying a MacLeod tool back down the trail. Again, I would use a McLeod tool as a balance on the trickier sections of the trail. As we continued our descent, more and more people were heading the opposite direction toward the summit. I think that there were a couple of times when I landed somewhat awkwardly after having to make a short jump off of a rock. Before I knew it, the group had passed the sign for the Alternate Summit Trail 300A trail. The trail became a large, gently sloping curve with three switchbacks that led back down to the trailhead. 

When we returned to the trailhead, the group then walked over to a nearby ramada (covered area) to sit down, relax, and drink some water. Heidi went over to her car and brought back a bag of oranges. We sat under the ramada for about 20 minutes or so, talking about the work we had accomplished. Sometime after 10:00 AM, people in the group began to leave. I loaded up my gear into the trunk of my car and drove back to Sun City. 

Epilogue

A couple of hours later that afternoon, while having lunch at my favorite sports bar in Peoria, AZ, both of my legs started to tighten. I could still walk, but it was starting to get difficult to do so. Eventually, I had trouble fully extending my right leg. I also began to have moderate to severe pain in my inner (medial) right knee. In addition, I began to have moderate pain in my inner (medial) left knee; however, I could extend my left leg without any major discomfort. As someone who has the beginnings of osteoarthritis in both knees, having pain in the medial area of my knees isn't exactly something new.  On the other hand, this new pain was something new. On Sunday, November 3rd, I worked at a concession stand at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ for the Arizona Cardinals game. I worked as a cashier during the game, so I was standing nonstop for six or seven hours. I was miserable the whole time. As a result, I stayed off my leg as much as possible for the next several weeks, trying to rest both legs. Am I upset with spraining both of my knees? No, not really. I had the sneaky feeling that I was trying to do too much too soon after not hiking for a couple of months due to the intense heat over the summer. In fact, when I went in for my annual physical at the VA, my doctor confirmed that I had sprained both knees. She recommended that I go easy and go on some easy-to-moderate hikes.  

While cleaning my 996 Vioz GTX hiking boots, I noticed that the outsole, or bottom, of one of my hiking boots had sustained minor damage in three places (see photo) while hiking on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. According to Zamberlan's website, there is a cobbler available in Seattle, WA that will re-sole certain models of hiking boots made by Zamberlan. It's something to consider, but not necessary at this point.

Damaged outsole of right hiking boot.

As a result of my efforts assisting Phoenix Parks and Recreation performing trail maintenance, I have accumulated a total of eight volunteer work hours. After completing a total of 20 volunteer work hours, Phoenix Parks and Recreation will give you your very own Volunteer Park Steward T-shirt!!! Once I get back to feeling 100%, I will have to find a couple more volunteer opportunities, so I can get that T-shirt. 

One final word about the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail. This is a trail that you DEFINITELY want to train for before attempting. I thought I was in relatively good shape before hiking up the trail. Before volunteering to work on the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail, I should have gone on a several hikes of succeeding difficulty. For me, that's a lesson learned. I still hope to get to the top of the trail someday soon. 

Extra Bonus

Here is a photo I took of Camelback Mountain while we were working. From a distance, Camelback Mountain looks a camel at rest. You can see the camel's hump and the camel's head. Camelback Mountain is another popular place to hike in the Phoenix area. Camelback Mountain has two hiking trails. They are both rated as extremely difficult. Like the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail, you might want to get yourself into hiking shape before trying to hike there. I haven't made an attempt to go hiking there. Perhaps sometime in the next couple of months before the weather gets too hot during the day. 

Photo of Camelback Mountain in the distance. 

 

Performing Trail Maintenance with Phoenix Parks and Recreation, Part 1...

Volunteering with Phoenix Parks and Recreation

Volunteering with City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation

The last time I went hiking was WAAAAAAY back in May of this year. On a Saturday morning, I drove down to the Phoenix Mountain Preserve from the Sun City/Peoria, AZ area. For my hiking adventure that day, I partially hiked the infamous Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300 before moving on to the Freedom Trail #302. While the length of the hike was short, less than five miles, it was still challenging. Despite the achievement of hiking halfway to the top of the Piestewa Peak Summit Trail #300, a distance of about 0.6 miles, there was an emptiness about the hike. This is a hike that I am still planning on blogging about here on Blogger, so I won't go into too much detail about the hike for this specific post. The emptiness about the hike was that I was hiking by myself. After that hike, the daily temperatures in the Phoenix area took a dramatic upswing during the summer months. Daily temperatures routinely reached over 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Trails across the Phoenix area were closed on a daily basis due to the high desert temperatures. If you wanted to get out and go hiking, you had to be out on the trail as early as 5:00 AM, when most of the parks open. As a result, I just wasn't able to get out and do the hiking that I wanted to do.

As the temperatures continued to climb during the summer months, I was looking for ways to get back into hiking. Back in late February/early March of this year, I went on an introductory hike with the Sun City Hikers, a hiking club based in Sun City, AZ. I wasn't very happy during the introductory hike. Club members at the hike repeatedly stated that Sun City Hikers was meant for retirees living in Sun City. If you weren't retired and over a certain age, then they would have preferred that you didn't join their club. Moreover, I just didn't find anyone particularly friendly or interesting at the introductory hike. As a result, I didn't join Sun City Hikers. 

As I have mentioned in previous posts on my blog, I tried meeting people while attending classes given by REI, such as the sunset kayaking trip at Lake Pleasant, the Kayaking 101 class also at Lake Pleasant (read about my trip here), the Map Reading class at Papago Park near downtown Phoenix (the subject of a future post), and the nighttime hike at Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Those classes with REI were also a mixed bag. The only people that I met in those classes that were friendly and interesting to be with were the guides and instructors. Most of the participants in the classes just weren't very interesting or friendly. What's interesting is that I attended the class with the intent of meeting people. Just like my experience with Sun City Hikers. 

Furthermore, I was looking at doing some camping and backpacking in areas outside of Phoenix. I even attended a couple of classes about backpacking and camping at the REI in Paradise Valley. To do those activities, I would have to spend a lot of money on buying new equipment. Although I have saved up a lot of money, I am not prepared to potentially spend several thousands of dollars on new equipment, such as a new backpack, a new sleeping bag, a new tent, and so on. Plus, I have no experience backpacking alone out in the wild.

Then one day, it hit me. The answer to my problem of not having anyone to go hiking with was to be a park steward with the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation. In another post that I have yet to write, when I went hiking in the Deem Hills in northern Phoenix back in December 2023, I met a volunteer park steward with the City of Phoenix. He explained to me that he was an unpaid volunteer with Phoenix Parks and Recreation. I remember him saying that he would go and hike various trails maintained by the City of Phoenix in order to check their condition and pass along any important notes to Phoenix Parks and Recreation.

Thus, becoming a volunteer park steward seemed to be a way out of my conundrum. I went to the Phoenix Parks and Recreation webpage, located the volunteer section, and submitted the required information. After a one-hour online meeting with an official from Phoenix Parks and Recreation, I was officially entered into the volunteer park steward program.

Volunteer Trail Maintenance Opportunities

After attending the online meeting, I was then able to log into the Volunteer Phoenix website to start looking for volunteer opportunities with Phoenix Parks and Recreation. After getting busy with other things, I eventually logged into the Volunteer Phoenix website and started to look for volunteer opportunities. While in college, I spent one weekend in southwest New Mexico doing trail maintenance. It was hard work using tools like a pick, a shovel, and a tool known as a MacLeod, but it was fun being in the mountains away from school. I only did the work once. As a result, I started looking through the Volunteer Phoenix website for trail maintenance opportunities. Eventually, I signed up for two trail maintenance opportunities. Both trail maintenance opportunities were located at the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

Trail Maintenance on the Irregular Trail at Dreamy Draw

For my first trail maintenance volunteer assignment, I worked on a trail known as the Irregular Trail.

The trail maintenance was scheduled for Friday, November 1st, with a start time at 6:00 AM. The trail maintenance had a scheduled end time of 10:00 AM. During the summer months, trail maintenance typically starts as early as 5:30 AM.

Due to the early start time, I set the alarm on my cell phone to wake me up at 4:15 AM. Before going to bed, I made sure to pack everything I thought I would need into my Gregory hydration pack, such as a pocket knife, my Black Diamond head lamp, the pair of heavy duty work gloves that I had recently bought at Home Depot, a couple of Clif bars for food to eat, the Trek portable headlight from my bike, and a scarf for my neck. I also made sure to fill up the 3-liter water bladder in my Gregory hydration pack to maximum capacity.

After waking up, getting dressed, and having a small breakfast, I gathered my Gregory hydration pack, my hat, and my hiking boots and then headed to the car. I then entered Dreamy Draw Trailhead into Google Maps on my phone and then clicked on Start. I was in for a BIG shock once I got on the highway. 

I was unprepared for rush hour traffic driving eastbound on Highway 101 at 5:00 AM on a Friday morning. Not only were all of the traffic lanes crowded, but traffic was also moving at a high rate of speed. As I was struggling to maintain my car at 65 MPH, the speed limit, in the center lane of traffic, there were cars and trucks passing me that were easily exceeding the speed limit by a large margin. Once I headed south on Highway 51, the traffic did not let up. Not one bit. 

It came as a great relief when I took the offramp for Northern Avenue and then made the left turn to enter the Dreamy Draw Trailhead area. When I parked my car, there were only two or three other cars in the parking lot. It was quite a contrast from the last time I was at Dreamy Draw, when the parking lot was crowded. 

Dreamy Draw Trailhead at 5:30 AM.

After finishing my coffee, I took off my running shoes and put on my hiking boots. I then put on my Gregory hydration pack on my back and then headed up to the trailhead. 

Once at the trailhead, I met the other people that were going to work on the Irregular Trail. The first person I met was Ranger Brian. At first, his appearance seemed to be a little rough around the edges. However, he was quite friendly and happy to have volunteers assist him with trail maintenance. It was obvious to me that he had been a park ranger with the Phoenix Parks and Recreation for quite some time. The other three people I met were wearing their yellow Park Steward t-shirts. Heidi appeared to be a retiree. It emerged that she spent a lot of her time doing volunteer work for Phoenix Parks and Recreation. Mason said that he used to work for Honeywell as an aerospace engineer. I never found out what Zach did, but he was super friendly and easy going. 

As we left the Dreamy Draw Trailhead, Ranger Brian said that we were going to do some trail maintenance on sections of the Irregular Trail. As the sun started to rise above the horizon, I instantly recognized what trails we had taken. These were all trails that I had hiked on during my previous visits to the Dreamy Draw area. From the Dreamy Draw trailhead, we took the Connector Trail to the Dreamy Draw Nature Trail. After hiking a short distance, we then went on to the Perl Charles Memorial (1A) Trail. After hiking for approximately 30 minutes, we arrived at the Irregular Trail.             

Location of Irregular Trail at Phoenix Mountain Preserve

Hidden behind a bush just off the trail were the trail maintenance tools. There was a collection of picks (also known as a Mattock), McLeod fire tools, and leaf rakes. It had been some time since I had used either a pick or a McLeod during the one time I did trail maintenance work in college. The Mattock and the McLeod are the standard tools for trail maintenance as well as for fighting forest fires. 

The Mattock tool, or pick, is used to smash down large rocks as well as to quickly dig holes. The Mattock can also be used as a lever to move really big rocks. Ranger Brian, Mason, and Zach primarily used the Mattock to smash large rocks into smaller rocks. 

Mattock (Pick) Tool 

The McLeod fire tool has two edges. One edge has teeth and is very similar to a rake. This edge is used to scrape away small rocks and other pieces of debris, such as pieces of wood. The second edge of the McLeod fire tool is similar to a garden hoe. This edge is used to cut objects like tree roots and so on.   

McLeod Fire Tool

Ranger Brian explained two of the primary reasons for performing trail maintenance on the Irregular Trail. First, water runoff from when it rains will erode the trail. It doesn't rain very often at the Phoenix Mountain Preserve; however, when it does rain, it's usually a significant amount. Thus, part of our purpose that day was to make some adjustments to the trail so that water runoff would have less of an impact on the trail. Second, despite having a clearly marked trail, hikers will occasionally stray off the trail, widening the trail. It happens. Sometimes the trail may have a rocky area, and hikers will walk around the rocky area, creating a new part of the trail. According to Ranger Brian, this is known as trail creep. Thus, there were parts of the Irregular Trail where we had to either narrow or expand the width of the trail. 

Ranger Brian is an expert on trail maintenance. He knew all of the various techniques to implement in any given situation. I believe he said that he had been doing trail maintenance for close to twenty years. He also said that while he teaches a class on trail maintenance for volunteers at Phoenix Parks and Recreation, he believed that getting out and doing the work was the best teacher. 

After we picked up the tools, Ranger Brian then identified a couple of spots on the Irregular Trail that needed maintenance. Since they already had a lot of experience performing trail maintenance, Mason and Zach went off on their own. I worked with Heidi and Ranger Brian. The workflow was simple. Ranger Brian would use the Mattock to smash large rocks into smaller rocks. Heidi and I would then come in with our McLeod tools and remove the smaller rocks. We would also use the McLeod tools to reshape the trail. Sometimes we had to move rocks around with our hands. We also would use the McLeod tools to rebuild and adjust the edge of the trail. Heidi and I also used the McLeod tools to create a drainage ditch for water runoff. As a final step, we would then use the leaf rakes to smooth out the trail before moving on to the next area.  

Trail maintenance was physically demanding work. Before you do it, you want to make sure that you are in relatively good physical shape. Still, it was gratifying to see the amount of trail maintenance we had accomplished in only a couple of hours. At about 9:45 AM or so, Ranger Brian had decided that we were finished for the day. We had all of the trail maintenance tools behind a bush and hiked back to the Dreamy Draw trailhead.  

Since I was so busy with assisting Ranger Brian, Heidi, Mason, and Zach with trail maintenance, I completely forgot to take any photos. Ranger Brian took several photos while we worked. I imagine that the photos were for the Phoenix Parks and Recreation social media sites on Instagram and Twitter/X. So far, I have yet to see online any of the photos that Ranger Brian took. However, since I have hiked in the area for the Irregular Trail on a couple of previous occasions, I do have photos of the area right here on my blog. You can see the photos here and here. It's a beautiful area to hike in. You do have to enjoy being in the desert, however. 

On the Way Back to Sun City...

Once the group made it back to the Dreamy Draw trailhead, we talked to Ranger Brian for a little bit before other people in the group had to leave. Ranger Brian had other things to do for work. Mason and Zach had to go home and get ready to go into work for the day. That was a surprise. I don't remember what Heidi was planning to do. The parking lot at Dreamy Draw trailhead was now full of cars. The temperature was now in the upper 60s/lower 70s. After I walked back to my car, I took off my hiking boots and put on my New Balance running shoes. I looked at my watch and noticed that it was only 10:30 AM. I then made a decision to visit Waffle House on the way back to Sun City. 

I left the Dreamy Draw trailhead parking lot and drove north on Highway 51. After a couple of miles, I then took the exit for Shea Blvd. I then drove north on Tatum Blvd and headed over to the REI store in Paradise Valley. After wandering around REI for 20 minutes or so, I got back in my car and drove north on Tatum Blvd once again. I then drove west on Bell Road. After driving several miles, I could see the exits for Interstate 17. I then suddenly saw the signage for Waffle House on my right. Since it wasn't very busy for a Friday morning, I was able to find a parking spot with minimal effort. 

Waffle House Restaurant in northern Phoenix, AZ. 

As soon as I sat down at the counter, I ordered a cup of Waffle House coffee. I then proceeded to order the All-Star Special with a side of ham. Of course, I had to order the Classic Waffle. All I can say is that the food was GLORIOUS!!! The background music was something of a disappointment as it consisted of random hit songs from the '80s that you have probably heard ad nauseum. Instead, I was hoping that they would play all of the songs about eating at Waffle House. Oh well, you can't have everything. 

Cup of Waffle House Coffee.

Waffle House Menu.

All-Star Special Breakfast at Waffle House.

Classic Waffle from Waffle House.

A couple of days after eating at Waffle House, I wrote a post on Twitter/X and uploaded some photos to my post. Interestingly, someone from Waffle House HQ actually gave my post a like. Nice!!!