Outlined below is a brief letter from Andrew about his experience hiking Camleback for the first time. This is originally from May 2012.
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Phoenix on a business trip. The afternoon of May 1 and with a couple hours of free time, I headed to Echo Canyon for a little hiking, sightseeing, and stress relief. As I had not planned on hiking while in Phoenix, stupid me thought that drinking as much water as possible prior to my hike and having a half gallon in the car waiting upon my return was a good idea.
While sitting on a rock under a tree about 3/4 of the way up and taking another much needed break, I knew that I was getting overheated and could really use that water that was in my vehicle. Not wanting to push things too much, I debated on whether my next steps would take me up toward the summit or back to the parking lot.
Who is the next person I see coming down from the top?… Park Ranger Ray. Ray stops to make sure that I am OK and asks if I need some water as he has an extra bottle. I accept and it makes all of the difference!
Long story short…. I made it to the top and it wouldn’t have been possible with Park Ranger Ray.
Thank you Ray! My Echo Canyon visit wouldn’t have been complete without that extra water bottle in your Camelback. Great views from the top and it ended up being a great experience for a business traveler from VA.
Sincerely,
Andrew
What do you think of Andrew’s story?
