Rock by Rock

Ashwyn k -

Is this really a good idea? Is this even the right trail? Welcome back to my blog, this past week I climbed Picketpost, one of the five (in my opinion) main trials in the valley alongside Four Peaks, Flatiron, Camelback, and Picacho Peak and I asked myself these questions many times. In comparison to last week’s Flatiron hike, it was much shorter but consisted of more arduous rock climbing. The mountain is located right outside of Superior, which could explain why the trail was not very well maintained as only ~2,500 people are living in the town. The unpaved path often led to us straying off the main trailhead (we would never find out until 10 minutes later); however, despite this, I honestly enjoyed Picketpost more for the simple fact that there were more detours that we could take! 

I started off the hike feeling miserable. My calves were burning from the consistent uphill portions, and by the time we even started the actual rock climbing portion I was already exhausted. I then realized that not eating anything for breakfast might not have been the best idea, but the oncoming rocky landscape inspired me and it started to feel like I didn’t need the food after all. Similar to EBC, there are no shortcuts and it was necessary to take the mountain seriously, rock by rock, if I wanted to reach the top, my post title comes from this key idea. I also had my friends as motivation since it’s always more fun hiking in a group, and together we escalated at a pace of around 36 minutes per mile (including breaks and detours). I got to see a multitude of plant and animal species, such as the Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) and I wrote a small message in the notepad inside of the postbox atop the mountain (the best ones I read were: “Die with memories, not dreams,” and “LIVE MAS! :D”). Although I felt like I came across many near-death experiences, it was a great hike and great preparation for EBC!

I also had another chance to speak with my uncle, who climbed to EBC last September. I asked him for any advice on how to better acclimate for EBC, and… apparently, he departed for the trek the day after he landed in Nepal, so that didn’t help me much, haha. For that reason, I will contact the NAU track team like Jacob suggested last week (thank you Jacob) to see if they have any special programs or training routines they do to help acclimate for Flagstaff’s fairly high altitude. It would be amazing to train with them, but seeing as I leave for Nepal in two weeks, it might not be plausible, so I’ll do my best to follow whatever advice they give me if they respond!

I also dug up the family GoPro that my sister used to hog years ago, so in the upcoming two weeks I will try to set it up in preparation for my journey to Nepal.

 

The view from the bottom as we started climbing (the sun is very bright).

 

Random cave excursion (I’m pointing at the snowy Four Peaks unseen in the photo).

 

Me sitting on the edge of the cliff atop Picketpost (there are some safe spots below me, don’t worry).

 

Agave plant (not sure what species), but can live to be around 50 and then dies after it flowers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Curl-leaf Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius). Not actually a true mahogany (Genus Meliaceae).

 

Cute little Rock Wren (Salpinctes obsoletus).

 

Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis); very poor picture of it.                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Postbox at the top of the hike.

 

Notes that we wrote in the notebook :).

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Comments:

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    jacob_p
    For some reason I really love that first picture, Ashwyn! I'm really glad that you were able to push past that terrible feeling at the beginning and finish your hike to the top.That mindset is exactly what's going to get you to EBC! I have a question about the food you'll be eating on the way up to EBC. Will you be eating mostly local cuisine or will you be packing a lot of canned staples (like beans, spam, etc.)?
    March 10, 2025 at 10:32 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    Thanks for the comment, Jacob! As for what food we'll be eating while climbing EBC, it'll mainly be traditional food with lots of carbs. For example, the traditional dinner in Nepal is called dal bhat and consists of rice, lentils, and likely veggies of some sort. Another food we will be eating is called thukpa, which you can think of as the Nepali iteration of pho. I've heard that it's so common to eat these two dishes that people tend to get sick of it, but we'll see how it goes!
    March 11, 2025 at 6:14 pm - Reply

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