Date: June 12, 2017 • Elevation: 1,987 feet • Prominence: 437 feet • Distance: 2 miles • Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes • Gain: 490 feet • Conditions: Clear and warm, but pleasant for June

Arizona • Main • PB

The high temperature today was only going to be in the low 90s, with morning lows in the 60s. For mid-June in Phoenix, these are way below normal. I decided last minute to go hike something, knowing full well this will be it for decent hiking weather in the deserts for another four months.

I chose to hike Peak 1987, which lies in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve south of Shea Boulevard, roughly at the end of 44th Street. It's north of Dixie Peak and northeast of Piestewa Peak. This peak has no name and does not stand out much, but it does have decent prominence, plus a trail to the top. It would be fast and easy.

I left home and arrived at the parking lot at the south end of 40th Street at 7 a.m., the lot half full. I got my shoes on, threw on a simple pack, and started hiking not long after, the day sunny but the air temperature still only in the high 70s. It was comfortable, and I still had morning shadows that helped keep things cool.

I followed the continuation of the 40th Street alignment south. This was an old road, but now is a hiking path, although it is as wide as a road. Peak 1987 rises immediately to the east of the road. It would be tempting to try to barge up its slopes right there, but there are cliff bands on this side.

Soon, I hung a left onto Trail 100, and followed it eastbound for about a third of a mile. Then I stayed left at another trail junction, then a few hundred yards later, another hard left near a two-foot high cairn. This last left was the summit trail. These last two trails do not appear on the official trail maps, but are visible on the satellite images. They are good trails and obviously see consistent traffic. Today, not many people were out. Most people were joggers and bicyclists who stayed to the main trails.

Now on the uphill, I marched forward and kept a slow, steady pace. With the sun directly on me, I got warm fast, so I stopped to rest more often than usual. But then a breeze would come by and cool me down. After a 300-foot gain, I was now on the ridge at a saddle northeast of the summit.

Here, I took a hard left and stayed on the path as it wound through rock outcrops, gaining another hundred feet to top out on the summit. A large rock windbreak lies on a lower bump, while the real top is just a bare rock hump. The views were nice in all directions, and I took a small break here to hydrate.

The downhill hike went fast, and I was back to my car after an hour and fifteen minutes on the hike. The temperatures were still nice, about 85, but I got what I came for. I drove home, stopped at the store for goods, rested and spent the day getting my head right for a planned move in two weeks.