Date: September 9, 2022 • Elevation: 2,056 feet • Prominence: 305 feet • Distance: 1.8 miles • Time: 1 hour • Gain: 385 feet • Conditions: Humid out the yingyang

Arizona • Main • LoJ

Peak 2065 rises north of the new Vistancia housing developments in Peoria. I was here about four weeks ago when I climbed the nearby Twin Buttes North Peak. I came back this morning with plans to hike this peak and nearby Prince Benchmark, which would garner me two ranked peaks in about 3 miles of hiking. That was the plan.

Over the night a storm moved through, the eastern fringes of Tropical Storm Kay that hit mainly northern Baja and Southern California. It did not rain hard here, just a steady shower for about three hours. This meant the temperatures would be lower, lows in the mid 70s, highs in the mid 90s. I chose these two hills because they were close, I knew the area after my first visit, and they involved roads and paths, no cross-country travel. It's still snake season.

I was up early, timing my drive so I arrived in the area about 6:30, which worked out. The skies had cleared, mostly, just a few cloud banks on the horizons. Last night was a full moon and I enjoyed watching it set in the west.

I drove through the main Vistancia development, then over the CAP Canal, where all the new building is going on. I found a place to park on a cul-de-sac in an area of newly-built but still uninhabited houses. I got things together and started walking about 6:45 a.m..

The humidity knocked me flat almost immediately. The air temperature was about 78 degrees. It wasn't cold nor hot. Normally, 78 is lovely. But the dewpoint was probably 77 and I could feel it. It felt like I was enveloped in a warm mushy stifling vat of steam. It felt like I was east of the Rockies.

I had to bypass the construction guys (who are working hard on an early Saturday morning). I dipped into an arroyo that went around their work area, then up and down some low rises and in minutes, I came upon an old eroded track. There are a few that snake up the hillside. The area was the old White Peak Mine, and I even found a cool mine claim corner cairn (see image). What else could it be?

I followed the track uphill. It would merge in with other tracks but it didn't matter. As long as it went uphill, it worked. I moved quickly, and sweated profusely. I was soon where the road crests a saddle. I found a side track and followed it uphill to the top. Along the way I heard a grunt and looked up to see a javelina scampering uphill from me. I was on top about 25 minutes after starting.

Views weren't bad. I had good light for photos. There was low cloudiness and ground fog in some directions. Fog is extremely rare in Phoenix. In my 30 years here, I think it's been foggy maybe three times. And usually like this, when a storm happens then the air temperature shoots up to where the air temperature and dewpoint are about the same. Yuck.

I hiked back down to the saddle and called it. It was just too humid to continue on. I had water and probably would have been fine, but frankly, I was hating things. I was completely soaked through, and it was warming now. I can always come back another day. This isn't that far from my domicile. I was happy with this one peak. It's not much but I got a workout.

I retuned to Tempe the same way, no reason to vary things. I gave in and ran my car's AC for the drive home. I usually don't use the AC when it's dry outside, but when it's as humid like it was today, I blasted it and it felt damn good. I was home by 9 a.m..