Hiking aka Cross Training

In my never ending quest to get in all my cross training days and also do something I enjoy, I've been hiking every Monday with a group of people that have been hiking together every Monday for something like 15 years.  Kudos to them.  To accomplish this task and not end up as a headline about another hiker that died of heat exhaustion (why do summer visitors feel the need to go hike at noon with 12oz of water??  I don't even want to walk to my car at noon, much less go out in the desert to walk!), it's been 4:30 and 5am starts for us.  I actually am quite jealous that work will start again next month and they will continue to hike on.

Hutch's Pool.  The water is really low, but there is still water!

Pima Canyon and a view of the city.

Through the window of a old stone house along the way.

Believe it or not, though the southwest is in extreme drought conditions, there has been water at most places we have gone to.  The water may be low, and the waterfalls that are supposed to be along the way are not running, but, it's amazing that there was water there to begin with!

Shortest hike so far: 6 miles
Longest hike: 16 miles

And yes, I was dead tired when that 16 miler was over.  I think a lot of it had to do with me being nervous about us getting back before it got too hot because it ended up being a much easier hike that I had anticipated, we just had to walk quickly.  I felt like I had accomplished great things, but I went home, showered, and slept. 

This cross training thing is already proving it's worth.  I'm getting out to do something I like that I get to do only a couple of times a year to do, and, I'm claiming it's marathon training in the process.  Double win!