Finally, a month later, John and I found
a day for us to conquer Table Top Summit! We had twice planned to hike this
strenuous trail, and both times we had to cancel, once for lack of time (on
Super Bowl Sunday) and once because I was sick. It was starting to look grim
because the days were beginning to heat up, and it wouldn't be long before we
wouldn't be able to do the trail due to the intense summertime heat.
Fortunately, John's original plan for the day -- training with his skydiving
team -- was canceled, so I suggested that we hike Table Top Summit.
As usual, we left before sunrise, stopped for bagels and gas on our way out of
town. By the time we hit the freeway, it was 6:30 a.m. Now, according to the
directions we had gotten from the Internet, we figured that it would take us
at least two to three hours to reach the trailhead. We read that, in order to
get to the trailhead, we needed to go south on I-10 until we reached I-8; we
would then take I-8 west (towards Gila Bend) until we reached the Vekol Road
exit (Exit #144). From there, it was 15.3 miles on primitive roads to the
trailhead.
However, that would have been too much driving. Instead, we took I-10 to
Maricopa Road, then took Maricopa Road to I-8. This cut some time off of our
trip; we managed to make it to the trailhead a little after 8:00 a.m.
The Table Top Summit Trail -- a 3.5 mile long trail that winds through the
Table Top Mountain Wilderness Area -- is a beautiful trail that is maintained
by the Bureau of Land Management, making this our first BLM Wilderness Area
adventure. The trail begins at the wilderness boundaries (and as we entered
the wilderness, John and I shared a "wilderness" kiss) at an elevation of
2,200 feet. During the first two miles, the trail is very flat, climbing only
300 feet. Then, upon reaching the base of the mountain, the trail begins to
switchback, and, over the next 1.5 miles, it climbs 1700 feet. The trail
finally ends at the very top of the mountain, on a plateau (hence the name
"table top").
The climb itself is difficult, but it is not impossible. I hiked it without
much difficulty, taking it at my own pace until I reached the summit. At the
end of the trail is a sign post. There was supposed to be a sign that read
"Table Top Summit", but it had already disappeared. There were, however, first
aid cards that had been left behind by a previous hiker, as well as a hat and
two bottles of water. Some kind soul had left these things there as part of a
good deed, to ensure that no one would get hurt hiking that trail as it can be
a brutal in the desert heat.
Though we were not the only ones hiking that day, we were the first ones to
reach the summit, at 10:20 that morning, after hiking for two hours precisely.
The other hikers were at least a half an hour behind us, giving John and I
another opportunity to be naked in the woods...or, in this case, in the
wilderness. Upon reaching the summit, John and I sought out a more secluded
area, away from the sign post, and we stripped down until we were wearing
nothing but our hiking boots and our sunglasses.
And, of course, being suckers for statistics, we pointed out to each other
that this was only the second wilderness area in which we had had sex, the
first one being West Clear Creek (on the
West Clear Creek Trail #17, during
our first backpacking trip).
We were dressed long before the other hikers reached the top. By that time,
John and I were eating lunch and admiring the scenery. From the top of the
mountain, we had the most spectacular 360° view. To the north, we could see
Maricopa and South Mountain Park. To the east, we saw Casa Grande and the
Picacho Mountains, and through the haze, we could barely make out the shape of
the Santa Catalina's. South of us was the Papago Indian Reservation, and in
the distance, the Babovaquori Mountains, which are near the Mexican border.
After lunch, John and I decided to explore the forty acres of grasslands on
top of the mountain. There were no trails, so we had to hike cross-country,
avoiding cactus plants and watching out for rattlesnakes as we hiked. Of
course, that didn't stop me from stepping on a hedgehog cactus. Its needles
went through my boots and stabbed me in the foot, but fortunately, there
wasn't any permanent damage.
At the other end of the plateau, John and I discovered a geological survey
marker in a ring of lava rocks. Next to the marker, we found a Mason jar
filled with scraps of paper, as well as a yellow coffee can inside of a Zip
Lock bag. Inside of this can was a smaller can of the same color. We opened
each one to see what they contained, and we found that, on each scrap of paper
found within the jar and the cans, people had written down the date and time
that they had reached the summit of that mountain. They also included the
names of the people in their party. Some reported what the weather was like
that day. Others related what they did once they reached the top. The coffee
can also had blank pieces of paper and a pencil, so John and I contributed our
story: "3/6/99 John and Heather Verley reached the top at 10:20 a.m.-- had
lunch, had sex, played naked. Beautiful weather, breezy and cool."
It was just after noon when we started our descent down the mountain, and we
reached the van at about two o'clock -- perfect timing, because the park was
starting to get a little crowded! We passed four groups of hikers during the
return trip, and, at the trailhead, there were groups of people having a
picnic. (We didn't realize just how popular that area was.)
Though it was still early in the day, we decided to head home...but of course,
we took the scenic route. After passing through Gila Bend to get some non-fat
frozen yogurt (instead of ice cream), we took SR 85 north through Buckeye then
headed east on Old Highway 85, which eventually becomes Buckeye Road in
Phoenix. We were home before dark, happy that we had finally conquered the
mountain. |
