Climbing

[AZ8]

Of all my workout routines, this is still my favorite. Nothing beats real world hill climbing.

 

Love hitting this hill behind my house. Not too many people this afternoon made for a nice workout.

 

[Healy Arms]

Of all my workout routines, this is still my favorite. Nothing beats real world hill climbing.

 

Love hitting this hill behind my house. Not too many people this afternoon made for a nice workout.

 

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I completely agree with you. Not too many people realize that the South Mountain Preserve has a trail that runs from end to end (The National Trail) that's a 29 mile round trip from the east parking lot.

 

Yes sir - 29 miles of a perfect hunting get-ready trail that, when compared to the local population, almost no one uses. Then add in the rest of the park and you have 1/3 mile stuff, 1 mile stuff, 5 mile stuff, steep stuff, flat stuff. Whatever the fitness level - it all works.

 

I go there often because it's close. My kid likes the Pinal Mtns- so we do that a lot too. A steep hike is the perfect way to gauge your fitness before taking off for a hunt. Better to know you'll be sucking wind ahead of time and do something to course correct - don't waste tag time.

 

[Big or Bust]

I agree. Best exercise there is. Mountain climbing with weight.

[CouesWhitetail]

hard hill hiking is what I do to get ready for a hunt. Lots of hills easily accessible around Globe since we are surrounded by public land!

[Mr. Natural]

This is kind of an old thread, but still pretty close to the top of the pile.

 

Hill climbing is my primary means of staying fit - for hunting and pretty much everything. My year-round routine usually consists of four laps up and down a local mountain, two days a week. Most of the year I do mornings, but switch to afternoons in the winter when the mornings are pretty cold. Mid-summer I am out there at oh-dark-thirty to get my laps in before it gets unbearably hot, hiking by moon or even just star light. Hiking in the dark is a bit sketchy in the summer and I occasionally resort to using a headlamp, especially if it is overcast and all moon/star light is blocked. I have seen snakes out there, mostly tiger rattlers, but have seen one blacktailed rattler (I think) and one coral snake. When the monsoon hits and the mornings are still pretty darn warm and humid, I cut back to two or three laps. Four laps works out to 6.25 miles and 4,700 ft. of total elevation change (2,350 up, 2,350 down). It is definitely more interesting than a tread mill at the gym!

 

Here is a short time lapse of the route: