How have you been challenged lately?

Can you believe it’s spring already? With it comes beautiful wildflowers, warmer weather and the celebration of Easter. In Arizona, we saw fields of orange globe mallow, yellow brittlebush and Mexican gold poppies. This week, we are experiencing temperatures in the mid-90’s here at Abilene State Park, Texas. We haven’t seen trees in quite some time and the leaves are coming out quickly! Yes, it’s finally spring time!

My parents came to Phoenix last week for a vacation to get away from the cold and snowy winter they had in Minnesota. It was fun to see them soak in the warm and sunny days and show them some of the sites we have enjoyed this past winter. The Desert Botanical Gardens, Elvis Presley Memorial Church, Goldfield Ghost Town and the Hole in the Rock in Papago Park were highlights! They stayed with John and Lois Estrem (Lois is dad’s cousin) in Mesa, AZ. So, it was great spending time with them too!

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We stayed at the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction while my parents were in Mesa. If you remember, we stayed at this same state park back in February. When we left, there was snow on the Superstition Mountains, especially Flatiron. We told each other that if we ever came back to the park we would hike the trail to the top of Flatiron. So, the day after my parents left, we heard Flatiron calling our name!

The Flatiron Trail

According to AllTrails, Flatiron via Siphon Draw Trail is a 6.2 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Apache Junction that features beautiful wildflowers and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. Much of this trail is scramble/rock climbing. Hike Arizona mentions Flatiron is a 6-mile round trip hike highly ranked by most hikers. If switchbacks are your passion, this hike will show you the flip side. It’s a push (almost a climb) to the top, but well worth it. It’s probably a good thing we really didn’t read up too much on this hike, because, if we did, we might have talked ourselves out of it!

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The first two miles of the trail winds into a canyon known as Siphon Draw, with a 1,000 foot elevation gain to the Basin area. The next mile to the top of Flatiron is not maintained and there is a 2,000 foot elevation gain from the Basin. It is basically rock scrambling the last mile to the top. There were several times we looked at each other to see if we should turn around, but the summit was getting closer and closer and everyone coming down said “you are almost there”. We ran into two other hikers that were struggling a little bit like we were and we all made a pact to get to the top together. We encouraged each other like we were running a marathon (it felt like we were) and we finally did make it to the summit.

The view was spectacular!

The view from the summit was absolutely incredible and stunning! We enjoyed lunch as we looked across the landscape of the Superstition Mountains and Apache Junction. We really did it! It felt so good to have overcome a challenge we never thought we could accomplish! Now, the really hard part came, the hike back down the mountain! I have to admit, I would rather hike up the trail again rather than come down the mountain. It took a lot of focus to step down on the right rocks so we wouldn’t slip on the loose rocks. We were also fatigued, so every step was laborious. We took lots of rest breaks to replenish with water and about three hours later, we were taking our hiking boots off in the motorhome! To celebrate, we went out for pizza at the Hitching Post Saloon. Best pizza ever!

Challenges are good for us!

So, why am I doing a post on hiking the Flatiron Trail? Flatiron was hard, challenging and difficult. It would have been easy for us to just turnaround and say we hiked as far as we could. But there is something about getting to the point of defeat when you tell yourself, “I can do this!” And, you move forward, even with small steps, and you continue to what you thought was impossible beyond the bounds of possibility. When I finally reached the summit, I first praised God for giving me the strength to get to the summit without injury and then I thanked Mark for being there with me to witness the joy of our accomplishment together. By doing this hike, we know we can do anything when we put our mind to it. It reminded me of our 2-year journey to travel full-time in an RV!

Things to remember:

1. Name your challenge. Write it down. Tell others, especially your friends. They will encourage you along way!
2. Prepare. Research and talk to others that have already accomplished the challenge. This helps you find out what needs to be done before you start your challenge.
3. Get started. Do something to move you forward every day, even if it’s a little step.
4. Celebrate. Figure out something you want to do when your challenge is conquered!
5. Give thanks! Who do you need to thank for helping you achieve something you wanted to do?

We are still talking about the Flatiron challenge we did last week! Challenges can be short term or long term. Whatever your challenge is, you too can overcome and succeed by keeping the momentum moving forward.

We would love to know what you are working on! Let us know in the comments below so we can encourage you!

Finding Joy in the Journey – Heidi of Loving the RV Life