CamelBack (breaking) Mountain

So today we went to CamelBack Mountain. Nat was reminishing of how when he came here as a young man, he and a friend would take a run up the mountain, so being that none of us had been there except for Nat, we all agreed to go on a hike up CamelBack Mountain. It took a little while to get there because there were no real signs, and nothing on GPS for "Camelback" (ends up it was called Echo or something like that). We finally got there, parked and excited to go on this little adventure...that didnt last long!
I am sure you have heard stories of Cheryl and I trekking it up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night (over 4 hour climb). All of us trekking up and down mountains in Isreal, and even the beautiful Petra landscapes of rock and long trails (an ALL DAY exploration...cake compared to CamelBack...
It started off not so bad...long winding trails of dirt and man-made steps. Then we go to the other part! It took us OVER TWO HOURS to get up the mountain...climbing over boulders...man-made steps disappeared and all that was left was STEEP inclines of uneven boulders with the need for tricky maneuvering to overcome. There were actually parts of the "trail" that required use of man-inserted metal bars...because without then you would have absolutely no traction or leverage up the steep and often slick incline. We prevailed! We made it all the way up the mountain...being passed TWICE by a guy that runs up and down the mountain 3-4 times a day 6 days a week for the last 13 years! I conclude that some people are slightly crazy, but THAT is PSYCHOTIC!!
It was beautiful I admit,but I spent 95% of the time looking at the ground. At the top we hung out and took in the beauty then back down the mountain we went. Easier than going up, but taxing nonetheless. I cant imagine how much of a wimp i would've been if I had not been going to the gym 3X a week for the last month! I was pretty much the reason for everyone else to take nice long breathing breaks...for me to catch up! Next time I come here I WILL RUN UP THAT DAMN MOUNTAIN!!!
Words can really do no justice, so I am uploading some pictures taken on the "HIKE" -- or MOUNTAIN CLIMBING adventure...










After our 3+ hour hiking excursion, we went to "heartattack grill" for lunch...after climbing up a mountain half the day, I really didnt want a greasy burger...but nevertheless I was HUNGRY. None of us realized that Heart Attack Grill also covers as a strip joint (not really, but alls well had). You can visit their website (heartattackgrill.com) but this picture pretty much sums it up...