Last night's fish dinner was scrumptious (of course!)  And while deep-fried food is certainly not part of my healthy food diet, enjoying it every now and then shouldn't do too much harm, right?  

The trash cans were full to the brim last evening after the last bags went out and topped them off - but the lids were safely (as in fully) closed for night to discourage nocturnal critters from exploring their contents.  

Then early this morning (at least I 'slept in' until 6) I topped off both cans with hefty piles of cuttings, stashed by the gate, from the serious work Alex and I did a week ago.  Now the drive-through only has one small pile of trimmings remaining to be disposed of - and that batch should disappear shortly, once the cans are emptied today.

Alex has invited me to go on a breast cancer hike with him the morning of Halloween.  

The hike will be up Camelback Mountain  - which, as long as I've lived here, somehow I've never hiked.   While Alex admits I 'probably' <G> won't be able to make it all the way to the top, he says there is a good stopping place partway up.  

He didn't know any of the fund-raising details, so I did a search this morning.  It appears to be a free event sponsored by a group of dentists (I assume the friend who invited him is the owner of the fancy boat that is stored here) though of course donations are "welcome".  I've sponsored so many people on their walks/runs for a variety of health issues over the years, so maybe the "payback" to me will be good.

  

Unfortunately 

it seems that the route the group will be taking is up Echo Trail...

Echo Canyon (Summit Trail) – 1.2 miles ~ 1.45 Miles

Summary: Echo Canyon Trail or Summit Trail also commonly referred to as simply “Echo” is one of the most intense and hardcore hiking experiences in Phoenix, Arizona.  This is a trail for hiking enthusiasts, out of town visitors and those looking for a difficult workout.  Many hike, stop, snap pictures and enjoy the challenge while others hike hard for time.  Echo Canyon Trail presents a great all around adventure.

Elevation Gain: 1,264 feet

Challenge: (Extremely difficult) Very good conditioning and/or strong will required to complete this hike.  Many people die on Camelback every year due to heat exhaustion, dehydration and falls.  This trail has victimized many unprepared and unfortunate hikers.

Terrain (Trail) Description:  The Echo Canyon trail starts off with a pacing stair step portion leading up to a steep incline of rock faces.  This levels off for a few hundred feet before leading back to steps for another few hundred feet.  Then comes the first rail, which is an extremely vertical rock face sandwiched by chain link fence and the mountain edge itself.  Running down the east side of this section is a man-made metal rail, installed to help people through this section.  Although it can be traversed without rail assistance, many choose to utilize it especially coming down.

After this first rail is a small downward slope and a relatively flat section before entering the second rail section which is not as steep as the first one.  Another flat section follows leading up to a choice of two paths.  To the left is a sheer rock face, called “The Red Rock Way” and to the right is a highly inclined boulder section.  The red rock section rejoins the main trail at many points and also carries all the way to an ancient Native American cave on the north side of the mountain.

Once the two paths rejoin it is a fairly inclined path for the rest of the hike.  This includes boulder and gravel sections.  Towards the top of the trail it loops back north before reaching the summit.

So while I do have several weeks to get in shape for the hike -

 "maybe" I need to rethink my decision to take Alex up on his invitation...?

Yesterday I did manage a serious first pass mucking off the desk, whittling down the stacks.  A sizeable number of things got tossed, while others were filed away where they truly belong.  Happily there were no bad surprises (like bills that had been overlooked) and even a few good ones.  

There's still a (much smaller!) stack of things I couldn't quite figure out what to do with, and I may revisit that pile later today.  

In any event the desk is in much better shape for when I have my tech "appointment" with Alex today to see about the printer.  Last night was not a good time since the football game was on, and one of the major players on his Fantasy Football team was playing.  Until last night he'd been in first place in his league... 

He did ask me if I'd tried to do the printer on my own -

and I had a definite answer for that:

The eye doctor just called to let me know that my new glasses have arrived.  

I have an appointment to pick them up at 10:45.