Summiting the Swiss Helm Mountains

Today my friend Jeff Schaa and I summited the Swiss Helm Mountains near Elfrida, AZ where they live. I am flying home tomorrow and Jeff asked me what I wanted to do today. I had heard about a time when he and his sons had summited the Swiss Helm mountain and it sounded intriguing to me. I found out later that after Jeff had done it he said he would never do it again! But off we were around 9:30 this morning.



Here we are at the car drop point, about 1.5 miles from the base of the mountain. The peak is in the background.

It was a brutal hike. It took a total of 6 hours and 15 minutes car to car, for a total of 5.33 miles. There is no trail so you have to make your own way to the top. The incline is a beast with slopes as high as 55%. We hacked our way through dense undergrowth at the bottom of the mountain. The top of the mountain is relatively clear but the slope is so steep and it is difficult to get your footing on the loose rock. And the whole time you are keeping a keen eye out for snakes and cacti. I slipped many times but thankfully I never fell on a cactus. The last stretch to the summit was almost straight up a rock pile. At that point I had to keep from looking back to keep from freaking out. It you have a fear of heights this climb is not for you!

The Summit is at 6974 ft. So between the thin air and slopes my heart was pounding. On the way up we had to stop often to catch our breath. By the time we reached the summit it was a bit after noon so we stopped, rested, and enjoyed lunch with a view. Here is Jeff resting and enjoying the view.



You can see in this picture how high up we were. Here is a picture of the same mountain but viewed from the house in the valley below. We hiked to the peak in the middle right of the picture.



All in all it was a fantastic day and a memory that will stay with me for a long time.

Have a great day!