On May 28, 2009, I spent a good deal of time exploring Red Mountain, Arizona. My first visit to Red Mountain was brief, with poor lighting for photos, so I had vowed to return.

Most hikers that come to Red Mountain simply check out the inner cauldron area, but I had it in mind on this hike to go to the summit. I thought it would be fun to try and reach the summit from within the old crater, rather than the obvious route along the high outer ridges.

The volcanic rock was loose and seemed to scrape right off, but I had fun scrambling around the old flows and “narrows” among the hoodoos.

Don’t miss the next page (This day continued)