About that tree�
About that tree� It�s that time of year again when holidays collide, traffic turns toxic and tempers grow short. With all the pressures, all we hikers want to do is escape to the trails to shake it all off. Ironically, one of the most popular trails in the Phoenix area---one that�s supposed to help us unwind---often ends up adding to our seasonal distress. I�m referring to the annual drama surrounding the Camelback Mountain Christmas Tree. Regardless of whether the City of Phoenix decides to allow or prohibit the tinsel stick on the mountaintop---somebody will drag one up there anyway. For the record, I am personally against this practice. Call me Scrooge, but the tree just doesn�t belong there. It�s a buzz kill on a desert mountain peak that creates litter and safety hazards. Still, every year we can expect the controversy to make headline news and cause more heartburn than it�s worth. Within the Arizona Hiking Group Facebook page (20,000+ memb...