When I grew up F.M radio stations, mostly college backed played whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. You could hear hardrock, folk, jazz, jazz rock fusion, R&B, and country songs back to back in an hour. Not so much anymore. The DJ’s played what they liked not what they got paid to play. You listened because you liked the diversity. When you went to the store the best products were eye level on the shelves because people liked them not because of pay for product placement. You went for sunday drives with your family because gas was 25 cents a gallon. At baseball games the 7th inning stretch was just that not time for marketing companies to fire free T-shirts into the stands while hollering inane marketing phrases through electronic mega-phones at you. Actors smoked cigarettes in films and on t.v. shows and there were Marlboro men and Winston men in print ads in magazines and on billboards. Today those macho guys are dead from lung cancer or you see them dragging oxygen tanks on wheels behind them with tubes strapped under their bulbous noses. If someone in your neighborhood got sick, hospitalized, or died everyone made casseroles and dropped them off at said neighbor’s houses. You knew your neighbors but today you only know them if they commit a crime and you see the cops parked outside their house or thy are a clip on C.N.N headline news for ponzi schemes or serial killing. When I grew up the only cereal were Wheaties, Cheerios, or Shredded Wheat. They needed sugar to be added to the milk. Today not so much. Water was clean and fresh and readily available Now it costs a buck a bottle and it comes in plastic containers lined with cancer causing agents. All the tradesmen such as butchers, electricians, and plumbers that got the most work were the ones that worked the hardest, provided the best services for the most reasonable prices not the ones that paid I.T. businesses so they would come up first on an internet search. Real people answered their own phones and responded to customers personally to provide customer satisfaction so they’d get more mouth to mouth referrals. You didn’t need to talk to machines or customer service depts. in third world countries. Dogs got loose and neighbors took them in and returned them to you after you got home from work. If your stereo broke down you took it to a stereo repairman and waranties paid for their repair instead of throwing them in the trash and buying a new one. There was penny candy in a glass case at the corner store. There were drive-in theatres where most men learned the meaning of the word NO. For me it mostly meant maybe. There were creeks, rivers, streams trees, and open land interspersed throughout metropolitan areas. You could swim anywhere. Mothers went to the back-door and hollered when dinner was ready now they text. When your family wanted or needed a product they saved up for it and paid cash instead of slapping down a credit card. When you got home from school during the week or on saturdays and sundays your parents told you to go outside and play. You rounded up your friends and explored the nearby woods, creeks, or rivers or played pickup ballgames. You walked everywhere and loved it. If you got caught performing acts of vandalism neighbors called your parents and you got snitched out and marched back to that persons house to apologize in person and then home where you were grounded. If your family needed help yor neighbors would help you. Today not so much. Well the hard times are back and maybe we can revert to the past and regain some of our humanity and offer a helping hand to some of our more needy neighbors. Adversity can be a wonderful catalyst that helps bring out the best in us because maybe it really isn’t so much about the money but more about loving and caring about each other. And lastly the chasm between the rich and the poor is widening but we’re all in this together. I find the rich are just as bedraggled and beleaguered and cornered as the poor because they have more stuff to protect. So let’s smile and actually listen to peoples responses when we ask people ‘How you doin?’ Let’s get out and walk our neighborhoods and pickup some litter and smile at each other. this depression/recession could be the best thing that has happened to the U.S.A. if we stop bitchin,complainin, and whinin and get back to the simpler things in life. We need to rise everyday and realize that every day is a blessing and today is the day to love and smile. Adversity when approached with an open heart and a open mind opens doors.

The sun rose like the beautiful orb it is and I watched it’s positive ascension while I read the dark news items in the daily paper and sipped my coffee.Inside I was jumping up and down like a kid after a bowl of captain crunch because my girl and I were flying to the Chicago suburbs for a semi-vacation with two immediate goals. One was to meet her family and two was to escape the oppressive summer heat for awhile. Hope for a fun-filled frolicsome six days was on the horizon while fear of family squabbles and petty judgements were gnawing at the perifery. I suppressed the latter thought and danced to light pop rock music on the stereo in anticipation of a fun adventure with the woman of my dreams. After the shuffling degrading shoeless security modern day spanking machine we endured getting to our plane we joked lovingly of the family and the visit to her hometown of Lisle Illinois. The plane took off on time and the ride was relatively uneventful. For once I was thrilled by the size of my girl’s purse because it was packed with snacks it even contained a couple of Chicago hot dogs with the works to prepare us for the ethnic food we would soon encounter. Her brother, Eddie Spaghetti picked us up after a twenty minute wait with his lovely bride of 10 years ensconced in the shotgun seat. Weather in the 80’s though moist was a delightful change from the past month and a half of 100+ we’d suffered through of late. The conversation in the car was focussed primarily on a previous day’s storm that had knocked out power in and about Lisle,Illinois where we would be staying with this lovely  couple for the next three and a half days. As we arrived at their upper middle class abode we had to refocus our energy to sidle by their enormous 120 lb named Dempsey while he growled his friendly akita welcome. Eventually after contorting our bodies while our arms were weighted down with luggage we managed to arrive at our room without getting bitten. We cleaned up and changed into our perfectly coordinated outfits and we were ready to go out for dinner. Once again we weaved and wended our way around the attack dog obstacle course without mishap feeling like we had just worked out to a 90 minute zumba video. Eddie piloted the vehicle through green idyllic suburban countryside as our stomachs growled like his dog and Spaghetti pointed out various locations of childhood debacles. He drove and drove and stopped at several restaurants that were closed due to the power outages by now our growling stomachs sounded like the Doberman gang as we finally pulled into the historic Homerun inn, the epicenter of world-famous Chicago pizza.The pizza arrived while I was attempting to make light conversation with my girl’s opinionated mother and the slightly tipsy bride of Eddie S. and my girl and her brother were outside smoking hacks. I proceeded to devour almost half this gargantuan pie with mom and tipsy whose name still escapes me. The pie was thin and crispy and shockingly delicious. I’d highly recommend it if you ever find yourself  in the proximity of a Homerun Inn. By the way I didn’t  just eat it I pounded it. The drive there was about 90 minutes but the drive home was about 10 minutes maybe we found the shortcut on the way back and our luck was turning for the better and I pondered asking to stop somewhere for a lottery ticket but I bit my tongue instead. Upon arrval at the homestead I decided to go for the nightly walk with Dempsey, my new best canine friend and Eddie, my host so off we went into the dark. Eddie joked and laughed while his dog growled at me like he was auditioning for protection work. We arived back at the home after a half-hour jaunt and I cleaned up, climbed into bed with my girl, hugged and kissed her and we dropped off to sleep like we’d just completed a 40 mile hike with with full 50 lb packs.The next morning dawned bright and beautiful with temps in the 60’s and we made our plans for the day over coffee and cigarettes, the breakfast at this quaint B and B’ After hiking 4 to 5 miles in this bucolic countryside we decided to gather everyone up and go eat lunch at another local famous eatery. It was packed, the food was great and I’ be damned if I can remember the name but if I could I’d recommend it. After arriving home we showered, shaved, relaxed and began getting ready for the night’ festivities which I was sure included the gathering of folks, the drivetime, the cocktails, the chitchat and lastly the engorging of comfort food. At this rate I was affraid I wouldn’t fit in my designer jeans by the time we got to our hotel in Chicago in two more days for some alone time. By then we could roll around in bed like overripe bratwurst which maybe is a midwestern pasttime. As the evening waned we drove home and dodged the growling behemoth of a dog, had a nightcap and retired.I dreamt of being stuck in Purgatory with a chainsmoking food critic but the dawn arrived nonetheless; spectacular bright and clear in the mid-sixties temperature wise with just a hint of humidity. After another breakfast of coffee and cigarettes and our day’s plans firmly agreed upon off we sailed into the wild blue yonder. We arrived at another wild life park that had trails winding around several small lakes and this time we were being dogged by the mother and closet alcoholic  to the rear and the growling beast of a dog at the forefront but it was another beautiful day so off we skipped. After an hour of hiking and waiting and hiking and waiting for the rear echelon to close the gap we dropped them at the car and thinking we could pick up the pace and burn some calories we stepped out with fresh vigor only to encounter swarms of mosqitoes that made the biblical tales of locusts look like Disney characters in their theme parks.When we finished are hike and battle with the skeeters off we went to lunch, grabbed a quick bite and home for a nap. That night’s dinner was to include the other brother Gary and his wife, Barb and their entire brood of children and grandchildren at a local open to the public country club. We arrived on time and proceeded to cocktail and chat as everyone straggled in over the course of one and a half hours Quite frankly they were all lovely and several of the children and grandchildren especially the females had that beautiful disarming Czyz smile that stole my heart and still does everytime Lana lets it rip. The meal was comfort food and sufficient and when I offered to pay a portion of the bill Gary graciously declined. The evening was wonderful, the family was nice and welcoming and damned if I didn’t have a great time. We went home satiated hurdled the old grouchy growling Dempsey, had a nightcap on the patio and retired. The third day was beautiful once again sunny mid-60s so after are standard coffee and cigarette breakfast we went for our daily constitutional. As we pulled into the parking lot we noticed this portly couple with binoculars glassing the perifery of this pond with trails around it and after inquiring what they were doing they informed us they’d spotted a wounded goose, probably an illegal{Canadian] and were trying to locate it for a wildlife officer who they had called and was do to arrive momentarily. We said we’d keep an eye out for it and off we scooted. Well eventually we found the brokened winged fowl on the other shore and signalled to the couple who were now engaged in conversation with the rescue officer and she hopped in her wildlife van and motored to our side of this pond. She lumbered to our position with a good sized fishing net in her meaty paws about the size of a large tennis racket ringed in some metal alloy. We pointed out the wounded bird and she proceeded to bonk the the living shit out of this bird several times before she drove the poor thing into the water in fear for his life.As the bird swm for his life in his newly concussed state we continued our idyllic walk. Upon arriving back at the car I was informed we would be eating lunch at Bishop’s, a neighborhood bar that allegedly had world famous chilli and once again I was starved so off we went.When we pulled into the parking lot I noticed this ramshackle building that  looked like it was built a the turn of the century and had not been renovated since. As we entered we noticed the handful of regulars at the bar with their boilermakers and bowls of chilli and it felt like home to me. As I scoured the menu I knew that this was the place for me because I could get a bowl of of chilli and a polish sausage for 5.95 and since their were only 4 of us I could finally afford to pickup this check . The food was good, the herbs and spices undecipherable and when the check arrived I dove on it. Four hours later back at the house I was awakened from my nap by a rumbling in my innards that felt and sounded like Mt. Vesuvious had come to life and everyone in nearby villages should be evacuated. I made it  to the bathroom and every particle of comfort food I’d ingested over the past several days was flushed from my system. After some contemplation I thought that the main ingredient in the famous chilli was gunpowder and I figured what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and in this case leaner. That evenings agenda was to include traditional Polish fare and I was ready. We showered, shaved and got into our outfits for the evenings meal at the “Bohemian Crystal ‘ met on patio had a cocktail and off we went. I’d never been to a traditional Polish eatery so I was stoked. I was advised to go for the dumplings to fully experience the Polish essence so I ordered the quarter duck and pork roast with bread dumplings. When my meal arrived the duck was crispy and the pork roast luscious moist slices but it was accompanied by 3 slices of mutated albino wonderbread baked in the Chernobyl ovens. I was pondering what to do with these abberrational food items that looked like sponges that could’ve been used in the Gulf oil spill to save the eco system when these huge gravy boats arrived at the table and so I followed everyone’s lead and dumped about a quart of gravyon these mutant food items and damned if they didn’t soak up every drop. The duck was great, the pork roast was great but I’m still wondering if my body will ever be able to pass these super sponges and I went to bed feeling like Bob’s Big Boy all bloated like a beached whale. I tossed and turned dreaming of plump moist prunes to alleviate my constricted innards.I awakened on our last morning with this dysfunctional yet charmingly hospitable couple with a bright smile on my face because we were headed to downtown Chicago where we would spend some alone. Yahoo! The 120 lb. beast named Dempsey had lost some volume and timbre to his warnings when I passed by him, had our standard breakfast of cigs and cofee, packed our bags, loaded the car and headed south. Eddie S. was driving, his wife,Linda was riding shotgun and I was in the back surounded by my girl and her mom. I felt like a cheap dime novel surrounded by the classics. The wheelman performed exquisitely smoking one hack after another while his lovely bride changed stations on the radio with rapid fire moves raising and lowering the volume in an effort to get his goat. When we transitioned from one highway to another we lost a lane and traffic slowed. Eddie S. bitched and moaned, the wife smirked and I bit my tongue and prayed for patience. Upon arrival at our hotel I bolted from the car as did my girl into the lobby of this lavish French hotel. The doorman followed with the bags as we zeroed in on Le checkin counture thinking we had finally lost her genetic entourage. We checked in and slowly turned to find her mom and as we entered the elevator once again we  found ourselves surrounded by the posse from hell. Le porter ushered us into our room as I prayed for salvation. With much aplomb my girl thanked everyone for their efforts but that we needed some time alone. They filed out with crestfallen faces and God smiled and we hugged with joy and abandon.I felt like Nelson Mandela upon his  release from internment and internally I shouted ” Oh, my God free at last. Thank you lord!” After unpacking, bonding with the remote which is a man’s curse and responsibility we took a catnap, held each other tight, and reset our emotional clocks. We awoke hungry and decided to saunter to the Blues cafe for a meal. You know the one in the Blues Brothers movies cuz I’ve never been there  and for me it was quintessentiall the heart and soul of Chicago and I could tourist up as well as anyone. We both opted for salads hoping to flush those damn mutant dumplings that were embedded in our lower intestines like v.c. in their tunnels in the Mekong delta. We finished are light repast and brushed by the 300 lb. black man guarding th stairway leading to the world famous blues hall upstairs He told us the concert in progress was sold out but once I reassured him I just wanted a peek and we did not intend to stay. He smiled and told us to go ahead. Upon entering we were assaulted by gangsta rap by a group called Tech Nine and we startled some youths with bugeyes, gazed at this incredible music venue and decided to retreat when the hairs on the backs of our necks stood up from the angry shouts and hard beats. We skipped down the stairs, thanked the doorman for his graciousness and strolled back to the hotel inhaling the sights, smells, and sounds of the  third largest city in the U.S.A  newly invigorated. Laid our heads on the pillows after performing our nightly ablutions and slept like the innocents that had survived three and a half days in war torn “meet the family enemy territory”. We slept in and rather than order  roomservice coffee and and breakfast at astronomical prices I scouted out a place to eat at around th corner while I picked up some coffees and whisked them back to the love of my life. We then walked 10 blocks to the shores of Lake Michigan where the people watching was a vibrant, rich, ripe experience. After an afternoon’s delight, a restfull nap we showered, shaved and gussied up to meet a good friend’s daughters in the hotel lounge. They arrived and after hugs and introductions and a libation I paid the bill and they joined us for dinner at this nearby local eatery where mysweet had made reservations. We chatted, laughed and renewed our friendships. The dinner was comfort italian, the service  inpeccable and after one of the girl’s boyfriends showed up we decided to saunter back toward the hotel’s proximity for a nightcap. We strolled  to this little club we’d discovered the night before and one doorway shy of this bar we got Chicagoed by this fast-talkin,slick-haired carney who invited us to come in and partake of the live R&B and he led us to this table right in front of the stage. The music was good, the band was working it and I was half in the bag so I said “what the hell”, we sat ordered a cocktail and enjoyed this local jazz soul group while we waited for one more couple to join us. The person we were awaiting was one of Lana’s nephews  and he was friends with my friend’s daughters boyfriend and after a divorce neither had seen hide nor hair of each other so we relaxed, enjoyed the music and eventually he showed up with his girlfriend. Once again hugs and introductions ensued they sat ordered drinks and the band played on. Lana and I decided to step outside for a smoke and the high heels she wore started to challenge her authority so she switched to flats she had stashed in her purse but the evening was taking a toll on both of us so I told her to hang on and I went to the bar, inquired about the bill and dropped  100 to cover half accrued thus far. I went back to the table made our apologies, said our goodbyes and sprinted to Lana at the door and grabbed a cab back to the hotel. As I lay my head down on the pillow I realized we’d been gouged at the club for everything but we didn’t get mugged physically just financially and tomorrow we would be winging our way bach home to Phoenix,Az  the sixth largest city in the U.S.A. where people are friendly and warm not because they want or need your money but because that’s the way they are. As I closed my eyes I heard Dorothy’s retort to Toto “ There’s no place like home”.

My partner Lana is from the midwest and thus uses some terminology,cliches,sayings that are different than some I’ve grown up with coming from the east coast.One of my favorites is when she calmly states that this person is a pity. Please allow me to expound on this.Positive thoughts beget positive results.Negative thoughts beget negative results.I lean towards the former and so does my partner.Some people we meet and are forced to interact with are “Pities”.These are people that measure their lives by telling people about the bad stuff that happened to them or complaining and whining about their horrible lives and they basically ‘piss in your ears’ thus filling you with this negative energy.We need to no longer tolerate “pities” because they cause disharmony,unrest,stress,and depression.”Pities” are cancerous and must be shunned.I firmly believe that when a door shuts or an opportunity ends if we keep an open mind and an open heart more opportunities will appear.Yet if we are busy crying and whining about our lot in life we will miss seeing the new doors and windows opening up for us.This economic “pity” we are now embroiled in abounds with opportunities to think outside the box.I’ve already gone back to college to take courses that will further my growth and development.My partner,Lana is doing the same.Yes, people have bad days and friends let them vent infrequently but for the most part friends should be supportive and trade positive thoughts.Stop feeding the “pities”.Stop letting them bring you down to their level of unhappiness.Every day is a blessing! Get out and exercise,smile,laugh,love,do not dwell on the negatives and you might find danger lurks but happiness abounds.

                                                                                      Love,

                                                                                     Pierce

P.S. “Lose the PITIES”

When I was a child of kindergarten age through maybe 4th grade every summer after school shut down and summer vacation started, my parents sent me to the barber for a buzzcut. The barber shaved me down to maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length and used some stickem on the front. It felt great!! I was a kid and who gave a damn what you looked like. This buzzcut represented Freedom and Liberation because back then in upper state New York me and my pals would get together and roam the hills and dales through forests damn near everyday, just exploring our world.

Well, I just revisited that feeling by getting a buzzcut again and I intend to revisit those feelings and introduce you to the freedom of exploration through my newest company Arizona Custom Hikes. My partner and I are filming our adventures, hikes, and we will soon be airing our Spanky and our Gang virtual hikes online for all to enjoy for a nominal fee. This task is more expensive and time consuming than we thought possible so bear with us. The cinematography will not rival Kirosawa or Bertolucci. The scripts will not be nominated for anything. All we are trying to do is have fun outdoors and show people how much fun simple explorations can be. The most amazing thing is that as we explore our world we must reach deeper and deeper into ourselves to achieve these goals and thus we learn more about ourselves everyday. So stay tuned and prepare to laugh, love, and giggle with us in the beautiful outdoors.

Your Hosts,

Pierce and Lana

P.S. Go Take A Hike!!!!

I’ve decided to come forth to profess my admiration, respect and love of Sunrise “the hike,” not the daily event although both can be experienced simultaneously on a daily basis. The other day Lana, my partner and I decided to pound out the hike Sunrise located at 136th and Via Linda -well actually east of there. So we started out at approximately 9am from the parking lot on Monday morning – a damn fine day to hike if you don’t like crowds. The temps were border line “80’s” and it was quite breezy. Within ¼ mile we both had sand and particles in our eyes which we had to gouge out for a clearer field of vision. Lana achieved a second wind shortly thereafter, yet I felt out of sync and as far as getting in the zone with my rhythm I fought the wind even when it looked like it was at Lana’s back almost lifting and cradling her. It seemed to buffet and bitch-slap me; Maybe it was a feminine wind. Anyway, it’s straight up for 2 miles; we made it 1.8 miles when we turned back. I was hot, gritty, and thankful we turned back. On the way down it was pretty much the same except 2/3’s of the way down I almost stepped on one of the most beautiful snakes I’ve ever beheld sunning itself on the side of the trail. Lana had scampered right by it and the irony was I had warned Lana to be on the lookout for them because the temps and conditions were ripe for their appearance. Well anyway I called Lana back to behold this black snake with yellow bands as it crawled into its lair amongst some rocks. Although the hike was nothing more than arduores for me, the fact that I encountered one of the world’s most gorgeous yet frightening species and then allowed me to share this with my hiking partner made our day. We kept our eyes peeled on the rest of the way down and even encountered a chubby gecko and the wind and heat seemed to fade away. So keep your eyes open- it looks like spring is here, the snakes are warming up , coming out of hibernation and it can be a glorious beautiful time of year or frightful one depending on whether your glass is half full or empty. If you exercise it will eventually be full thanks to the endorphins!

If you’ve ever driven to Tucson from Phoenix and you glanced at that huge monolithic formation on the right side of the road as you got within 30 minutes of your destination then you’ve seen Picacho Peak. Well, since the business climate is in the dumper, my partner and I decided to explore new adventures so we planned our frontal assault on this massive formation. The temperature was in the low “60?s and thye sky was bluer than Liz Taylor’s eyes in “ National Velvet “, thus it was a perfect hiking weather.We arrived at10:15a.m. to start our trek and within the first 15 minutes we were cardio-challenged,sweat soaked, and breathing as hard as fillies in a 1.5 mile race. It’s 2.1 miles to the saddle and we were slammin. We passed several groups of people, while no one caught us. It’s pretty much straight up with short switchbacks; major maximus gluteus work, hamstrings, and quads. Once you arrive at the saddle you have to descend steep sections for 800ft using steel cables embedded in the rock to go around a large escarpment and then back up to the highest peak. Believe me when I tell you this is major adrenaline territory. So we scrabbled like monkeys dispatched by the wicked witch of the west for the first part, (total cardio and endorphins) then down on the cables which was scary causing adrenaline surges, then back up the other side on cables and even catwalks that look just a bit wider than dental floss. The summit is about 50 ft. by 50 ft. and you feel like you can touch the clouds if there were any. The only bummer was I couldn’t mark turf because too many poeple were hanging out there. We ate a couple wraps I had made, drank some water, high fived some people and started down. My soul was bursting with jubilation on the way down as I encountered Dads and daughters, complete families, couples from foreign countries,and even some Joe Pesci “Yutes” (Youths). We encouraged them all, lied about how far it was to the top and grinned from ear to ear.

It took us 3 hours round trip and it was the singular most empowering feat I’ve performed in years. It was the bomb and if you’re feeling old and you stay in shape I’d recommend it as a valid litmus test. Between my partner and myself we are a combined age of 114 years and we both glowed at the bottom. Whatever your age, if you can do Picacho via Hunter Trail in any amount of time I salute you!! It costs six dollars for a day pass and it was the best six dollars I spent this year.

Now the facts as laid out in the brochure. Picacho Peak at it’s highest is 3374 feet, the saddle is 2960 feet and going down around that escarpment to get to the highest peak is definitely worth it. So let me reiterate in the strongest terms, if you want to see what you are made of, or you want to feel alive, put down the remote, shut off the TV, taake a drive down near Tucson, pull over at Picacho State Park and live alot!! In summation, sometimes you gotta grab life by the ass in your teeth and shake it. OR like DEVO said ” Whip it, Whip it good.

Pierce and Lana

Just got back from a awe – inspiring hike in Hidden Valley. My partner, Pierce, took me on our Super Deluxe top of the mountain hike. We met at 6 am and drove for 50 minutes to hike Fat Man’s Pass. This is an enormous boulder on top of a certain mountain with a split down the middle which you have to turn sideways to squeeze through. On the other side is this incredible moon like surface with all these jumbled collections of rock formations. As you continue down the valley, it gets narrower until you actually have to slide through some caves to keep going down this primeval place.

Not a soul in sight as the dogs were having a ball running and searching for jack rabbits. As we exited through a 50 foot tunnel, we met three women with a Jack Russell Terrier . There was fear and distrust in their eyes as it is rare to run into anyone on this trail. We skirted their negative force, rejoined the National trail, and pounded our way back to the car with our happy,exercised dogs. The whole adventure took one and a half hours of hiking and about two hours of driving to and fro. It was totally exhilarating and I loved every minute of this adventure. I would recommend this great hike to everyone who loves to explore and seeks the beauty of the mountains. So call us at Arizona Custom Hikes and let’s all get ENDORPHINIZED together.Experience our excursion,

Lana and Pierce

When I became a great dog trainer it was because I made owners and their dogs face their fears until they overcame them. And that is why I started Arizona Custom Hikes. I wanted to empower women and men who were fearful and uninformed about the desert. Most people have boundaries in their lives they have created, where they feel safe but to become successful you must push those boundaries and face those fears.

When I first started hiking my dogs in the desert I thought every crooked stick was a snake, every howl or yelp was a coyote pack ready to pounce, yet by forcing myself to do this daily I soon realized my fears were unfounded and I became empowered.

That is what we at Arizona Custom Hikes are trying to achieve with our clients. There is a primal, simple, beauty in the desert if you can learn to let go of your fears. We live in the 5th largest city in the U.S.A. and have one of the premier park systems in all America, yet only a small percentage of Phoenicians avail themselves of the peace, beauty and tranquility of it because of their fears.

SO grab your dogs or friends, call me, book a hike and let me help you face your fears and become empowered.

LET’S ALL GET ENDORPHINIZED!

Arizona Custom Hikes will energize your body and stimulate your mind.
Customize your hikes with or without your canine.
Explore Arizona’s beautiful trails.
You will be inspired by your guides with the beauty of the sunrise or sunset.

Call to arrange a rewarding experience for you and your canine.
for additional information, please visit: www.AzBadDogs.com