It’s time to venture further up towards Mount Lemmon, we decide. We make it as far as Windy Point, where a frigid wind does indeed blow. There are a couple of campgrounds on the way that are $10 a night, which we take note of for future reference. Having accomplished this, we promptly head all the way back down to warmer, more familiar environs.

Windy Point

We’ve decided the Hairpin Turn area is the tightest, not to mention warmest, area for the day. We return there and I rack up a few more 5.7 to 5.9 leads, feeling more and more solid, some of the clarity and calmness that climbing can bring me returning to soothe the fear and shakiness. Even down here, though, the wind has a little nip in the shade. Life is tough in the desert!