Hiking Piestewa Peak, Phoenix

Still feeling the gluttony of our Thanksgiving meal, we decided to hike off some calories at Piestewa Peak.

The mountain is the second tallest inside the Phoenix area. Only Camel Back is higher. Both are popular places for the fit and active.

Hubby and I, however, having done Camel Back before, weren't feeling quite as fit and active as that trail requires.

Piestewa Peak still gave us a workout, though. After days of lingering cloud cover, the sun finally shone clear and unblemished, heating up the hiking trail and bringing on a sweat.

Nevertheless, it felt good to be outside in shorts and short sleeves as we knew we would be heading back to Minnesota and it's cold winter winds.

This was my second time up Piestewa Peak. The last time I'd climbed this way, the trail had been called something different -- Squaw Peak.

The mountain's name, it seems, is in flux. While the city's official tourism info refers to it by the new name -- Piestewa Peak after the first soldier killed in the Iraq war -- all the park signage still uses the old name -- Squaw Peak.