Getting the Finger (part 1 of 4)

Do you know what it feels like to be mocked by an inanimate object?  For several years I could have sworn that a rock formation in the mountains North of Tucson, Arizona was giving me the bird.  Everyday as I drove to work I would catch a glimpse of the monumental taunt that reminded me of my previous failures.

Finger Rock is a prominent geological feature in the Santa Catalina mountains shaped like a hand with a single finger pointing upwards.  To some people, it is a source of inspiration and motivation, encouraging them to strive upwards by pointing them to their highest goals.  But when you've tried and failed to reach that landmark on multiple occasions, it begins to look like it's sending a different message.

Attempt #1 - "View of Finger Rock Trail"

Early one Saturday morning, 5 confident young men decided we'd go on a little hike to a recognizable landmark that towers over our beloved desert city.  On the drive to the trailhead, the sunlight shimmered on our path ahead, giving us a false sense of hope about the day before us.

We had read online that the hike was a bit of a workout, but surely we could handle it.  I mean, we were a group of sturdy lads after all.  Unfortunately we didn't read that the Finger Rock Trail, which rises up the East wall of the canyon, didn't actually go anywhere near the Finger, which sits atop the Western wall.  It wasn't until we had reached the top of the trail where a sign marks the junction to either Mt. Kimball or Ventana Canyon that we realized we may have made a slight navigational error.

At that point though, we were running low on both water and energy, having hiked higher and further than we apparently should have, so we were force to admit defeat.  We hiked back down the trail that day wondering where we had gone astray and slightly bitter that "Finger Rock Trail" was apparently named quite poorly.

Man: 0, Finger: 1

Have you made the same unfortunate discovery at some point?  Please tell me I'm not alone in the comment section.


To read the rest of this saga, check out the links below:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4