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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | JANUARY 2, 2022
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East Valley man pens a loving guide to S. Mountain Community College, Lenartz plumbs the South Mountain Park and Preserve in every conceivable way, writing about its history and geology as well as its biology and recreational opportunities. “This incredible local treasure is the largest municipal park in the United States, a stunning example of the Sonoran Desert environment located right in our backyard,” said Lenartz said, who includes familiar spots and new discoveries in his book. The mountain has been an endless magnet for Lenartz and his family, who spend several days a week sampling its treasures. “We spend several days a week at the park either hiking, biking, having a picnic, or taking some time to reflect on what is meaningful in life,” he said. “I enjoy spending time volunteering there as a Park Steward. And I was even able to write portions of the book at the park.” Lenartz started the book out of another passion, noting that “encouraging people to get outdoors was a significant motivator for me.” “I have seen clearly – both in research and my own personal experience – the transformative effect that time
GETOUT STAFF
Moadag – or South Mountain – is one of the most sacred sites for Arizona’s four southern tribes. While 20 Arizona tribes attach some cultural significance to the mountain, it has strong religious significance for the Gila River Indian Community, the AkChin Indian Community, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Andy Lenartz can understand that attachment. He, wife Tracy and their two daughters, Cicily and Ruby, have pretty much the same attachment. Now, Lenartz has poured that love into a book devoted exclusively to South Mountain. “South Mountain Park and Preserve” – part of the Southwest Adventure Series published by the University of New Mexico Press – is as much an homage to the mountain as it is a detailed 125-page guide to its trails, plants and animals. “Spending time at South Mountain is one of our favorite things to do as a family,” said the Minnesota native, who has lived in Ahwatukee since 2008. A psychology professor at Gateway
Community college professor Andy Lenartz recently published a comprehensive guide to South Mountain. (File photo)
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New app makes hiking fun for everyone BY ANNIKA TOMLIN GetOut Staff Writer
With mountain views in every direction, Arizona is a hiker’s dream. However, navigating the trails is not always easy when it’s a family affair. WishTrip is a hiking app that injects fun in the activity. “The app was conceived by our founder and still CEO Yakov Slushtz and what happened was he was hiking with his wife,” said Sarah Heim, WishTrip marketing director. “They were looking for a landmark and they were searching and searching. They said, ‘You know we have wonderful GPS for our cars. How come we don’t have the same thing for the great outdoors?’ That’s where the idea of WishTrip was born.” In 2017, WishTrip began as a “navigation app,” according to Hein, and but evolved into an “adventure creation app.” “One of our core functionalities is that our app provides very accurate and easy to follow point by point instructions,” Hein said. “Whether you are following someone else’s trail that they created or whether you are following one of our games, or whether you are in a WishTrip destination following a trail that they created.” The following year, WishTrip added games and activities the following year. Papago Park is the only hiking range featured on WishTrip. “The reason we chose Phoenix, Arizona, to unveil the games, and why we created them in Papago Park for free is because Phoenix has nice weather
The app helps walkers and hikers get the most out of one of the region’s most scenic parks. (File photo)
all year round,” Hein said. “Phoenix is a tech-savvy metropolitan area because we want a population who will be able to easily adapt to the app. “Papago Park in particular has very rich history and very rich wildlife, so we were able to create very interesting games with really interesting content in a relatively small area.” The Papago Park games and activities are split into four age groups. “We have a game for 3- to 7-yearolds called Desert Explorers,” Hein explains. “This is a game that teaches kids about the Sonoran Desert and it’s very interactive because kids this age learn by doing and by action.
“For example, one of the activities is to feel the leaves of this particular type of plant. Another is pretend you are a cactus and grow very slowly.” Children ages 6 to 12 can play “Do You Have What It Takes to be a Leader?” “It takes you around different parts of Papago Park,” Hein said. “It asks the participants to either do some kind of activity or complete some kind of challenge and we connect that challenge to a famous person from Arizona.” For example, Hein said, hikers learn about Arizona native Steven Spielberg when they reach Hole in the Rock. “We also have one on the Double
Butte Loop trail, which is intended for teenagers and any sort of active adult,” Hein said. “It is an active, interactive hike where we teach you about the landmarks that are on the trail and also about some of the old fixtures.” For example, hikers can learn about the old amphitheater on the Double Butte Loop trails. The games wrap up with a “very high-level trivia” activity for all active adults. One question asks, “What was one of the things that Papago Park was not used for?” The choices are: to house prisoners of war or Native AmerSee
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