The sun is already high and warm when the guide clips a helmet onto the first rider; the Greenbelt bike path glints like a thin river of light as the group sets off. E-bikes hum beneath you, making the Phoenix sprawl feel suddenly compact — a few effortless pedal strokes and you’re past canals and manicured fairways, the suburban hush giving way to the rugged shoulder of Camelback Mountain. At the Cholla Trailhead the bikes are parked, water bottles topped up, and the hike begins: short, rocky, and honest, with the mountain itself seeming to watch every step.