Two Real Estate Agents, Three Epic Trail Runs: Our Scottsdale Adventure

When a coastal North Carolina agent meets a Texas Hill Country pro in the Arizona desert

What happens when you take a real estate agent from the Crystal Coast of North Carolina and another from San Antonio, drop them in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, and point them toward some of the most challenging trails in the Phoenix area?

You get one hell of a story.

I'm Walt O'Berry, and I've been selling waterfront properties and vacation homes on North Carolina's Crystal Coast for over seven years. My buddy Kyle Swinney and I have been connecting through the real estate world for a while now—he's crushing it in the San Antonio market with Keller Williams, and we both share a love for staying active and pushing our limits outside the office.

So when we found ourselves both in Scottsdale for a real estate conference, we decided to make the most of it. Forget the typical agent networking happy hours. We were going to tackle the top three trail runs in the area and see what this desert mountain running thing was all about.

Spoiler alert: The desert humbled us. But in the best way possible.

Trail Run #1: Phoenix Mountain Preserve - The Wake-Up Call

Walt's Take: Coming from sea level in Beaufort where my longest "climb" is usually a bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, I thought I was prepared. I surf regularly, I track my HRV, I do breathing exercises. I figured a quick mountain run would be no problem.

I was wrong.

Kyle and I showed up at Piestewa Peak at 6:30 AM on a Saturday morning, and the parking lot was already 90% full. This should have been our first clue. The second clue was watching people descend from the trail looking like they'd just survived something.

Piestewa Peak stands at 2,608 feet and rises from the heart of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve's 37,000 acres. The Summit Trail (#300) is deceptively short—just 1.2 miles to the top. But those 1.2 miles pack in 1,200 feet of vertical gain, making it one of the most intense trail runs either of us has ever attempted.

Kyle's Perspective: I'll be honest, I thought my 76 Hard training program had prepared me for anything. I'm used to grinding it out on the San Antonio trails, and Texas humidity is no joke. But this? This was different. The altitude, the relentless climbing, the rocks—it's like someone took a StairMaster and turned it into a mountain.

We started strong. Maybe too strong. The trail begins with switchbacks that get your heart rate up immediately. There's no warm-up period, no gentle introduction. You're just climbing from step one.

The Experience: About halfway up, we both had to switch from running to power hiking. And you know what? Everyone else was doing the same thing. There's no shame in hiking sections of this trail—it's legitimately challenging even for experienced trail runners.

The trail is rocky, uneven, and requires constant focus on foot placement. One wrong step and you're rolling an ankle. But the views? Even halfway up, we were getting expansive views of the entire Phoenix metropolitan area spreading out below us like a map.

We passed saguaro cacti standing like sentinels along the trail, their arms reaching toward the impossibly blue sky. The rock formations are incredible—porous like sponges in some sections, with bright green moss-like plants that made us feel like we were underwater rather than climbing a mountain.

By the time we hit the summit, we were both sucking wind. But standing up there, looking out at 360-degree views of the Valley, downtown Phoenix glinting in the distance, mountains rolling away in every direction—it was worth every burning quad muscle.

Time: 45 minutes up, 30 minutes down (we had more control on the descent)

What Surprised Us:

• How busy it was, even early morning
• The technical nature of the trail—this isn't just steep, it's legitimately rocky and challenging
• That we could see both our breath and sweat at the same time (welcome to desert mornings)
• The sense of community—everyone's suffering together, and everyone encourages each other

Real Estate Agent Truth: This trail is like a tough negotiation. You think you know what you're getting into, you prepare as best you can, but once you're in it, you realize it's harder than you thought. The key is to keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust the process. Eventually, you reach the summit, close the deal, and the victory is that much sweeter because it wasn't easy.

The Details:

• Difficulty: Extremely Strenuous
• Distance: 2.4 miles round trip
• Elevation Gain: 1,200 feet
• Best Time: October through April, early morning
• Dogs: Not allowed on Summit Trail
• Trailhead Hours: 5 AM to 7 PM (trails open until 11 PM)
• Our Rating: 9/10 for challenge, 10/10 for views

Trail Run #2: McDowell Sonoran Preserve - Finding Our Flow

Kyle's Take: After getting our butts kicked on Piestewa Peak the day before, Walt and I decided we needed something a little more... manageable. We chose the Gateway Loop in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and it turned out to be exactly what we needed.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is massive—30,500 acres, making it the largest urban preserve in the United States. With 11 trailheads and over 230 miles of trails, you could spend months exploring this place and never run the same route twice.

Walt's Take: This was more my speed. Don't get me wrong, it was still challenging, but in a completely different way than Piestewa Peak. The Gateway Loop is 4.5 miles of rolling desert terrain, and while there's definitely elevation gain, it's distributed over a longer distance. We could actually run sections of this one without feeling like our lungs were going to explode.

Starting from the Gateway Trailhead, which has excellent facilities (restrooms, water, plenty of parking), we headed out clockwise on the loop. The trail immediately opened up to sweeping desert views with the McDowell Mountains rising dramatically to the east.

The Experience: This is where we really got to appreciate the Sonoran Desert. On Piestewa, we were so focused on not dying that we didn't fully take in the scenery. But on the Gateway Loop, we had time to notice things.

The saguaro cacti are absolutely incredible—some of them have to be 20+ feet tall, with multiple arms reaching in different directions. Kyle, being from Texas, kept pointing out the differences between this desert and what he sees back home. The variety of cacti, the rock formations, the way the light plays across the landscape—it's stunning.

We encountered mountain bikers, other trail runners, and hikers with their dogs (dogs are allowed here, unlike Piestewa). Everyone was friendly, everyone yielded appropriately on the trail. There's a real sense of shared respect for this preserve and the desert ecosystem.

The trail surface varies from hard-packed dirt to rocky sections to sandy washes. It keeps you engaged, forces you to pay attention to foot placement, but it's runnable for anyone with decent trail experience.

Kyle's Perspective: Around the 3-mile mark, we stopped at a high point and just took it in. You can see for miles—the city of Scottsdale sprawling below, luxury resorts dotting the foothills, golf courses impossibly green against the brown desert, and beyond all that, more mountains. It's a view that makes you understand why people pay premium prices for real estate out here.

As a San Antonio agent, I'm used to talking about Hill Country views and Texas landscapes. But this? This is a whole different level. If I were selling property in Scottsdale, this preserve would be my number one selling point. Imagine having this in your backyard.

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes for the full loop, with photo stops

What Surprised Us:

• How well-maintained the trails are—clearly a lot of volunteer work and funding goes into this preserve
• The variety of terrain in just 4.5 miles
• The stewards (volunteers in blue shirts) at the trailhead who gave us great beta on the route
• That you can see million-dollar homes from some sections, but feel completely immersed in wilderness
• The spring wildflowers (we hit it at just the right time)

Real Estate Agent Truth: The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is like a perfectly executed listing presentation. It's got everything—beautiful visuals, solid infrastructure, attention to detail, and it leaves you wanting more. If I were pitching Scottsdale to clients, this would be exhibit A for quality of life.

The Details:

• Difficulty: Moderate (Gateway Loop)
• Distance: 4.5 miles
• Best Time: October through May
• Dogs: Allowed on leash
• Cost: Free
• Hours: Sunrise to sunset
• Facilities: Restrooms and water at Gateway Trailhead
• Our Rating: 10/10 for overall experience, 9/10 for runnability

Pro Tip: The preserve has trails for every level. If Gateway Loop feels too ambitious, the Bajada Nature Trail is ADA-accessible and offers a gentle introduction. If you want more challenge, Tom's Thumb and Sunrise Peak will test your mettle.

Trail Run #3: Echo Canyon Trail, Camelback Mountain - The Final Boss

Walt's Take: We saved Camelback for last because we'd heard the horror stories. People getting airlifted off the mountain. Heat exhaustion. Injuries. Phoenix Fire Department on speed dial. As someone who's dealt with his share of challenging situations on the Crystal Coast, I thought we could handle it.

And we did. Barely.

Camelback Mountain, at 2,704 feet, is the highest point in the Phoenix metro area and arguably the most iconic landmark you can see from pretty much anywhere in the Valley. The Echo Canyon Trail is 1.2 miles to the summit, gains 1,280 feet in elevation, and is less of a trail run and more of a full-body vertical workout with occasional moments of pure terror.

Kyle's Perspective: I'm not going to sugarcoat this—Camelback broke us. In the best way possible, but it broke us. Walt and I arrived at 6:45 AM on our last morning in Scottsdale, determined to run this thing. By the time we were 400 yards in, we realized that wasn't happening.

The parking lot is tiny and fills up fast. We got lucky and snagged a spot in the auxiliary lot. As we were stretching and psyching ourselves up, we watched a steady stream of people descending. Some looked triumphant. Others looked like they'd aged five years in two hours.

The Climb: The trail starts steep and never lets up. Within the first quarter mile, you hit a series of wooden railroad ties and steps, followed by the first major handrail section. And when I say handrail, I mean you NEED it. This isn't a casual "oh, here's something to hold if you want" rail. This is a "if you don't use this, you're going to slide down 30 feet of near-vertical rock" rail.

Walt's Take: About halfway up, there's a saddle where you can look out over Paradise Valley and see the Praying Monk rock formation. We stopped here to catch our breath, drink water, and have a moment of real talk.

"Are we doing this?" Kyle asked.

"We've come this far," I said. "Plus, what are we going to tell people back home? That two real estate agents gave up halfway?"

So we kept going.

The upper section is where things get real. The trail basically disappears and becomes a boulder field where you're choosing your own route to the top. There are trail markers, but it's up to you to figure out the safest path. We were using our hands as much as our feet, scrambling over smooth rock faces, navigating narrow passages between boulders, and occasionally questioning our life choices.

Kyle's Perspective: The final push to the summit is brutal. Your legs are burning, you're breathing hard (that altitude is no joke for us sea-level guys), and you're navigating technical terrain that requires full concentration. But then you crest the final boulder and suddenly you're standing on top of Camelback Mountain.

The summit is relatively flat and surprisingly spacious. There were probably 20 other people up there when we arrived—some taking selfies, some just sitting and taking in the view, others eating snacks like they'd just summited Everest (which is kind of how it felt).

The View: 360 degrees of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Downtown Phoenix to the south, Scottsdale spreading out to the east, Paradise Valley directly below, mountains in every direction. We could see Piestewa Peak where we'd started our adventure, the McDowell Mountains where we'd run the day before. It was like looking at a topographic map of our entire trip.

The Descent: Going down was almost harder than going up. The smooth rock sections were treacherous, requiring careful foot placement and controlled movements. My quads were screaming by the time we got back to the trailhead.

Total time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a 20-minute break at the summit.

What Surprised Us:

• How technical it actually is—this isn't just steep, it's legitimately a scramble
• The number of people attempting it (and the age range—we saw everyone from college kids to retirees)
• That we both made it without injury (proper footwear saved us)
• How accomplished we felt at the top
• That some people actually trail run this regularly (respect)

Real Estate Agent Truth: Camelback is like closing on a difficult deal—the kind where everything that can go wrong does go wrong, but you refuse to give up because you've invested too much to walk away. And when you finally get that signature, when you finally reach that summit, the victory is so much sweeter because you earned every single step of it.

This trail will test you. It will find your limits and push you past them. But standing on top of Camelback Mountain, looking out over one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, understanding why people pay millions for views of this peak—it's worth it.

The Details:

• Difficulty: Extremely Strenuous (borderline extreme)
• Distance: 2.4-2.6 miles round trip
• Elevation Gain: 1,280 feet
• Time: 2-3 hours round trip
• Best Time: October through May, early morning
• Dogs: Not allowed
• Facilities: Restrooms at trailhead
• Required Gear: Sturdy hiking boots with excellent grip, minimum 1 liter of water per person, hat, sunscreen
• Our Rating: 10/10 for challenge, 10/10 for bragging rights, 8/10 for "would we do it again?" (ask us in a year)

What We Learned: Lessons from the Desert

Walt's Perspective: I've spent seven years selling real estate on the Crystal Coast, and I thought I understood what makes a place special. Ocean views, waterfront access, beach lifestyle—those are my selling points. But spending three days trail running in the Scottsdale area opened my eyes to a completely different kind of outdoor lifestyle.

The access to these trails is incredible. You can live in Scottsdale, have a house with every modern amenity, be close to world-class restaurants and resorts, and within 15 minutes be on a trail in pristine desert wilderness. That's rare. That's valuable. That's a quality of life factor that you can't easily quantify but that makes a massive difference in day-to-day happiness.

Kyle's Take: As a San Antonio agent who's completed the 76 Hard program and pushes myself regularly, I thought I knew what challenging meant. These trails redefined it for me. But here's what struck me most: the community.

Everyone we met on these trails was friendly, encouraging, and respectful. There's a shared understanding that you're all out there pushing yourselves, and that creates a bond. I saw parallels to the real estate community when it's at its best—people supporting each other, sharing knowledge, helping each other succeed.

Lessons That Apply to Life and Real Estate:

1. Start Early: Just like in real estate, timing matters. Those early morning trail runs when it's cool and uncrowded? That's like getting your listing up before the weekend rush. You position yourself for success.
2. Preparation is Everything: You wouldn't show up to a listing presentation unprepared. Same goes for these trails. Water, proper footwear, knowing your route—these aren't optional, they're essential.
3. Know When to Pivot: On Camelback, we quickly realized our plan to "run" it wasn't realistic. We adjusted, we hiked the technical sections, and we still accomplished our goal. Flexibility is key.
4. The View from the Top is Worth the Climb: Every challenging deal, every difficult negotiation, every obstacle overcome—it's all worth it when you reach the goal. These summits reminded us why we push ourselves.
5. Community Matters: Whether it's real estate or trail running, you're not in it alone. The people you meet, the relationships you build, the encouragement you share—that's what makes the journey worthwhile.

Real Talk: The Challenges

Let's be honest about what these trails demand:

The Altitude is Real: Both Kyle and I live near sea level. That thinner air at elevation? It's legit. You'll feel it in your lungs, especially on the steep sections. Give yourself grace and know that it's not just you—everyone struggles with it initially.

Hydration is Critical: The desert air is deceptively dry. We were drinking constantly and still felt parched by the end of each run. Bring twice as much water as you think you need. Seriously.

The Sun is Intense: Even in the cooler months (we were there in January), the sun is powerful. Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses—non-negotiable. We saw multiple people who clearly didn't take this seriously and were paying for it.

The Technical Sections are No Joke: Both Piestewa and Camelback have sections where you're scrambling over rocks, using handrails, and genuinely working through challenging terrain. If you're not comfortable with heights or exposed sections, these might not be for you.

Your Legs Will Feel It: We're both relatively fit, active guys. Our legs were sore for three days after this trip. Plan accordingly.

The Real Estate Connection

You might be wondering what trail running in Arizona has to do with selling real estate in North Carolina and Texas. Here's what we realized:

Location Value: These trails add measurable value to the properties around them. When you can market "15 minutes to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve" or "views of Camelback Mountain," you're not just selling a house—you're selling a lifestyle. That matters to buyers.

Community Investment: The level of maintenance, the volunteer stewards, the infrastructure supporting these trails—that's a community that invests in quality of life. That translates to property values and buyer demand.

Health and Wellness: More buyers are prioritizing health and outdoor access. Having world-class trails in your backyard isn't just nice—it's a legitimate selling point for a growing segment of the market.

Networking Value: Kyle and I strengthened our professional relationship by doing this together. We pushed each other, we problem-solved together, and we created shared experiences that'll last. Whether you're a real estate agent, a business owner, or any professional—building relationships outside the office matters.

The Final Word

Kyle: Would I do it again? Absolutely. These three trail runs challenged me in ways I didn't expect and reminded me why I push myself physically—it makes me better at everything else, including real estate. If you're in the Scottsdale area and you're not taking advantage of these trails, you're missing out on something special.

To my San Antonio clients reading this: I get it now when people from Arizona talk about their outdoor lifestyle. It's legit. And it makes me appreciate what we have in the Hill Country even more. We've got our own incredible outdoor opportunities—we should be taking advantage of them just as much.

Walt: Coming from Beaufort, where my idea of a challenging outdoor activity is usually surfing or a long paddle, this trip pushed me way out of my comfort zone. But that's where growth happens. Whether it's in real estate, fitness, or life, you've got to be willing to do hard things.

To my Crystal Coast clients: our waterfront lifestyle is incredible, and I'll stack our beaches and coastal living against anywhere in the country. But trips like this remind me there's value in exploring different environments and challenging ourselves in new ways. It makes us better agents because we understand what motivates people, what they value, and what creates genuine quality of life.

Your Turn

If you're planning to tackle these trails, here's our advice:

1. Go Between October and May: The weather is perfect, the trails are less crowded on weekdays, and you'll actually enjoy the experience rather than just surviving it.
2. Start with McDowell Sonoran Preserve: Build your confidence and get a feel for desert trail running before you tackle the more intense peaks.
3. Take Camelback Seriously: This isn't an exaggeration or bravado. Prepare properly, start early, bring enough water, and know that it's okay to turn around.
4. Connect with the Community: The trail stewards, the other runners and hikers, the local running groups—they're wealth of knowledge and support. Use them.
5. Document the Experience: These are memories worth capturing. The views from these summits are incredible, and you'll want to remember what you accomplished.

About Us

Walt O'Berry is a real estate agent with The Walt O'Berry Real Estate Team at Real Brokerage, serving the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. With over 7.5 years of experience and more than $60 million in career sales, he specializes in waterfront properties, vacation homes, and investment real estate. When he's not helping clients find their perfect coastal property, he's surfing, traveling in his RV, or apparently getting humbled by Arizona mountains.

Kyle Swinney is a real estate agent with Keller Williams in San Antonio, Texas. Along with his wife Mary, they bring over 25 years of combined experience in buying, selling, and investing in real estate. Kyle's military and sales background, combined with a commitment to discipline and growth (hello, 76 Hard), has shaped him into a top-producing agent in the competitive San Antonio market.

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Have you tackled any of these trails? Are you a real estate agent who loves to stay active and push yourself? Drop a comment below—we'd love to hear your stories and connect with you!

And if you're looking for real estate guidance on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina or in the San Antonio area, you know who to call.

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