A holiday tradition involving metro Phoenix's highest peak sparked a heated debate late last month.
For years, hikers have been hauling a Christmas tree to the 2,704-foot summit of Camelback Mountain — a tough hike even if you're not carrying a gigantic holiday decoration. They did it again the day after Thanksgiving this year.
But shortly thereafter, someone chopped off the top half of the tree, as Ray Stern at Phoenix New Times reported. The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, which manages Camelback Mountain, then hauled away the tree's bottom half. At that time, the department announced it wouldn't allow any more trees to be hauled to the top of the peak.
The public outcry over that announcement was immediate and forceful. A man calling himself "Camelback Santa" and others participated in a petition drive urging the city to reconsider its position.
Eventually, the parks department and pro-tree protesters reached an agreement. The department now will allow a single undecorated tree to be placed atop the mountain until January 1. The advocates for the tree, in return, will visit the site to clean up any rubbish that accumulates and remove any ornaments people add to the tree.
We're staying out of this debate, but what do you think? Does a Christmas tree belong atop Camelback?