Maybe it is the heat that makes everyone crabby, but there seems to be a general lack of friendliness on the trails in Phoenix. People tend to have a get in and out approach (similar to hitting a gym on their lunch hour) when tacking the surrounding mountains as opposed to enjoying the scenery and the fresh air. People quite literally will push by you if they want to pass either going up or coming down. We are not accustomed to this in Seattle; almost every hiker we come across smiles and says hello. Quite possibly the proximity of these trails to the city means the people hiking them are not familiar with hikers etiquette or common courtesy.
The concept of city hiking is a foreign one in Seattle, but very popular in Phoenix.
Phoenix on Dwellable