Humphrey's Peak; the highest point in Arizona

HUMPHREYS TRAIL


Humphreys Peak is part of the San Francisco Peaks located in Flagstaff and offering unparalleled views of the state of Arizona.

One-Way Mileage: 4.5 miles (according to the Forest Service, but we think it's more like 5 miles total mileage)

Elevation gain: ~3,000 feet

Top Elevation: 12,637 (according to Wikipedia)

Experience Needed: Recommended for experienced hikers only

Difficulty: Strenuous

Parking: Uses the parking lot for Snowbowl Ski Resort in Flagstaff.

Pets: Saw some on our hikes but I wouldn't recommend taking them all the way to the top.

Safety: This is a long, steep, rocky trail. Wind can gust at extreme speeds. The trail above the treeline is like walking through a field of loose shale and lava rock and is very exposed. Use caution! The trail is also subject to human traffic jams, so be courteous to other hikers and keep an eye on the trail. Due to the elevation of this hike, some may experience altitude sickness. Stay tuned to your body and resist summit fever. Be wary of stormy weather, especially during monsoon season when lightning is a risk factor.

People Meter: Highly traveled trail. The summit had at least 10 others already up so don't expect to get the tippy top to yourself.

 My experiences: June 9th 2009 (the day after Richard's 35th birthday) we attempted Humphreys Peak. Richard had hiked it before but it was my first time and we were on our way home from a fishing trip to Lee's Ferry.  We stopped over in Flagstaff and checked the weather hoping we could take the day to summit the highest peak in the state. The weather forecast was a little sketchy but we thought we'd give it a go anyway.  Getting to the trailhead around 9 we started the hike. Over Memorial Day I had tweaked my knee walking the steep streets of San Francisco and my left hand was in a plaster cast from pulling a tendon in one of my knuckles so I only had one hiking stick.  These things should have been good indicators the hike was not going to go off as planned.  We made it to the saddle that day but it was BITING cold and horribly windy. We agreed to turn around there since I wasn't in the best shape and we started to see snow flurries as we ate our power snacks.   

We tried the hike again on August 30th 2009 (the day before my 32nd birthday).  This time we were successful.  There were tons of people on the trail, including dogs, cell phone talkers, and people of various ages and physical conditions. It was a long hike and I tied my shoes too tight. By the time we got to the parking lot my feet were swollen and throbbing!  But the feeling of being on the top of Arizona was worth it.  I felt no ill effects from the elevation gain but I did feel a little euphoric... is that a side effect?

The snow was gone from the saddle

The trail above 12,000 was loose rock

Yippee I made it!

Links to more information:

Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/peaks/humphreys-tr.shtml

Summit Post: http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150241/humphreys-peak.html

Sunrise Mtn Loop: A good warm-up experience

May 16, 2010

The week before we left for our rim to rim Grand Canyon trip I took Richard hiking at my newfound Peoria trail, the Sunrise Mountain Loop.  I figured it was a good warm-up since it's only 15 minutes away and in total it gains 1500 feet (over the 3 humps) and it's not the standard all up and then all down hike.  You go up and down 500 feet at a time so I figured it might be a better training mechanism for the Grand Canyon since there you go down before going up and your body has to have energy left once you get to the bottom otherwise you're not getting out again.

Usually in the Phoenix area it's already hit over 100 degrees by this time in May but this year summer took a side-trip so we were lucky to still see some blooming flowers.  Richard was trying out my new camera so photos shown here are his works of art.

The Heat is On: Sunrise Mountain Loop

There is an inverse correlation between the heat and the number of people you see on the trails during midday.   I typically like to hike in late morning or afternoon.  Last weekend I was out at 3pm. It was about 95 degrees I think.  I saw two male hikers exiting as I arrived, one mountain biker, one female hiker/jogger, and one other male hiker.  No pets, thank goodness, although I did scout lots of lizards out for a tanning session as I rounded the third bump. 

Today was 100 degrees and I was out from 12-2pm.  I passed a two female hikers leaving the trails as I headed in, two teenage boys jousting with wooden swords on the top of the second hump, and one male jogger.   It takes me 2 hours to complete the loop and these past two weekends have been pretty brutal, I stopped twice today in the only shade I could find for a quick relief from the hot hot sun.  But I love hiking during the summer. 

For one, you get the trails to yourself for the majority of the hike.  Plus, I have really bad allergies and the spring although completely gorgeous reaks havoc on my head, causing me to sneeze til I can't breathe and want to rub my eyeballs until they pop right out of the socket. The heat also has alot of mental benefits I think.  I feel like the hike is a bigger challenge and puts me even more in tune to what's going on inside my body and it helps me sweat all the toxins out and I feel refreshed after a long hot hike.  Probably alot like Bikram Yoga, although I haven't tried that yet.

Anyway, last week when I headed up the last hump to get to my "summit" I saw there's a new cairn that stands 6 feet tall or so at the very end of the trail.  It was put up sometime between early May and June 10th and adds a bit more interest to your photos.