April 2, 2022
- Start: Stealth spot south of Horse Tank (AZT mile 539.4)
- End: Flagstaff (AZT mile 555.7) + 4.3 miles on the AZT’s Urban Trail
- Distance: 21.8 miles
I slept incredibly well last night and fell asleep to the sounds of ducks and other waterfowl at one of the small ponds filled with snow melt. But little did I know, this would be one of the few seasonal water sources with water that I’d see all day.
Volt and I were both up and hiking by 7:20 am, reveling in the happiness that comes with discovering you don’t have to put your feet into completely frozen shoes (again). Plus, if all went well, we’d arrive in Flagstaff today, where we’d be sleeping in warm, dry beds and eating town food in just a little over 20 more miles.
HUMPHREYS PEAK
The initial miles of the day showcased views of the majestic Humphreys Peak, which I hiked up with my husband and son back in summer 2020.
People might be surprised to learn that Arizona’s tallest mountain is actually an extinct volcano, which the Navajo nation named Dook’o’oosliid (meaning ‘the summit that never melts’). By the early 1600s, however, Franciscan friars conducting missionary work in the region renamed the prominent mountain San Francisco Peak in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
This new name remained in general usage for the next 250 years until the highest peak was re-named (again) in 1870. This time, the change was in honor of the Army’s first Chief of Engineers, Major General A.A. Humphreys, who convinced Congress to authorize mapping everything west of the 100th meridian, including the Arizona Territory.
The ‘San Francisco Peaks’ now generally refers to the entire volcanic range north of Flagstaff, not just the highest mountain in the state. And the 12,637-foot monolith seemed to grow larger with every mile, with Humphreys Peak and Agassiz Peak’s snow-capped summits on display this clear April morning.
UPPER LAKE MARY
In addition to the panoramic mountain, the morning’s route would take me within views of Upper Lake Mary, a narrow 5-mile reservoir formed by a large earthen dam. Here, the AZT once again moved from the wide forest road to a muddy single-track trail.
Wispy fog moved across the trail this morning, obscuring the best lake views as I trekked alongside it. Consequently, I fell the pull to leave the AZT on a small side trail and walk through the trees to the rocky cliff ledges 150 feet above the lake.
This small detour didn’t disappoint in terms of its views, but I could hear the road traffic from Lake Mary Road way down below me now as it paralleled the length of the lake.
I spent the next hour taking in the views of the lake to my left until I passed the dam separating it from the valley leading to Lower Mary Lake.
It’s surreal that this reservoir sits almost 7,000’ above sea level, where you might normally expect to find an alpine lake, instead of a major recreation spot in the desert with boat launches and day-use areas. The longer I walked out here on the Colorado Plateau, the more it seems I have to radically re-adjust my frame of reference.
ASTRONOMY IN THE DESERT
Although the cliffs above the Upper Mary Lake were rocky, the trail certainly was not. We were back to slogging through the mud again, but at least there wasn’t any more snow to contend with today
About three hours into the morning, I made it to some cabled fencing designed to keep livestock out of an upcoming wildlife refuge. Small yellow signs reminded users to be mindful of the fencing as the AZT forked in two directions. Hikers were free to walk through the area, but horses and riders needed to detour around it and join back up at the far end of the wetlands.
This area was also where I came across Lowell Observatory and its cluster of small white buildings housing giant telescopes in the desert south of Flagstaff. Lowell Observatory is probably most famous for discovering the dwarf planet Pluto (back in 1930).
The telescopes inside these research facilities are among the world’s most powerful tools for exploring the Milky Way and our solar system. There’s even a Naval observatory there where astronomers can record images of stars and determine positions on earth for GPS monitoring and time-keeping.
Of course, I wouldn’t get to see any of the details of these massive telescopes as I walked by today because they were concealed inside their domed roofs. But their location on the Colorado Plateau is a genuine testament to the region’s high altitude, clear skies, and lack of nighttime light pollution.
DRIED UP LAKES
Just past Prime Lake’s wildlife refuge and the nearby observatory buildings, sat a trailhead where dozens of cars and vans were parked. It was a subtle reminder that it was the weekend once again. Another week had flown by since I’d walked into Pine last Saturday.
Yet it seemed so much longer than just seven days! Over the past week, I’d hiked along the Highline Trail, climbed above the Mogollon Rim, hitched all the way into Winslow to avoid the snowstorm, gotten to know Elliot and Volt significantly better, post-holed through lots of snow, and trudged through mud in the Coconino Forest.
Further ahead, vibrant blue-colored birds zipped around the trailhead, landing on fenceposts and wood railings. Then a man and his companion walked toward me and stopped to ask if I’d seen any interesting wildlife. I shared the story of the mountain lion prints from last night, but admitted I hadn’t actually seen the cat who made them.
The duo shared how they was coming from Marshall Lake and then they excitedly told me about the herd of elk in the valley where he’d camped last night. Elk can weigh upwards of 600 pounds, so I’m not sure how jazzed I’d be to see a herd of them in my proximity at camp. But the guys seemed overjoyed about the sighting. So to each their own.
I didn’t see any elk as I approached Marshall Lake one mile later. But I did spot another hiker sitting in the shade of some trees with his shoes off. And as I got close enough to distinguish his features, I could see it was Elliot! We’d finally caught him!
Elliot shared that he went into the town Mormon Lake and even spent a few hours there yesterday morning, but he’d been sorely disappointed by the lake. It was virtually non-existent. Elliot described Mormon Lake as a mere ‘mud hole’ with no real standing water left in it anymore.
Well, that was disappointing news, but it was not exactly a big surprise. Most of the natural lakes out here seem to be completely dry. The Prime Lake wildlife refuge I’d just passed was dry. Marshall Lake looked dry too. The only thing out here with water seemed to be some muddy cattle ponds and whatever was left over from last week’s melting snow.
DREAMING OF TACOS
Elliot and I waited for Volt to catch us, then continued north toward Flagstaff. This stretch of the AZT was where we finally came to the super easy trail everyone raved about on the Colorado Plateau. For the first time in days, it felt like we were flying down the trail without any mud or water to impede our progress!
As we hiked closer to civilization, Volt started raving about Taco Bell. He’d read some comments in FarOut about the AZT’s urban route through Flagstaff that indicated a Taco Bell sat next to the trail. I’m pretty sure Volt could recite the entire menu from memory and he spent the next two miles planning his future Mexican food binge.
Even though we were still hours away, I’ll admit the subliminal messaging worked. All the talk of Taco Bell had me craving it too. I haven’t eaten at the establishment in years, but listening to him debate the merits of the different menu items made me hungrier and hungrier by the mile.
The final few miles toward town weren’t just faster than normal. They were more visually interesting too. At the Sandy’s Canyon Trail, I stopped to take photos of an interesting series of red rocks on the canyon walls towering 100 feet above me. The flat rocks’ surfaces had an unusual zigzag pattern, and I wondered if the gashes were from ancient water erosion or some other geologic phenomenon.
THE URBAN ROUTE
A short while later, a small sign pointed Elliot and I toward the urban route, and the two of us hiked uphill with just 3.5 miles left on the day. This was where the AZT split again, with one route heading around Flagstaff for horseback riders, while the other slightly shorter urban route followed the local hiking trails through town.
We hadn’t seen Volt since our lunch stop just after Marshall Lake. He was lagging somewhere behind us now (presumably still dreaming of Taco Bell), and I kept my fingers crossed that he didn’t miss this subtle left turn toward town.
An hour later, Elliot and I made it to a small pond near the I-40 underpass where the AZT turned into an urban bike path. Ducks swam in the water, and the sun shone brightly overhead with barely a cloud in the sky. Volt was a solid 40 minutes behind us still, so we went in search of some shade while we waited for the final member of our 3-person gang.
Sitting there, I told Elliot my plan to zero in Flagstaff tomorrow. I’d only planned to take two zeros on this thru-hike – one in Kearny (at mile 257) and the other in Flagstaff (near mile 561). But last week’s snowstorm resulted in an unexpected day off in Winslow. And now part of me wondered if it was too soon to take another zero – a mere four days later.
As I heard myself say that aloud, I realized my logic was absurd. I wasn’t limited in how many days off trail I could take. Moreover, if I didn’t take my final day off here in Flagstaff, where else would I possibly take it? This was the last real town of the trail. The only other potential towns I’d come across before the Utah border were Tusayan and Jacob Lake, neither of which was worthy of an extra day given how small they were.
No. I needed a real zero where I could eat town food, resupply, get a haircut, stop in at the local REI, and enjoy everything Arizona had to offer
Highlights
- Today was filled with much easier trail conditions than the past few days, and the great views of Humphreys Peak only made it better.
- I wasn’t sure we’d ever catch Elliot again after Winslow, but it sure seems like he wants to hang out with Volt and me in town after all. Our little trio is reunited once again.
- I made it to Flagstaff!!! Woohoo! I can’t wait to binge on all this town has to offer (and not just Taco Bell).
Challenges
- The water sources were really limited today. I suspect this upcoming stretch between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon will be much, much drier too.
- The urban trail into Flagstaff wasn’t nearly as flat as I’d hoped. There was no elevation profile in my navigation app to shape my expectations, but I guess I was partially expecting something more like a walking path and less like a rugged mountain bike trail.