We camped at upper Lymen and the ridge above Cloudy Pass. Did North Star which is basically off-trail. Bannock Lakes are off trail too and a hidden gem in that area. I could spend a week at those lakes.
Made the short drive to Sedona yesterday. Was on the Bear Mountain Trail before sunrise and got to see some spectacular colors over the course of the morning Really fun trail. Spending most my time at over 7K feet certainly helped me crush the hike up. But the lower elevation heat was a pain on the way down. Was cool to get views of the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff, given Sedona is down in a canyon Spoiler
my favorite hike in Sedona. loved doing that followed by Doe (right across the road) on a Saturday morning when I lived up there.
Got to the Midgley Bridge trailhead in Sedona around 5:15 this morning. Did the Wilson Mountain Trail and hit up both the Sedona and North Canyon Overlooks, which I think tacked on an extra 5 miles. It's a fun and steep trail with great scenery but not as technical as Bear Mtn Spoiler Looking up Oak Creek Canyon toward the San Francisco Peaks which were covered in clouds From the North Canyon Overlook
I didn't see anyone on the way up this morning, then on the way down I saw maybe 15 people...mostly in pairs. Last week I saw 3-4 people on the way up and then 15-20 on the way down. Flagstaff trails are less crowded, except for Humphreys, which is a major draw. Sounds like Mogollon Rim ranger district is even less crowded than Flagstaff. Sedona is the most popular district in Coconino NF, but from what I can tell if you get there before the sun rises you will definitely have a place at the trailhead and avoid the instagram/influencer crowd
Coronado National Forest looks dope https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/coronado/recreation/hiking/?recid=43345&actid=50
Definitely not an expert as I was never a hardcore hiker or backpacker. I definitely missed out on a lot of cool stuff and regret it My personal favorite was Tenque Verde Falls, which is described as: "A primitive rock scramble through the dry riverbed will lead you to an oasis-like area—you’ll know when you get there. If you decide to follow this trail to completion, users have said it’s closer to 2.5 miles roundtrip." https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/tanque-verde-falls-trail I enjoyed taking the Forest Service road up Mt Lemmon sometimes. https://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/backway-mount-lemmon/ Also enjoyed the various hikes on Mt Lemmon. If I recall correctly, the Aspen Trail/Marshall Gulch Loop Trail was our favorite up there. There was also a cool mostly easy hike out from our preferred dispersed campsite on Incinerator Ridge that led to some awesome views One I didn't think was worth it that was really popular was 7 Falls. Payoff spot was pretty cool, but the hike out was long and very boring. Not to mention, we arrived back at the trailhead to find 2 cars stolen and everyone else's broken into
Did a loop out from Bishop a few weeks ago, had a lot of rain but managed a somewhat clear evening in Dusy Basin. Spoiler
I went to Saguaro NP a couple of years ago and really liked the Wasson Peak trail. You climb up to the highest point in the park the views along the way are nice and then the you have 360 degree views at the top. It's a little steep during the final stretch to the top, but nothing crazy. Another one I really liked was called the Meadow Trail at Mt Lemmon. The drive up is great as you climb into mountains north of town. The hike is only around two miles, but much of it is along a ridge line with good views.
GONE **** Anybody want these? Salomons are 4Y and the Altras are 2Y. The Altras are "Room to Grow" and I don't have the inserts so they're closer to a 3Y. Great condition, bought new. Only worn by my kids and always with wool socks. Dude on the Sneaker thread did me a solid so trying to pay it fwd.
We did some of the Cactus Forest in Saguaro and then Tanque Verde Falls. That running water was devine. Lot of fun.
Sabino canyon and Catalina SP are really nice especially if you get out early this time of year. Like someone said the Mt Lemmon area is nice.
Quick overnighter to Lila Lakes yesterday, just a bit off I-90. Rainy and cold yesterday PM and overnight, but woke up to awesome weather Spoiler Summited Alta Mountain this AM, easy scramble to about 6,200 ft. Spoiler
hiked paintbrush divide on Saturday. Will post photos this week. It was beautiful. First time waking up to a bear right outside my tent though. fun times
Dauwalter has won nearly every race there is. She rose to international fame when she not only won the Moab 240, a 238-mile trek along the Colorado River in Utah, in 2017, but completed the course a full 10 hours ahead of the first man.
Ran up Mt Elden last Saturday and Wilson Mtn last Sunday and my knee felt amazing early last week. So ran up Mt Elden again yesterday before doing the Humphreys Trail this morning Got there around 5:45 with temperatures in the low 50s, got to the top around 8:30 and was down at the trailhead just before noon with temperatures in the mid-70s. Perfect weekend Spoiler You can see the Grand Canyon up to the right above
Had a best friend's bachelor party this weekend. He's a big moto head, so he wanted to do the WA Backcountry Discovery Route -- a 600-mile overlanding route through Central Washington. We did two sections, totaled about 150 miles. https://ridebdr.com/wabdr/ We loaded up 4 bikes, 4 cars, and just mad-max'd it for 4 days/3 nights. Probably the dirtiest, dustiest I've ever been. Pretty epic. Spoiler Long crazy nights with too many lights. Was an absolute blast. Not exactly firing on all cylinders today. Spoiler My friend brought a drone that would just follow us. Some absolutely insane footage:
Was just about salivating the last hour at work while planning hikes on the South Kaibab, Grandview and Bright Angel trails Next few weekends should be so awesome. Would welcome suggestions from anyone with experience hiking below the rim at the Grand Canyon
Today was incredible. Got to Grandview Point (7400 feet) in time to watch the sunrise and then made my way down below the rim on the Grandview Trail shortly after. Got 4.5 miles down to Cottonwood Creek (3900 feet) and made the trek back up in time to beat a monsoon that rolled through around noon. Camping at Horseshoe Mesa (4900 feet) looks like it'd be cool, would be all by yourself and have super dark skies at night Incredible views and a super fun trail with a bunch of spots where you could plummet to your death lol. Wouldn't recommend for people who aren't looking for a very strenuous workout because it was steep on the way back. Gonna be hitting up GCNP a bunch in the coming weeks Spoiler
Got to the Bright Angel Trailhead (6850 ft) about 5:45 and was on the trail by 6:00. Went down 6 miles to Plateau Point (3740 ft), which overlooks the Colorado River. Sitting there listening to the river was sweet. Made it back to the top just before noon It's a really well maintained trail and right by the Bright Angel Lodge. You'll see mules. Also has toilets, water and emergency phones on the way down so it's popular. With the scenery, quality of the trail and workout going up I can see why. The drastic shifts in landscapes are so wild Spoiler
After 3 straight weekends at GCNP, decided to stay closer to town today Was 15 miles north of Flagstaff at the O'Leary Peak Trailhead (6952 ft) by 7 and hiked 5 miles to the fire lookout atop the mountain at 8916 ft by 9. Was back at my car by 10:45, really nice morning It's a lava dome volcano near Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments so some cool stuff to check out after tackling the trail, which is an old forest road closed to vehicles. Strenuous but not super rugged, it's easy to see why Mo Farah was such a fan Spoiler Tower very small here at start Views from the tower with lots of old and new burn areas visible Tower barely visible with a lava flow seen in the last picture
Doing paintbrush canyon - cascade canyon loop next Saturday based on this groups recommendation. Very excited.
Hard not to get giddy with excitement by the time Thursday evening/Friday morning roll around with what the weekends have in store
Camping next weekend in Joshua Tree. Nothing crazy just one of the drive up sites. First time camping since I got sober. Gonna read and paint and look at stars. That place is so spiritual. Can’t wait!
Went down to Sedona for the first time in a few weekends and did the Mooney Trail. Don't think it's very accessible without a 4X4 vehicle because Forest Rd 525 is quite rugged. So it's a really good trail for people looking to get away from crowds. I didn't see anyone 6.5 miles each way, there's not a lot of elevation change but it's still a lot of fun because of the scenery and how poorly defined it is in stretches so you get to use your trail-finding skills. Saw a few tarantulas crossing the road and trail Storm came through Flagstaff/Sedona just as I was getting to my car. Went to get some hot chicken after. Weekends are the best Spoiler
Love how diverse the landscapes of Coconino National Forest are. Sedona yesterday, Flagstaff today the trailhead to the Kachina Trail is at the AZ Snowbowl right next to the Humphreys Trail, located at 9327 ft. Took it 5 miles down to where it meets up with the Weatherford Trail and got back before some threatening clouds rolled in Would be absolutely perfect for running or for people with dogs. Not a rugged trail but still awesome views and a lot of shade as you wind through the dense pockets of ponderosa pines and Aspens Spoiler
I enjoy the wildflowers and melting streams in the spring, but fall is still my favorite time to hike. Went to MT/ID border area last week to take the dog to a couple alpine lakes to swim. Great area to get away from crowds. The dog and I had the trail and lakes to ourselves. Just unfortunate that the people that do live in that area are still stuck in the 1940s. Rural Idaho and Montana is like a timewarp back to another decade, but luckily there aren't many people there. I guess I'd take that over having to hike over people all day. Spoiler
Someone want to explain to me how to upload a picture directly to TMB without having to rely on a server like ptpimg which seems to go down quite often? Planning a sweet hike in Sedona this Saturday
next to post reply, do you see "Upload File" you can upload several pictures, then select the option to embed them all in a post
Leave Saturday for Nepal. Due to life circumstances and other bullshit have not been hiking in more than 2 months. Start the 17-day trek exactly one week from today. Glad to be sleeping in teahouses and not having to haul gear Should be at Everest Base Camp in about 2 weeks. Kind of surreal.
And of course the universe picks tomorrow to dump rain in a place that doesn’t get rain. Guess I’ll sit in my tent and read :)
we watched Aftershock, the documentary about the 2015 Nepal earthquake, this week on Netflix. Breathtaking scenery but I recommend you do not watch it before your trek.
There was a big avalanche on Manaslu (8th highest) a few weeks ago that took the lives of several ppl, including some well-known alpinists. Scary stuff. I dont think there's any similar fear since not doing any climbing, but still unnerving.
My buddy hasn’t uploaded his photos yet, so nothing of the huge ass moose on trail, but here are my paintbrush divide photos Spoiler