Are We lost Yet?

More correctly, 33% submitted. There are still several steps between my submission and actual publication.

These are the ten hikes I submitted for the 33% installment:

SEDONA:

Airport Mesa

Parson Springs

The Lime Kiln Trail

Woods Canyon

FLAGSTAFF

Anderson Mesa

Sandys & Walnut Canyons

O’Leary Peak

Winter Cabin Loop

Kelsey Springs Loop

Sycamore Rim Trail

I have two other hikes completed but not turned in for various reasons:

Verde Greenway Trails

Overland Road

Add the three hikes I submitted in June and I am within sight of halfway.

First, for those who may not have been able to follow the story, the Schultz fire is fully contained. You can see a couple spots on the mountain that still smoke, but those are deep within the burn zone.

Most of the eastern and central slopes of the San Francisco Peaks remain closed.

But I have a plan as soon as they open…

On that subject, as promised earlier:

Checklist for hikers

(and hiking guide authors)

Items that pertain to normal people are written normally.

(Items that pertain only to guidebook authors are in parentheses).

AT HOME:

1. Pick a hike. Don’t just drive somewhere and hope for inspiration.

1. Pick the best hike feasible. Never skip a good hike for a mediocre hike thinking, “I’ll get to that other hike soon enough…” Weather/health/family/jobs sabotage hiking opportunities all the time. (If you haven’t prioritized your hike list by coolness vs accessibility, go do that now.)

1. Do a little research. This, of course, depends on how comfortable you are with uncertainty. Some hikers like to know everything before they go (for which guidebook authors must be grateful). Some just want to know how to get to the trailhead, and let everything else be a surprise. At a minimu, though, you should know what the weather’s going to be like, and the water or fire conditions.

1. (Learn something about the history, geology and ecology of your hike destination - so you know what to look for on the trail. Yeah, you can do a lot of that afterwords, but why work harder?)

PACKING THE GEAR

1. Get a map. Bring it with you. Your GPS does not count. (Print an extra one for your wife - so she can refer to it when she calls the emergency response team later)
2. Organize your essential survival things. (Have these in a kit ready to go, and keep that kit in your vehicle, so your son does not plunder it).
3. Calculate the most water you could possibly consume on the hike, and put at least twice that amount in the car.
4. Don’t forget lunch!
5. Make sure your GPS, flashlight and camera are charged.
6. (Make sure your GPS has memory left.)
7. (Make sure your flashlight actually works.)
8. Make sure you camera has memory.
9. (Clean the lens on the camera.)
10. (Bring a notebook and a working pen - because bad things can happen to digital recording devices in the wild).
11. If the hike is more than 10 miles round trip, or you know you won’t make the trailhead until after 11 am, pack extra batteries for the flashlight, and bring an extra layer of clothing. At ten miles or more, or a noon start or later, you are one wrong turn from looking for the trailhead by moonlight.
12. Gather this stuff the night before if you can.

AT THE TRAILHEAD

1. Turn on the GPS, and let it find the satellites while you do the rest of your things.
2. Finish your coffee. It won’t taste good when you get back.
3. Now drink something else - don’t start the hike dehydrated.
4. (Write down the GPS coordinates of the trailhead. Don’t just recite them into the DVR - write them down! Remember altitude.)
5. Top off all the water containers.
6. If there is some sort of toilet - use it. Especially if there are a lot of other cars at the trailhead. I don’t have to explain this logic - right?
7. (Test the recording devices. Get the date and start time in the first recording, so you can use it on your blog seven months from now.)
8. (Take a Bongo picture at the trailhead.)
9. Lock the car.
10. (Catch up with your companions who grew weary of your fussing and have already started the hike.)

You can see the smoke from as far south as Sunset Point.

I drove up there today thinking, “Wow, the wind is really kicking up the smoke from the Eagle Rock fire…” The Eagle Rock fire has been burning for several days northwest of Flagstaff, but is mostly contained.

Wrong. Flagstaff had three different wildfires burning today, basically within city limits. Two are still going. One is still going unchecked.

Most threatening is the Schultz Fire, in the heavily wooded Schultz Pass separating Mt. Elden from the San Francisco Peaks. That fire, zero percent contained at this writing, is forcing evacuations, and has closed AZ 89 just north of town.

The Scultz fire has spread over 5000 acres, and its cause is unknown.

Flagstaff city spokeswoman Kimberly Ott told the Associated Press, “It’s torching, it’s crowning — all the things you don’t want it to do.” Winds gusts up to 50 mph are accelerating the fire.

Aside from life and property, this fire also threatens some of the best hiking trails in the area. Earlier today, there was some concern about some hikers still in the burn area, but they have all been accounted for.

Two other smaller fires were started and contained or controlled by the end of the day.

The Hardy Fire, which erupted in southeastern Flag - near the “country club” region is contained. It was started by an unattended campfire, and a California man has been arrested in connection.

A third fire flared up near western I-40 from a car fire, but was contained within hours.

However big the smoke plume looks in the photos, its bigger than that from in town.

NAZ Today has been providing good local coverage.

I have contracted with Menasha Ridge Press (our fine host here) to write 5 Star Hikes - Flagstaff and Sedona (or some very similar title. It’s not official until it gets an ISBN)

The following is adapted from the style guide:

Five-Star Trails combines elements of the popular 60/60 series (60 Hikes within 60 Miles of . . . [city]) with those of the D&O series (Day & Overnight Hikes in. . . [national forests, national parks, other wilderness areas]). [...]
Like the 60/60 series, Five-Star books typically cover hiking in and around cities, but Five-Star books’ anchor locations are smaller urban areas than those chosen for 60/60. For example, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta are 60/60 topics, whereas Spokane, Boise, and Chattanooga are examples of cities that fit the Five-Star profile. Also, Five-Star books present only 30 to 40 hikes-or half- to two-thirds as many as the 60/60 series.
In common with the D&O series, a Five-Star Trails book provides starred ratings in several categories presented in a box at the top of each new hike entry.
Unlike the D&O series, Five-Star Trails is geared to day-hikes and rarely touches on camping or extended trail time.

I have already started work on the guide and have several Sedona area hikes completed (the hiking anyway):

Airport Mesa Loop

Brin’s Mesa / Soldier Pass

Bell Trail (Wet Beaver Creek)

Woods Canyon trail (Dry Beaver Creek) (Yes, these creek names are real)

Lime Kiln Trail (the whole 15+ miles)

Verde River Greenbelt

MRP’s publicity packet suggests I blog somewhere about how the hike actually went (since the book has almost no personal references), and a few notes to supplement the information in the guide.

What a swell idea.

You can expect some posts on those hikes, and all the others as we go.

Monday, I’m hiking the Lime-Kiln trail, a 15 mile route that historically connected Cottonwood and Sedona, but more recently connects Dead Horse SP with Red Rock SP. This is practical because I have a car-shuttle arranged.

I suspect I will go ahead and camp overnight at Dead Horse.

Tuesday will be two short hikes - TBD.

The ink hasn’t dried on the contract, but I’m going to announce anyway:

I am writing a new guidebook for Menasha Ridge Press!

(and you thought this was a dead blog).

More details when I have time to compose with clarity.

Meanwhile, for the benefit of a very select audience, my itinerary for the next two days:

Thursday, 4/6/10:

Travel to Sedona; establish a camp at Wet Beaver Creek; Hike Brin’s Mesa and Soldier Pass trail; Hike a portion of Airport Loop to Bandit, then Caroll Canyon. Buy some beer. Sleep.

Friday 4/7/10:

Clarify a remaining mystery on Bell Trail; break camp; Hike Woods Canyon trail (up Dry Beaver Creek), return home.

Local conditions may force changes. My cel phone works in most of the area.

Gotta go! More when I get back.

The things you learn when you google your own name once in a while…

http://www.menasharidge.com/product.php?productid=16862

*This is a special bundled digital edition of this book. Buy the book at full price and get instant access to a downloadable pdf version. So it’s two copies for the price of one!*

Says my publisher. So you could load this on your smart-phone and not have to hike with the physical book.

East Webber Trail #248

DATE HIKED: June 1, 2008

Companions: Ben and Max ( our Labrador).

START TIME:12:35pm

END TIME:6:10pm

TOTAL MILEAGE: 8.8 miles

One of the few guidebook hikes I took with the dog. These “working” hikes are complicated enough with the DVR and the GPS and such without adding 60 lbs of excitable dog on a leash. But this was a short hike, I was towards the end and feeling pretty confident, and I had Ben to help out if it came to that.

We got turned around a couple times past Camp Geronimo, which may have added to the mileage some.

We ate lunch on our way up at the second crossing, beside the big log. Max spent the whole time in the creek.

About 4 miles up, we encountered the signed junction with the “Rimview Trail” though we could not discern an actual trail. The sign indicated it went east and eventually hit the Highline around Poison Springs. Not on any maps I own, and we couldn’t pick it out from the ferns and deadwood.

My buddies at HikeAZ inform me that this trail was “blazed” by boy scouts, and actually goes nowhere. Thus, I left it out of the hike description.

I drank water straight from the first spring, and my insides did not explode. So that was good.

Second only to Horton Springs as far as face-of-the-Rim hikes go.

There have been a few fires since I last visited here, including the nearby Wagon Wheel fire - so I cannot guarantee how much of the specific topography is still accurate.

I started two separate hikes from the Washington Park trailhead, smack in the middle of the Mogollon Rim: the Col. Devlin/RR Tunnel trail and then the Highline Trail west to Camp Geronimo.

Stats given below reflect both hikes combined.

DATE: 5/30/08

COMPANIONS: None

START TIME: 11:40 am

END TIME: 7:25 pm

TOTAL ACTUAL MILES: 13.2

My mother helped me set up the car shuttle for this, which was a blessing and a curse. My mother is not a morning person, so an early start was never a possibility.

There a part in the intro of the book where I talk about her dropping me off at a trailhead: this hike.

Ben had been invited to go, but was pouting for some reason, and missed out on one of the cooler trails - at least from an 11 year old perspective. So let that be a lesson for the young readers.

Col Devlin was one of the shorter hikes in the book, but contained a serious grade. I still got lost. The note at the end about not following the goat-trails around the ledge: GAFDE.

One of my sources for the history of the Railroad Tunnel:  http://www.paysonrimcountry.com/MountainRecreation/NaturalLandmarks/MogollonRim/tabid/232/Default.aspx

And the Sharlot Hall museum provided good source material on Col. Devin.

I personally believe that the Highline Trail, as a multi-day through hike is over-rated. You beat up your knees for not much variation in scenery. The Highline was built for horses. You’re better off on top of the Rim on the General Crook trail.

I was very grateful for the one flowing stream in the middle of the hike.

There was a lot of fire damage when I hiked through,and now there is even more. Better views. Less shade. How long until the whole Rim is naked?

Followed the last of the switchbacks in the last of the daylight, but didn’t need to pull y flashlight out of the bag.

Don’t try both of these on the same day unless you’re very hardcore (or behind deadline).

The week before last, I had a camping trip all arranged - and then everybody backed out but me.

I went anyways, free from logistical negotiations (or the company of others).On my journey, I stopped to take pictures for my ongoing camping blog [column?] for Examiner.com. These will all eventually turn into articles, and I’ll link them here as they go online.

North of Globe, state highway 288 splits from 188 just past the east end of Lake Roosevelt, and begins to climb up into the Sierra Ancha Mountains. Don’t let the highway designation fool ya, AZ288 winds and dips and is only partially paved. I stopped and took photos of Sawmill Flats and Rose Creek campgrounds.

To the west is Salome Wilderness where lies Hell’s Hole. To the East is the Sierra Ancha wilderness, where I hiked the Sierra Ancha Superloop.

North of the wilderness areas, the road rolls through juniper scrub and finally into Pleasant Valley, where lies the town of Young. Finding a meal in Young has always challenged me, but I came upon Buddi’s Gas and Minimart, where the nice lady sold me a microwaved burrito. That’s the best meal service I’ve ever gotten in that community, built mostly by and for retirees and their hobby ranches. Tourists are somewhat beside the point.

Just north of Young, I split left to take FR 200 up Haigler Canyon to visit two more campgrounds. I stopped to read a sign about the Heber-Reno Sheep Driveway, a 3 mile wide corridor through which Basque herders drive sheep up to their summer pastures on top of the Mogollon Rim in the spring, and then back down to their winter pastures outside of Chandler in September. I literally thought to myself, “It’s September. Maybe I’ll see some…”

And there they were, on the other side of the road. The herder I talked to said they’d been on the trail for about three days. Photos on my other blog (because I’m outta space here): What Have We Learned.

It was raining on and off, but the gravel of FR 200 held firm. Alderwood Campground is remote, despite being tucked behind a small housing development. Haigler Canyon is more developed, but was empty save for cows when I visited. Even the hosts were gone.

FR200 dumps into FR 291, which dumps into AZ 260 - which is a real highway. I took that to the visitor’s center atop the rim, then cut through the FR 171 camping area, where a number of numbered campsites sit right on top of the Mogollon Rim. This is where I was with the kids when we were rained out prior to our General Crook Trail hike a few years ago. (Still one of my favorite articles.)

FR171 joins - yep - AZ288 on the other side, where I turned south towards a quartet of campgrounds in the NE corner of the Tonto NF. I had been warned that the Rodeo-Chedaski fire of several years ago had devastated the whole area, but I can report that while you can certainly see wide swaths of damage, the campgrounds are just fine.

Colcord Ridge

Airplane Flats

Valentine Ridge

and Upper Canyon Creek, where I ultimately camped.

There is a listed trail near Valentine Ridge (#550) which was scratched from my itinerary late in the guidebook days. It is geared (and graded) towards mountain bikes, so now I’m glad I skipped it.

The next morning I woke up, got to wear a jacket for a few hours (those not from Phoenix do not realize how special that is by September) and burned back to the valley to take care of other things.

Next time - more behind-the-hike stuff.