Humphrey's Peak (12,633 ft) - The Highest Point in Arizona

     On day two of our Arizona vacation we were anxious to get on the road, as we had quite an ambitious adventure planned for the rest of the week.  We rented a car from Hertz (which turned out to be a POS) for four days and headed north to Flagstaff.  From Scottsdale, it was only a three-hour drive.  After regularly making the six-hour drive from Palatine in northern Illinois to Carbondale in southern Illinois, compounded by our excitement to get out and explore, the trip seemed to go by quickly.
     We arrived in Flagstaff in the late afternoon and before checking into our hotel room, we decided to drive up to the trailhead of Humphrey's Peak.  A few miles north of Flagstaff on Highway 180 is the road leading to the Arizona Snow Bowl, a ski resort on federal property in the Coconino National Forest and this is where the trailhead is located. Knowing that we may be navigating the area in the early morning darkness, we wanted get a view of the lay of the land and the beginning of the trail.  Our timing turned out to provide a decent sunset view of the mountains to the west.

Sunset from Humphrey's Peak trailhead

     Confident that we knew where to go in the morning, we drove back to Flagstaff.  We had reservations at a historic hotel in the downtown area called the Weatherford Hotel. The hotel was built in 1897 when "Arizona was a territory and vigilantes ruled the dirt streets."  As their website says, this is more than just a hotel. First of all, there are many ghosts that are purported to inhabit the hotel.  Second, the building had a lot of character and contained a restaurant, two bars, and a ballroom.  After a quick stroll looking at the other bars and shops of the downtown area, we settled in at Charly's Pub, the bar on the first floor of the Weatherford Hotel.  It just so happened that all the other bars we looked at, although quaint and trendy, were nearly vacant and we realized why when we looked for seating at Charly's Pub.

     It was trivia night at Charly's and the place was packed.  It was a simple affair and that was part of its charm and success.  No fancy machines or overhead displays, each team wrote their answers on a piece of paper after a MC read the trivia questions out loud.  In between questions, they played songs of the 80's. Although not formally playing, Susan and I listened to the questions and came up with our own answers.  It was tough to compete but it was fun.

The Weatherford Hotel, downtown Flagstaff, AZ

     The hotel had several styles of rooms. The largest rooms had a phone, television, and private bath, and were the most expensive.  The cheapest and smallest rooms did not have any of these things and the bathroom was across the hall.  We opted for one of the intermediate rooms, which was small and had no phone or television, but did have a tiny bathroom.  The double bed was smaller than preferred but since we planned an early morning start, we didn't much care about the few hours of sleep in a smaller bed.

European style room at the Weatherford Hotel

     We originally set the clock for 5:30am but when I woke up around 4:00am I reset it for 6:15.  We finally got up at 6:37 and headed out to the trailhead.  The idea when climbing tall mountains is that hazardous weather usually comes in the afternoon and so it is best to get to the summit by late morning.  This means getting on the trail early.

At the Humphrey's Peak trailhead, 7:47am

      Although we did not get as early as a start as anticipated, it was early enough and it sure was chilly out!  We were glad we brought our winter gear (which seemed a little odd when planning a trip to Phoenix) and since the trail went up the west side of the mountain, it would be awhile before we warmed up.

     In about a half an hour we reached the boundary of the wilderness and the trail register.  Humphrey's Peak is located in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness within the Coconino National Forest.  It is one of six mountain summits that circle the caldera of a now inactive volcano known as the San Francisco Peaks, named in honor of St. Francis of Assissi by the Spanish friars that settled in the area around 1620.

Signing the trail register to enter the Kachina Peaks Wilderness

     The trail was in good condition although there were many large rocks and gnarly tree roots bisecting the trail.  Our excitement led to a fairly expeditious pace and I kept telling Susan, "rest often, but briefly, and keep a consistent cadence."  The trail was easy to follow and there were many stumps to stop and sit on along the way.  In fact, the forest in general had a large amount of fallen trees and I wondered if the forest was a relic of fire suppression or if there happened to be a large windstorm in the recent past.

The trail up Humphrey's Peak and resting on tree stumps along the trail

     We continued up the trail without incident or landmark until we reached another sign, this one warning of the fragile habitat above 11,400 feet and that adherence to the trail was mandatory.  Among the tundra grows a plant known as the San Francisco peaks groundsel (Packera franciscanus) that grows nowhere else in the world.  For this reason, the neighboring peak, Mount Agassiz, is closed to public hiking except during the winter months when it is covered in snow.  Trespassers are subject to a $500 fine.

A sign warning us to stay on the trail to protect the fragile tundra

     Shortly after the sign we reached the treeline.  At a certain altitude, trees are incapable of growing due to cold temperatures or lack of moisture.  This is where we encountered one of the oldest known trees on earth, the bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata).  The tree gets it name from the cones whose scales are each tipped with a claw-like bristle. 

Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata)

     Shortly after reaching treeline, we made it to the saddle, which is the the lowest point in between two peaks, also known as the top of the pass.  Once reaching this location, we were provided with generous views to the east.

Looking east from the saddle in between Humphrey's Peak and Mount Agassiz

     Looking back to the west we could see the ski slopes of the Arizona Ski Bowl.  It was too early in the year for the slopes to be open, which was good for our summit bid.  Not knowing what to expect, just before the trip we purchased Ice Trekkers, which are basically chains attached to stretchable rubber bands that can be attached to our boots. It was good to have them but we did not need them.

Ski slopes on the Arizona Snow Bowl

     Although we still had a bit of climbing to go, I was relieved to finally reach the saddle after almost three hours of uphill walking.  We had read about the three false summits on the way to the top and I tried to count them from the saddle in order to prepare us for the first two disappointing revelations.  It really didn't seem that far in my opinion, but I have been on many 14ers in Colorado that seemed to go on forever.

Looking at the summit from the saddle

     While I expected it to be much steeper on the final 500 feet of mountain, it still was not a piece of cake. There were many large boulders that required stepping up onto and at this point we were tired.  But we had passed one couple on the way to the top and we were determined to be the first ones on the summit that day.  We were getting close, but moving slowly.

Nearing the summit of Humphrey's Peak, trail to the left of the ridge

     We were passed by one couple just before reaching the summit but they were very friendly and we took turns photographing each other, even though I had brought my tripod (which Susan graciously carried to the top) so I could take a photo of us on the summit. Being a photographer, I find that asking random people to take photos rarely yields a quality photo and being picky I like to compose the photo to my liking anyway. We took a bunch of photos and videos, signed the summit register, and had a snack on the summit.

Susan upon reaching the summit

     Humphrey's Peak is the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet.  If you consider just the highest point of each state individually, Arizona ranks 12th in the United States.  Although I have not been on the highest point the United States, which is Mount McKinley in Alaska, I have been on the summits in the states that rank #2 (Mount Whitney in California), #3 (Mount Elbert in Colorado), and #15 (Harney Peak in South Dakota).  This was Susan's first mountain summit and she worked for every foot of it.

On the summit of Humphrey's Peak

      This is also a very sacred area and I kept that in my mind and my heart as I scanned the outstanding views.  The Navajo consider this the land where heaven meets the earth and their medicine men used herbs collected from these mountains in their healing ceremonies.  The area also has symbolic significance to other groups, such as the Hopi, Zuni, Havasupai, and Yavapai-Apache.
     With huge views in every direction, sunny skies, and calm winds, we were in little hurry to leave the summit.  But eventually we decided to leave since we had more planned for the day.

Panoramic view from the summit of Humphrey's Peak

     Descending down mountains can be almost as difficult as ascending them as it is often very hard on the knees.  I found the hiking pole my father loaned me to be quite useful as I deliberately stepped carefully on my way down the peak.

Descending Humphrey's Peak

     We quickly made our way down the mountain on the lovely sunny day and were quite happy in our accomplishment.  Before we knew it, we were back at the boundary of the wilderness area and took some photos at the sign.

At the wilderness boundary

     What a day!  It took us 4 hours to reach the summit and we spent an hour reveling in the summit sunshine.  It took us three hours to get down the mountain to the car for a round trip of 8 hours.  It gave us just enough time to get to the Grand Canyon for our next day of sightseeing.  On our way out of town, I stopped to take this photo and I couldn't believe that just a few hours earlier, we were on top of this mountain.

Humphrey's Peak, Flagstaff, AZ

     The couple that passed us on the way to the summit informed us about Lava Cave, a nearby landmark in the direction we were going, and we hoped to stop by and check it out before dark.  We wanted to get to the Grand Canyon by sunset, but it took us a little longer to leave the parking area because we found a dog in the parking lot that was separated from its owner.  About an hour earlier we encountered a young man on the trail who had lost his dog. His husky had been let off the leash, ran after an animal, and did not come back.  I told him not to worry because they always come back, at least my hound dog that would occasionally run off always did, attempting to console him.  As we walked away, I asked if he had his cell phone on him and that if he gave me his number, I'd contact him if we saw a dog.

     While I think that having a dog on a leash in the woods is rather ridiculous, there was a sign at the beginning of the trail that indicated it was illegal and subject to fine for letting your dog off its leash.  But I felt sorry for this guy and could empathize with his situation.  I figured the dog went back to the parking lot but understood that the guy didn't want to leave the location where he last saw his dog, since he was a little ways up the mountain.  But just as I suspected, when we got closer to the parking lot, we saw a beautiful black and white husky come hesitantly in our direction.  I texted a photo of the dog to the man and he said he'd be right down.  While we were packing up, the dog went and laid down in the shade next to his vehicle like a good dog should.  

Husky and Subaru

     The man texted me back when he returned to his dog and his car and thanked us for our kindness.  He asked if he could repay us somehow, then admitted he didn't have much to offer.  He said he taught a yoga class in Flagstaff and that we were welcome anytime!  He reminded me a little of myself as a younger man in college and that made me smile.

     Looking at my watch, I debated whether or not to stop at the cave our hiker friends told us about, and wondered how long it would take to get to the Grand Canyon.  You see I have this really neat gadget in my pocket that can tell you all kinds of information like how long it takes to travel and it even displays a map! Maybe you've heard of one of these things, I think they are termed cellular devices or something, but I call mine the dohicky thingamajig (insert incredible sarcasm here).

     As is my usual reasoning, I figured "when are we going to be back here?" and used that to justify a side trip to see the cave.  The cave was only 5 miles one way off our our route north on highway 180.

Lava River Cave, Coconino National Forest

      Lava River Cave is a 3/4 mile long cave in the Coconino National Forest and was "discovered" by loggers in 1915.  This cave was formed when molten rock flowed though the ground during a nearby volcanic episode.  Evidence of the flow can be seen inside as the ground rock has undulations that represent the final flows of lava out of the cave. "Stone icicles," also called lavasicles, are present on the ceiling and formed when heat from the volcanic blast re-liquefied the rocks and then they hardened while dripping. Unlike most geologic events, Lava River Cave formed rapidly and probably looks exactly like it did shortly after it was formed, about 675,000 years ago!  Thus it is considered "frozen in time."

Inside and at the entrance of Lava River Cave

     Although I had my headlamp with me, I only ventured inside for a little way. It was cold in there!  Here is a picture of a cave map on a sign near the entrance.

Sign at the entrance of the cave

     We made it to Tusayan, the last town before the entrance to the south rim of the Grand Canyon at sunset.  Unfortunately, we missed the sunset at the rim, but we were worn out and tired from a thoroughly satisfying day in central Arizona.

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