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| Hiking | 14.30 Miles |
4,600 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.30 Miles | 7 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.85 mph |
| 4,600 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | There are a lot of words that I could use to describe this hike: brutal, relentless, ridiculous, unnerving, exhausting, long (which would be an understatement). Whoops, I forgot a few at the top of the list: amazing, spectacular, AWESOME!
This hike has been pretty much at the top of my list all summer. I probably tried to plan it at least five times, but something always seemed to pop up. It's been on my mind all week that time is running out, that if I want to go up on the mountain and claim my dignity, I better do it soon. Maybe it has something to with looking at all those photos of Joe, Bob and Chris manhandling the Four Peaks on Wednesday, but today I decided I better go for it.
To make things more interesting, I didn't hit Lockett Meadow until about 11:30 AM  . Assuming I could complete the 14 mile roundtrip hike in 8 hours, that would put me back at the car at 7:30 PM. That's about a hour and a half after sundown. Always (well, sometimes) being prepared, I brought a flashlight.
So I set off from Lockett Meadow ready to tear Humphrey's into a million pieces. By the time I was approaching the "Inner Basin Meadow", my pace was locked in real nice and I was passing the leaf-gawking "casual hikers" left and right. In an attempt to get to the top as soon as possible, I decided I didn't need a break until the Weatherford Junction. About a mile later I was regretting that decision, but hey, that's what you gotta do when your dignity is taunting you at every step!
Hit the Weatherford Junction at about 1:15, feeling about ready to call it good and turn back, until my dignity popped out from behind a tree and stuck his tongue out at me. Sat down to eat a sandwich, which turned out to be a fiasco when half my sandwich fell apart (if anyone finds a pile of turkey and tomatoes laying on the ground, it wasn't me  ).
Headed up the Weatherford with a renewed sense of spirit (despite the sandwich incident) until I hit about 12,000 feet, at which point old Weatherford layed down the law on my mortal soul. Of course that section of trail is absolutely gorgeous (Nick Fraley will back me up on this). It's a good thing I forgot my camera, or else I'd still be up there after getting stuck on "Tibber-Mode" for the rest of the trip.
After reaching the 12,000 foot mark, the Weatherford starts descending down to the Agassiz/Humphrey's Saddle (which one is it?), which is a welcome relief after 3,400 feet of relentless uphill (of course, that section would come back to bite me later). Reaching the saddle, I figured I'd just wait to the summit for my next break (yeah, right). The first eighth of a mile on the Humphrey's Ridgeline is pretty much the most rugged part, and I started feeling worn down pretty quick. I must have looked really tired because a few people assumed I was a Humphrey's newbie, warning me of false summits and how the view is worth it.
About half-way up the ridge I collapsed on a rock as I couldn't move another step. I chugged a bunch of gatorade which reinvigorated my hunger for the summit and I set off again. Going the other way was a family of six, one of which was some sorority girl complaining, "This was so not worth it (imagine annoying valley girl accent), I'm gonna tell every one on the way down not to waste their time and turn around." Seriously, minus a Starbucks cup she was straight out of a Jeff MacE triplog. I was in the right mind to tell her to get the (bleep) off my mountain! Stay out of my territory, if you don't like it! Last time I set foot in a Starbucks, it was because it was the only public restroom in Haight-Ashbury. If I ever, EVER take somebody on a hike and they act like that, know what's going to happen?   . Just kidding. I just have a lot of animosity because despite getting my butt kicked by the mountain, I was having a great time and she was being a buzz kill on my "Wilderness Experience".
When I finally bagged the summit at 3:30 PM, I couldn't have asked for anything better. The wind was non-existant. The view was as haze-free and expansive as I'd ever seen it. There was a nice, friendly couple to chat and enjoy the view with. We picked out the Vermillion and Echo Cliffs, Navajo Mountain, Kanab Canyon (is that right?), the Hopi Buttes, the Mazatzals (I'm pretty sure I could see Four Peaks), and even what looked to be the White Mountains. There was also that big fire burning between Flag and Williams. I'm glad I didn't try to hike Bill Williams today!
So the way down was pretty painful. Literally: my body HURT. The scenery was not painful, it was rather easy on the eyes. Coming down the ridge wasn't bad (I went slow), but the climb back up to 12,000 on the Weatherford was utterly brutal. I had to take two breaks to just get it done. I was so glad to know that it would be all downhill the rest of the way (only another five and half, maybe six miles  ).
The sun went down right about when I hit the Inner Basin Trail again, and it was pretty dark when I hit the meadow. I had never been there after dark, and the solitude was amazing. It was also very ominous and kind of freaked me out. After a quick stop at the meadow, I headed down the last two unbelievably long miles to the trailhead. It was pretty much pitch black the whole way, and I had my flashlight on the whole time so I wouldn't sprain an ankle on all those stupid rocks in the middle of the trail. I was way paranoid that bears were going to eat me, so I jumped every time a leaf fell off one of the aspens or I saw the outline of a stump that vaguely looked like a coyote. I kept thinking, "There's not another soul around for at least two miles, if there's even anybody at Lockett Meadow." Seriously, it seemed like that stretch of trail would not end. Of course, there were fire a-blazing all around the Lockett Meadow Campground. Finished at 7:15 PM, 15 minutes ahead of schedule  .
The drive down FR522 was not too fun at night, especially when I came upon a caravan of three SUVs coming the other direction .
Every second of this hike was challenge for me. It's my longest hike to date, and my first topping 4,000 feet of elevation gain. It definitely pushed me to my limit. I must say, I don't think "Death Marches" are quite my style (I guess I'd prefer to keep it 10-12 miles), but I wouldn't mind doing more 14-15 milers in the future. I've become pretty familiar with hiking the San Francisco Peaks, and this hike is definitely one of the best on the mountain! |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
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