AZ Day Hikes for a New England Hiker visiting in January

[jrbren]

Posted: Dec 03 2002 10:27 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

I am new to this forum.

I also posted this quesion in response to the "marathon" subject in the
the general forum (non-trail chat).

I am a runner from Vermont visiting Arizona for the first time to run
the Lost Dutchman Marathon on Jan 19, 2003. I was looking for a
winter marathon, and I like marathons with scenery. This claims
to be one on the web site. I have never been to the south west
aside from a San Diego trip several years ago and a Colorado hiking trip
~10 years ago.

I am also a hiker, so I am making a long weekend out of it and not
flyng home until Wednesday. That gives me 2 days to hike and
stretch out my legs after the run. Last spring I ran the Sugarloaf Marathon
in Maine and hiked nearby Bigelow Mt. the next day to keep loose. This
about a 10 mile hike with ~3K ft. elevation gain. LDM will be my 11th marathon
overall.

I am looking for 1 or 2 hikes within 2-3 hours drive or so of Phoenix that
would have 2-4K elevation gain and be about 8-12 miles long round trip.

I am an experienced hiker in New England(4 season day hiker) and have also done some solo
hiking in Washington state the past three summers.

Is Humphrey peak reasonable ? I have gear to climb Mt Washington(NH) in Winter. Would I need crampons &/or snowshoes ? Would I want to bring a down jacket to go over my gortex
as they teach you on Mt Rainier in WA state ? I did read the thread on Mt Humphrey snow cover.
How easy the the trail to follow when snow covered and the clouds roll in ? Are there cairns ? (although quite frankly if the weather forcast is iffy for that day I will opt to do something else).

How about Kendrick Peak near Flagstaff ?

Any other suggestions ? I like the idea of Mts over Canyons becasue you do the
hard part first with Mts.

What critters would/should I need to worry about when hiking solo ? Rattle snakes, scorpions, Puma's, etc... There are none in the north east.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks and happy trails...

John B.

[Lizard]

My suggestion would be Mazatzal Peak depending on the snow conditions.

If you can dayhike the (New Hampshire) White Mountains during winter, you shouldn't have too much trouble with Humphries Peak. Personally though, I wouldn't do it solo that time of year. There are plenty of options closer to Phoenix that make for better winter hiking. I would think coming from New England you'd want to get away from the snow