12,633 Feet? Let's Do It!

[Hippy]

Monday, July 30th 2012
We will be leading a very easy going paced hike up to the summit of The Tallest Mountain In Arizona.
It is roughly a 10 mile hike (that's round trip don't worry!)

Within those 5 miles to the summit we will gain 3300 feet of elevation, the trail head starts around 9300 feet and we will top out at 12,633...

This hike is being led by Haley & Vince (HippyHaley & GOYAAH), so there is the option of hiking at a slower(H) or faster(V) pace so no worries about being too slow or being bored (if you're a faster hiker!)
This is a great opportunity to go on a challenging hike with friends and take in the beautiful scenery at your own pace!


We will be leaving Sunday July 29th for the drive out to flagstaff, we will car or tent camp and set out on the hike long before the sun rises!
Leaving the trail head this early gives the slower paced hikers PLENTY of time to summit the Mountain and NO RUSH to get back down!
This scheduling will also leave us with the rest of monday (July 30th) to rest and relax in the happy little city of Flagstaff

Depending on how many people are attending there is (as always) the carpooling/caravan options.
If you'd like to drive please opt to take fellow hikers with you to save on fuel and keep our air cleaner
As of now there will be 3 seats open in our Subaru, any takers?

The link below is details on the hike.
http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=64

[Hippy]

I have gathered the following weather info to share for this hike (for anyone who has done this in july/august please share your thoughts/advice etc thank you!)
As it is the end of July I will have the info separated for July/August average temps etc.

High temps 81/79
Low temps 50/48
Highest chance of rainfall (sorry! Bring a poncho!)
Winds at the top can reach 80mph
Sunrise roughly 630am
Sunset roughly 830pm

This hike is probably the easiest highpoint of all the western states. The trail is well maintained, it's easily done in a few hours and it doesn't have any portions of extreme exposure or requiring technical expertise. However, Humphreys makes up for its relative ease by having some very fickle weather. Summer thunderstorms are tremendous, extremely dangerous and they build up FAST! It can go from blue, cloudless skies to big puffy thunderheads and lightning in about 30 minutes time. If you go up during the monsoon season (usually July-August), plan to be off the mountain by noon, which means the earlier start the better. We are hoping for a 330am start!

[hippiepunkpirate]

plan to be off the mountain by noon

You just need to be below treeline by noon, so you could start at say 6:30-7:00 and easily make it into the safety of the trees by noon, given that you aren't planning on spending 3 hours at the summit or hiking at an absolute crawl.

[Hippy]

@hippiepunkpirate idk my lungs are pretty bad nah, we love an early morning hike we usually start down or up trails no later than 5am if its a good hike (the hike to Supai we start at 5, the hike up Supes Peak 5057 no later than 6 etc)

Have you been up there? Is there a flat spot on the summit big enough to...umm...do a cartwheel?

[hippiepunkpirate]

The summit is pretty big and flat but the rock is extremely jagged and probably not very cartwheel friendly

[Hippy]

Flat is all I need. I'm pretty crazy sometimes, I'm just hoping the wind is in my favor, what an addition Humphrey's Peak would be to Cartwheels Across America!! Yeah, I'll pretty much do anything that won't kill me or paralyze me to get a goood cartwheel shot...

[azbackpackr]

Sigh. I used to cartwheel. I still do but it hurts. There is a photo of me on Facebook, cartwheeling on a deserted beach in Nicaragua, a couple of months ago. Not very good cartwheels, though. It hurts my wrists, so I pretty much had to quit. That day, I was showing off. Paid for it later.

[PatrickL]

Take a look at the campsites at Freidlein Prairie. If you can find an empty site, it's only a few minutes away from the trailhead, and the elevation might help you acclimate a little more. The roads shouldn't be much of an issue for a Subaru, though I've only been a short ways down the road.

[Hippy]

Good words Patrick! Thanks! Acclimation might be a problem for some of us that's why I'm driving up and camping the night before. And my subaru needs a good rough road test drive so we shall see! thank you! Gonna join us? ;)

[PatrickL]

I've done the same thing the last two times I've been up there. Whether the elevation affects you or not, it's a really convenient location for hiking up there. I can't say for sure, but as long as it's on a Monday I can probably swing it!

[squatpuke]

Not 100% but can you car camp around Snowbowl???

Lockett Meadown or Weatherford TH also options....longer hikes though.

[hippiepunkpirate]

I personally wouldn't recommend Weatherford or Lockett starts for first time Humphreys hikers (unless they are already doing 14-20 mile 4000+ elevation hikes on a semi regular basis). The standard route is a fine place to start. I don't know anything one way ir the other about camping at snowbowl, but I have never seen anybody do it. I would call the ranger station prior to making arrangements to camp there as it is popular and very accessible, so if it is illegal to camp, you would have a good chance at getting cited and fined. Liz (juliachaos) drove her Subaru Outback all the way to the end of Freidlein Prairie road a couple years ago, I believe. Its just slow going. I second the recommendation to camp at Freidlein Prairie.

[Jim]

I got out to the end of that road in my civic in November of 2006. It was OK. I just went slow in spots. Why go to the end, though. There are camping areas near 180 and Snowbowl, and 180 is quiet at night. I refer the the area that was thinned off 180 back in 2008. Or, just go on the west side of 180, there is a ton of stuff over there.

Don't start before sunrise. Humphrey isn't that hard or big.

[azbackpackr]

There are so many places to camp off 180, plus Shultz Pass Road, although you have to drive way back up in there to camp there.

I have friends that camp in their motor home on the east side of 180, on the last road to the right before the Snowbowl road, and there are a lot of campsites back in on that road. It's a no-brainer. Very easy to find and drive in on. As Jim said, there won't be much traffic noise at night.

[Sun_Ray]

I have never handled elevation well even in my marathon running days so going with a slow group is appealing to me. I'll save the date and see what my calendar looks like when I get closer to the date. Hard to be a Arizona Hiker without doing Humphreys.

[fotogirl53]

I'd love to join the slow group but I will be in Ketchican at that time! Have fun and be safe--lightning kills!

[Tough_Boots]

Not 100% but can you car camp around Snowbowl???

Lockett Meadown or Weatherford TH also options....longer hikes though.

I think those are the best options. After doing the Inner Basin for the first time last year, I will always summit via that route from now on-- especially now that the road to Lockett was re-opened. Why anyone would choose any route other than the Inner Basin is a mystery to me.

[The_Eagle]

@Tough_Boots
What he said

[azbackpackr]

I agree with what HPP said earlier. Unless you are already used to hiking 14 miles with 4,000+ AEG at a higher elevation, these longer routes should be left until later, after you've tested your mettle on the shorter route.

[Hippy]

@Jim_H we have other plans that day and we want to see the sunrise halfway or at the top which is why we want a 3 or 4 am start

@azbackpackr we most definitely are not use to that , we will be hiking the usual summit trail, 10 miles round trip.
as for car camping we can do it anywhere...i mean i could park outside my auntie's house or Squatpuke can let us shack up in his backyard It doesn't matter where we camp once we get there we'll just drive to the TH when we're ready to shove off.
@fotogirl53 too bad you can't join us but Ketchican sweeeet!

@Sun Ray hope you can join us, the more the merrier! PLUS if we get down early enough (before noon?!) we were hoping for some side exploring of nearby caves...not lava tubes don't worry