EVENT SUMMARY: Please join us for a couple of nights of car camping, or stop by for a single night or even just a few hours to say hi and meet fellow HAZers, and maybe catch a glimpse of some meteors.
Just like last year we will gather together for a car camping adventure during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Technically the peak is Sunday night, but there should be plenty to see Friday and Saturday too (weather permitting). This event posting is for the social camping aspect only.
HIKING: Hiking will be multi-optional with short drives to various trailhead possibilities. Separate hikes will be set up for different groups of people to join on both Saturday and Sunday to match individual desires and abilities.
IMPORTANT CAMPING INFO:Camping will be adjacent to a sedan-accessible forest road. Due to the number of vehicles anticipated, the actual camp site may be a short walk from where you can legally park your vehicle. Each participant will be responsible for their own camp -- bring your own tent, chair, food, water, etc. This is "dispersed camping" and there are no facilities -- you will be responsible for bringing a shovel and burying waste according to normal forest guidelines. Each participant will be responsible for their own trash collection and removal. Please bring trash bags and plan on bringing your trash back home with you. A fire will be built and maintained for the group (possibly two fires, with one specifically for cooking). There will be a large area with plenty of room to set up tents.
DIRECTIONS TO HAZFEST:Due to record rains in July, I drove the road on Saturday (in a heavy rain shower) to verify that it is still sedan accessible. In my opinion, it is. However, there are some big puddles along the way which may or may not still be present depending on rainfall between now and then. If you are not comfortable driving on muddy, wet forest roads in your vehicle, please do so at your own risk. I take no responsibility for your ability to get to this location. If you are not comfortable, please turn around. I will provide as much information as possible, but the final decision on where you drive your vehicle is yours and yours alone.
Now then. The location where we will be camped is southwest of Wild Bill Hill. The driving route is marked on this HAZ Map. You may change the layers if you wish. The (default view) "MyTopo" layer shows some of the Forest Road numbers. The "Map" layer is a more traditional Google Maps view, while the "Satellite" layer provides an aerial photograph of the area. If you have questions about how to get there, please post in this forum or contact me via PM.
The text version of the directions are as follows:
From Flagstaff, head west on I-40 about 10 miles.
Take exit 185 (Bellemont) and turn right. (There is a McDonalds, Subway, Motel 6 and Pilot truck stop here. Fuel prices are generally within 1 or 2 cents of the least expensive gas in Flagstaff at this truck stop.)
Turn left onto the frontage road and proceed 0.8 miles.
Just after the cattle guard, turn right onto FR171, a dirt forest road and proceed for 4.4 miles.
Turn left onto FR171C and proceed for 0.5 miles.
Turn right onto FR9003M and proceed 300 yards. (This road has no number sign. It is marked by two reflective yellow stakes with orange ribbons.)
Turn left onto FR9004M and proceed 1.6 miles to camp.
This area is under forest travel rules that limit vehicular travel to 30-feet from the road. We will park adjacent to this road and set up camp on the west side in the shaded ponderosa forest.
Photos of this route as experienced during the absolute peak of possible rain and mud can be seen here. Note these photos are geotagged so you can view their exact location on a map.
DATES: Friday, August 9th through Sunday, August 11th. For now mark your calendar and block off the entire weekend.
WHO CAN COME?: There are no restrictions on participation. However, we will be up late and probably sort of loud. This is not a campground and there is no 10pm lights-out quiet time! This probably isn't a great event for children or folks who don't like good food, adult beverages, guitars, terrible singing of good songs, and lots of laughter ;) (or at least tolerate others who do).
DOGS: Well-behaved and owner-controlled dogs are welcome. Please be courteous and consider other people or other dogs before deciding to bring your dog. Dog owners are responsible for their own pet and following National Forest rules and regulations (leashes required, picking up waste, etc.)
QUESTIONS: May be posted to this thread in the forum or you may send me a PM directly and I will try to respond within a couple of days. Hope to see you there!
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
I suspect fire restrictions will still be in place, unless Chumley knows of some secret spot in the loophole between the different jurisdictions in that area.
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
There will almost certainly NOT be fire restrictions by then. The monsoon usually brings relief by the middle of July, and I've never seen restrictions still in place up there after August 1st. I'll bring my chainsaw, so there should be no shortage of fire wood for nonot to create a masterpiece that can be seen from space.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Cokadoodledude wrote:There is one crucial question I have: Will there be facilities anywhere around for taking a shower?
Yes. About 10 miles away you will find a fantastic hotel to stay in. Hot water and a comfy bed. Unfortunately, there won't be campfire, guitars, beer, or fun people there. But the shower will likely be wonderful.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
I learned a long time ago that you can stay clean in camp, take bucket baths or rinse off in the creek. You can stay smelling fine for weeks if you do this, along with a bit of deodorant!
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
Cokadoodledude wrote:There is one crucial question I have: Will there be facilities anywhere around for taking a shower?
Yes. About 10 miles away you will find a fantastic hotel to stay in. Hot water and a comfy bed. Unfortunately, there won't be campfire, guitars, beer, or fun people there. But the shower will likely be wonderful.
I recommend Little America. I named my own price a lot for the 12 months I lived in Kayenta and seemed to spend about 30% of my income getting away from there. Going back to Flag a lot and naming about 65 to 100 dollars a night got me little America often. It was nice, and what a shower! Now, it is summer and I tended to strike out in Flagstaff more from June to late September, but I did OK in Durango/ Cortez last year, so perhaps Durango would be the preferred HAZ meeting location. ;)
bknorby wrote:I'll rally the Tucson folks! I can probably only do one or two nights but we'll see!
Consider me rallied, barring any unforseen complications.
So - do I qualify as a lurker yet?
----------------------------------- Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.- Barack Obama
After receiving several taunting texts threatening Flat Denny's demise, he will not be attending this event. He will not become a target for shooting. He will not become a firestarter (eventhough everyone knows that Denny couldn't start the fire). He will also not be subjected to a knife throwing contest.
@chumley
You could always create a (or many) flat Bob(s)....
You'd probably get a larger audience that wanted to:
- Shoot,
- Burn,
- Throw knives / Hatchets / Axe at,
- Attach firecrackers to,
- Drop off a cliff,
- Launch in the air,
- Drag behind a truck,
- Play with the Bears,
- Play pin the hiking pole in the eye (or location of your choice)
- Help clean the Latrines.....
- etc, etc, etc......
The possibilities are endless
;)
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry
coanbru wrote:
You could always create a (or many) flat Bob(s)....
You'd probably get a larger audience that wanted to:
- Shoot,
- Burn,
- Throw knives / Hatchets / Axe at,
- Attach firecrackers to,
- Drop off a cliff,
- Launch in the air,
- Drag behind a truck,
- Play with the Bears,
- Play pin the hiking pole in the eye (or location of your choice)
- Help clean the Latrines.....
- etc, etc, etc......
The possibilities are endless
;)
I believe these may be fun activities for hikebot. I think it is built to withstand the abuse and still get back to being the #1 contributor.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Understand, when you eat meat, that something did die. You have an obligation to value it - not just the sirloin but also all those wonderful tough little bits.
Anthony Bourdain
beterarcher wrote:If I make it' I'll bring my blowgun!
Ha, excellent idea! I'll bring mine also. And maybe a hatchet and some melons. And a sledgehammer... cuz you can't have melons w/o a sledgehammer. :GB:
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