HikeArizona.COM

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!

Bruno and I will be there hopefully we can recover flat Denny... Rumor has it he was seen at a party at Nau on sunday. He was partying like a rockstar. The real Denny has two party drinks diet Pepsi and mountain Dew.

I urge people to bring jeans, socks, shoes, fleece sweaters or light down jackets, etc. I just went to an ice cream social up here in Eagar, (7,000 feet elev, same as Flag) and I had to leave after awhile because I was cold. I was wearing jeans, a fleece sweater and Tevas with no socks. I'm home now, and still chilled to the bone, heating water for a cup of tea.

@azbackpackr
Already packed them. ;)

@azbackpackr

an ice cream social? Is it still 1954 in Eagar?

@azbackpackr I'm glad you're encouraging people to wear clothing...

azbackpackr wrote:I had to leave after awhile because I was cold.

I have a feeling that your ice cream social didn't have a Nonot™ fire.

Yes, ice cream social at the park, during Eagar Daze. My realtor (who is trying to aid and abet my escape from here) begged me to show up--she likes my company. I did show up but didn't stay long despite her protestations. I really was cold and also bored. I do usually leave parties early, have to warn people now.

I saw all the cops, firemen, bishops, town councilors, the mayor, the dog catcher, and their wives. Sigh... Yes, I can identify cops, bishops, firemen, and the dog catcher by face and name just from having lived here 14 years. No, I can't identify very many of their wives.

Believe it or not there are a few cool people around here, but I don't see much of them. They are off being cool somewhere else, I guess, and maybe they don't go to ice cream socials.

Actually I've lived here only 12.5 years, since I escaped to Flagstaff and Costa Rica for a total of one and a half years, November 2010 to May 2011. That was the happy time of my life.

nonot wrote: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.

Bring your mud boots!

te-wa wrote:ya know Liz, if you would bring in a lasagna, fit for a king or queen, and reheat it on the coals.. i may be inclined to bring a corny keg full of orange creamsicle/pushup pale ale.

you've been pleasantly warned.. ;)

Te-wa, you are not even signed up for this event. What gives? I don't want to make lasagna for just anyone!

OK, I was just offered a lift to the party all the way from my house (about 400 miles round trip) via Jim_H. If I accept his offer, which I will if he doesn't change his mind, I am NOT making lasagna, because how in the heck am I going to clean a big ugly skanky stinking Dutch oven well enough to take it back in Jim's brand new car? (If you know Jim, you'd know this idea would go over like a lead balloon.) It would have to go on the roof, thereby messing up the gas mileage... I didn't want to make lasagna anyway, especially not in the rain. I'm bringing sandwich makings, granola and coffee, and a 6 pack of Fat Tire or Corona or something. I will drink about one beer, and probably will share the rest.

If you share a beer I bet somebody else will share some bacon or chili or NY strip or something.

I find that fried chicken purchased in the deli section of your local grocer lasts for days and is delicious at any mealtime as long as you slept in the woods the night before.

Weatherunderground.com says AWESOME! I hope it does rain Sat.

Friday, 9
75 | 50 °F
Chance of
Precipitation 20%

Saturday, 10
Chance of a Thunderstorm
73 | 50 °Fs
Chance of
Precipitation 50%

Sunday, 11
73 | 52 °F
Chance of
Precipitation 0%

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. If there's one thing that is 100% certain it is that the forecast has 0% confidence in any probability of precipitation prediction 7-days out during the monsoon. Not to say it might not rain on Saturday. But any current forecast indicating a POP now is based on historical averages, and not much else.

For now, a low-grade monsoon (drier air, fewer showers) is forecast to take over early next week. We will have more confident forecast models by about Wednesday as to whether the drier airmass will remain through next weekend or if a more active pattern will return.

@azbackpackr
Since you're riding with Jim may I suggest milk shakes...

Hey Todd, how's the Firewood Availability??? With the kind of Fires that we've historically had, we are going to need some serious wood...Is there going to be enough deadfall around???

I've received a federal grant to do 10 acres of forest thinning at the east side of Government Prairie. I'll have Jim tell me which trees have to go. So I anticipate no shortage of fuel to burn. Especially not with those frigid temps in the 50s.

So while I wouldn't ask anybody to buy any firewood, if you have some laying around unused you are welcome to bring it. I doubt it will go to waste. But if nobody brings any we will still be more than oversupplied.

Well, to be honest, I am not committed yet. My next schedule starting the 11th is still not yet out. I canceled on Humpphrey, and will start an Elden hike, should the weather be good enough to support it. Hopefully, a brief surge will happen early this coming week before warm dry air settles in to NAZ. Maybe, an odd off season cold front like we, or they, had in July of 2011. Anyway, I am still not official. Well, we'll see about canceling on Humphrey. Just like the idea of 2 laps on Elden, and Humphrey on a summer weekend is always busy.

My car isn't that bad, it's mostly that is so new. Milkshakes!?

Green wood won't be very good for a fire, but I support the thinning. Chainsaw?

I have a big pile of firewood in my backyard. But (see above) I don't know if I'm riding with Jim in his brand new 2013 Milkshaker, or in my old 1994 Buzzmobile.

Well, after reading about the rain up over there, I wonder if a fire will even be possible. Now I really want to hike Elden, see if the mountain is still there.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/Monthly_Sum ... Review.pdf

@Jim_H
Fire is always possible.