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| Hiking | 12.60 Miles |
2,717 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.60 Miles | | | |
| 2,717 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I did two hikes today: one in the Inner Basin and the other to Mormon Mountain
Inner Basin
I had planned to hike in Flagstaff last week to see the fall foliage, but decided to go to the White Mountains instead. So I figured that I would hike in Flag today, even though I suspected that the foliage would be gone after the recent storms; it turned out that I was right.
The Inner Basin Trail was covered with an inch or so layer of snow and ice, so I wore microspikes.
There were very, very few yellow leaves. I hiked up to where the emergency shelter is in the heart of the Inner Basin, and then turned around. On the way back I went a short distance on the Waterline Trail toward Bear Jaw before turning around.
There was a short window for leaves this year in the Inner Basin. On 10/7 it was reported on this site that foliage was moderate; on 10/9 it was reported that foliage was substantial but not quite at peak; and now on 10/14 the foliage is essentially gone.
My original plan was to hike up to Rees Peak, but with the lack of fall foliage I decided to cut this hike short and hike up to Mormon Mountain on my way back home.
Mormon Mountain
I had never done this hike before and I enjoyed it. There was some snow on sections of the trail, but I never put microspikes on. Once I got to the towers, I headed a bit NW to the highpoint. Just below the highpoint there was a nice vantage point through the trees that provided a nice view of the San Francisco Peaks.
Synopsis
Even though there was no aspen foliage to speak of at the Inner Basin, I enjoyed hiking in the snow.
Mormon Mountain did not have a lot in the way of breathtaking views, but I enjoyed hiking through the woods. I would do the hike again sometime.
Distance and elevation gain for the two hikes is below. The stats above are the sum of the two.
Inner Basin: 5.5 miles with an AEG of 1,165 feet
Mormon Mountain: 7.1 miles with an AEG of 1,552 feet |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
Aspen foliage is essentially gone in the Inner Basin |
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| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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