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| Hiking | 9.40 Miles |
1,694 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.40 Miles | 5 Hrs 49 Mns | | 2.10 mph |
| 1,694 ft AEG | 1 Hour 20 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | The heat of the valley continues to levy its tax on my hiking by necessitating longer drives to escape to higher elevations. I've been avoiding driving up to Flagstaff mostly because I hate doing the drive up the 17 on my own and I hadn't been able to rustle up anyone interested in making the trek up with me for a day. Was glad that J was up for it, though I'm sure he wasn't super excited to discover that it still seems to be wildflower season up that way...though I did catch him capturing a few flower photos of his own 
We made good time up on the 17, taking advantage of the newly finished flex lanes, and arriving at the trailhead to a handful of cars - several of which with people there to climb the Pit. We headed down the Sandy's Canyon trail, quickly making note of the poison ivy along the trail. The descent was over quickly, with easy walking along an old two track in the wide upper reaches of the Walnut Creek drainage.
We took a quick detour to check out the colorful cliffs where the AZT drops in from Marshall Lake. The fluted sandstone reminded me of slot canyon walls I've visited in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah - no surprise, given that the geology of the area is comprised of the same stuff as the upper reaches of the Grand Canyon.
After poking around a bit and cursing the overcast skies and the resulting poor lighting for photos, we returned back to follow the AZT as it continued onward down Walnut Canyon towards Fisher Point. Views were lovely with plenty of pine in the canyon bottom, some interesting large boulders, and Mount Elden in the distance. Eventually, we hit a wide meadow area where the AZT turned left to begin climbing out to Fisher Point. We opted to go right and continue to follow the Walnut Canyon drainage as it deepened and began showing off the cross bedded sandstone. We checked out the alcoves and cave as we made our way down-canyon until the established trail disappeared into the brush. We turned around, saw the clouds building and headed back to the car at a decent clip.
Since we were in the area, and the skies looked to be behaving, we decided to make a stop at Walnut Canyon National Monument to take in the ruins. The canyon narrows significantly in the monument, though the bottom of the canyon looked to be well overgrown with vegetation. We opted to hike the Island Trail, getting some close up views of some of the alcoves and some preserved/repaired cliff dwellings. After climbing back out of the canyon, we started down the Rim Trail to see what we could learn about the cliff-top structures and get some additional views down into the canyon...but the skies opened up with a heavy downpour. Since we were fairly close to the visitors center, we headed back to the sheltered entryway to check the radar, only to discover a sizeable cell had moved in and was not likely to abate any time soon. Knowing we had a long drive home, we opted to bail. After driving a bit, we got out from underneath the rain cell to find a spot to dry off and change before stopping to grab a bite to eat on our way out of town.
Was glad to escape the valley, and take in the beautiful views. Happy to have had the company, J!
Other people: a lot - as should be expected for a hike with such easy access and beautiful views, especially during the weekend. The National Monument was similarly popular.
Wildlife: mostly butterflies. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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| Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually |
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