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| Hiking | 10.26 Miles |
643 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.26 Miles | 5 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.81 mph |
| 643 ft AEG | 4 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | A little over a year ago when I was getting back into hiking, some friends invited me to join them for a visit to West Fork. I'd hiked it plenty of times previously, primarily as an exit route after descending a technical canyon from above. I managed to lose my footing and gained a grade 2 sprain during that hike. I'd been hoping to head back this fall to catch the colors and push past the end of the trail. For various reasons, I had to delay my trip until mid-month.
After a bout of insomnia, I pushed back my start time by a bit in hopes of squeezing in a little more sleep. I didn't anticipate Coconino National Forest doing prescribed burns...the air was thick with smoke as I headed out of the Verde Valley, and visibility along highway 179 heading towards the Village of Oak Creek was obviously reduced. For a while, I was worried I'd have to cancel my plans or find new ones given how thick the smoke was. The smoke seemed to thin as I drove through Sedona, and I didn't notice any significant haziness as I arrived at the trailhead. When I stopped at entry kiosk, I was told I was securing the last available parking spot in the lot.
With no scent of smoke in the air, and temps in the 50's I headed off to see how far I could get. I figured I'd either hike until my pre-selected turn around time, or as far I cared to go up-canyon. As anticipated, there were plenty of folk out on the trail. With most of the people I crossed heading in the opposite direction, I had long stretches of solitude on the trail.
The leaves are definitely past prime, but the hike was still plenty beautiful. Sections of the trail were carpeted in fallen leaves, and it definitely smelled of autumn as I crunched across them in those sections. The colors seemed muted and pastel, with occasional pops of vibrant hued trees.
When I arrived at the trail end, there were a number of groups scattered around enjoying the scenery. I had managed to keep my feet dry until that point, but was obviously going to have to give that up to proceed. I surveyed the pool ahead, heaved a sigh and splooshed onward. My first thought was: perhaps it's too late in the season for this nonsense. The subsequent thoughts were: you are out of practice… I probably should have brought or worn my neoprene socks - that water was chilly…and I probably should have packed a dry bag with extra clothing and to secure snacks and electronics just in case I slipped and submerged myself in a pool. Luckily, I didn’t inadvertently dunk myself and the wool socks I was wearing were sufficient.
After getting past the first section of pools, the walking was quite easy - there are social trails that have developed on the banks when the canyon bottom is wide enough. Otherwise, it's as you might expect of walking in a creek. A mix of rock hopping, wading, or walking on sandstone. The wading was often through sandy- or gravelly-bottomed pools. The slippery bits were when I opted to try to walk on submerged sloped sandstone close to the canyon walls. I eventually stopped because I was getting cold, and I wasn't sure if I was going to have to wade deeper than I was willing. The deepest pools I passed through had me submerged to mid-thigh.
The return hike went quickly, though it was evident that winds had changed and smoke was now in the drainage based on the haziness of the landscape features. While I couldn't smell any smoke, my eyes were stinging when I arrived back at my car. There were still folk heading in as I was leaving, though it looked like arrivals might have slowed down, with a few empty spaces in the lot.
Aside from the smoke, it was a nice day to get out and re-visit West Fork! |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
Primarily pastel hues, lots of yellows/golds. Some reds, oranges, peaches and pinks. More leaves on the ground than on the trees, but still beautiful. The leaves were falling fast when I was up there, and a decent number of trees were bare. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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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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