Mescal Mountain • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Devil's Bridge Trail #120

Sedona Landmarks Hike

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Jul 15 2023
		jameslcox44 • Triplogs 169

Hiking	13.90 Miles	2,570 AEG

Hiking	13.90 Miles
	2,570 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Soldier Pass Trail #66 - Sedona

West Fork Oak Creek Trail #108

Montezuma Castle

Partners

none

no partners

We wanted to escape the heat in the valley, so my grandsons joined me for a few days of hiking in the Sedona area. We were up by 5 a.m. and reached our trailheads by 6 to begin our hikes except for Soldiers Pass. The parking area there was closed until 8 a.m. That made it extremely hot finishing up. I didn't understand why so late to open the gate (remotely) but managed to survive the 103 degree finish. I recommend this beautiful area to everyone as I met many great people along the way from all over the states and some Europeans as well.

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Jun 10 2023

mt98dew

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Jun 10 2023
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	4.00 Miles	524 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles	2 Hrs 20 Mns	1.71 mph
	524 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Early morning hike in Sedona. Got to the Long Canyon TH just after 5:30am with 3 cars already there. Goal was to hit Mescal Mesa. Over the last month I had been trails in the vicinity (Yucca, Mescal, Canyon of Fools) and the mountain/mesa had been calling to me ever since. The call of the red rock slopes is strong and deceptive in their apparent ease in ascent. I was happy to learn that there was a “trail” that led to the top.

Took Long Canyon trail in about .6 miles to where the trail splits. The side trails that leads up to Mescal Mesa is obvious and perhaps as well used as the Long Canyon Trail. However, following the “main” user trail did not lead to the mesa, but rather to a wannabe cave that is known (I think) as the Birthing Cave. Based on the wear of the trail, I would say this is where the majority of the foot traffic goes. It’s kind of cool and very little effort is needed to check it out. Going back down, I made the first right that presented itself. Once again the trail is obvious, though not as defined (used)as the trail that leads to the Birthing Cave. The trail leads to Indian ruin - though the stone layers look more current than historic. However, there is a sign there warning not disturb the site so there must be some history to it. Hit the saddle immediately after the ruins and from there checked out the high point on the northern arm. The arm continues further to the north and west, but I was anxious to check out the main body of the mesa. Returning to the saddle, I went directly to the main body of the mesa. It was clear that other people had as well because the path was evident. I consider myself a decent scrambler, but both spots that I considered climbing were outside my comfort zone. Rereading the trail description, I realize that I did not walk directly along the base of the cliff so maybe there was a crevice I missed that would have been climbable. I ended up hiking eastward through some scrub reaching another saddle, which allowed access to the southern/eastern arm. I was hoping I could access the main mesa from this end, but it was even less accessible from this direction. I ended up exploring and enjoying the southern arm. Some cool rock formations and great views. Returned the way I came. Disappointed that I didn’t get to the main mesa. May have to try again. No wildlife except for some lizards and a rabbit.

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Feb 12 2022

JackArizona

Routes 167
Photos 973
Triplogs 130

male

Joined Mar 17 2021
Phoenix, arizona

Mescal Trail Cave, AZ

Hiking		Feb 12 2022
		JackArizona • Triplogs 130

Hiking	2.62 Miles	506 AEG

Hiking	2.62 Miles	1 Hour 32 Mns	2.21 mph
	506 ft AEG	21 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

May 21 2021

adenium

Guides 4
Routes 93
Photos 302
Triplogs 697

51 male

Joined Jul 05 2008
Gilbert, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		May 21 2021
		adenium • Triplogs 697

Hiking	3.39 Miles	524 AEG

Hiking	3.39 Miles	1 Hour 27 Mns	2.34 mph
	524 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Pre-birthday day trip up to Sedona for a little hiking. This was hike number one for the day. I parked at the Long Canyon trailhead and proceeded from there. Visited the Birthing Cave... tot of fuss over that. It's neat and all, but I wouldn't call this a top destination for Sedona. From there I went up top to the southern portion of Mescal Mountain for some great views over Sedona.

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Dec 20 2020

sdudzinski

Photos 27
Triplogs 9

30 male

Joined Jun 08 2016
Peoria, Arizona

Battleship Mountain - Superstitions

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Dec 20 2020
		sdudzinski • Triplogs 9

Hiking	3.00 Miles	524 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	1.20 mph
	524 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Realized halfway through our Sunday that we had no further plans so we drove up quickly to Sedona to knock off another hike from the list. Everybody else also had the same idea because the sides of the roads were lined with vehicles. We made a loop out of Long Canyon Trail and Mescal Mountain Trail. It is relatively flat with periodic changes in elevation. There are a lot of mountain bikers on this loop but they seemed like hikers because most of them just pushed their bikes on the uphill. The technical section along the south face of Mescal Mountain is very beautiful. No 4WD or high clearance is needed to access TH.

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Jul 15 2019

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Montana to the Superstitions - flying, AZ

Flying		Jul 15 2019
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Flying	979.00 Miles

Flying	979.00 Miles	2 Hrs 15 Mns	435.11 mph

no routes

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Butcher Jones Trail #463

Garden Valley Loop

Massacre Falls

Flatiron Hike - Superstitions

Partners

none

no partners

On my way back from Montana on Allegiant I was able to get some fairly decent video and photos of the route. Some of it will be familiar to you; especially part 2. I have done my best to ID points of interest. Needless to say, it takes hours to put these together especially when I can't figure out what something is. But it's fun to do. The nice thing with this route is it's pretty much the same coming and going.

Allegiant seems like it doesn't fly quite as high so I get closer pictures and videos. I used to drive part of this route back in the 80s. And of course we drove it back in May of 2016 but that was more along Delta's route.

This time I was interested to see anything from the burn area. Surprisingly the burn I saw and retardant was around the Bartlett area. Anyway, enjoy the flight

.

Videos Great Falls to Phoenix, Allegiant Air:
Part 1 [ youtube video ] Great Falls to Zion including: Missouri, Smith and Jefferson Rivers. Hauser (Canyon Ferry Dam) and Helen Lakes and Lima Reservoir (which is pretty cool looking), Golden Sunlight Mine, Highland and Tobacco Root Mountains, Ruby Range. St Anthony Sand Dunes, Wellsville Mtns, Salt Lake and its landmarks including smaller lakes and mountains, a little airport I couldn't ID, Oquirrh Mountains, Bingham Canyon Kennecott Mine

Part 2 [ youtube video ] Zion to Phoenix/Mesa Gateway via Grand Canyon (Wahalla Plateau, Colorado River near Zoroaster, Plateau Point, Sedona (Mescal Mtn, Jordan TH, Airport Mesa, Vlg of Oak Creek), Camp Verde area, Bradshaws, Tonto Hills, and Bartlett area. Lots of video/photos of Saguaro Lake, First Water area, Battleship, and Western Supes featuring the Flatiron.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Antelope Island Bingham Copper Mine Brahma Temple Canyon Ferry Dam Hauser Lake Saguaro Lake The Flatiron Zoroaster Temple

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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

Dec 27 2018

John9L

Guides 6
Routes 183
Photos 5,612
Triplogs 1,647

male

Joined Mar 12 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Sedona - Mescal Mt / Fay / Pumphouse, AZ

Hiking		Dec 27 2018
		John9L • Triplogs 1,647

Hiking	9.57 Miles	950 AEG

Hiking	9.57 Miles
	950 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Fay Canyon Trail #53

Pumphouse Wash - Lower

Partners

none

no partners

Headed to Sedona with a friend in hopes of snow and adventure. Snow was forecasted starting late morning and would build as the day progressed. We would spend the day exploring Mescal Mountain, Fay Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.

We started off at the Long Canyon TH and started a CCW loop around Mescal Mountain. We checked out a couple of alcoves and looped around. The views were nice and dark clouds were developing. We completed the loop and then drove over to Fay Canyon. We headed up that canyon and bypassed the arch, we've both been there before, and topped out near the end of the trail sign. During this time a light snow started falling.

After Fay, we ate lunch and then headed up 89A. We opted for Pumphouse Wash. At this point, this entire area had a solid dusting of snow. We parked right outside the wash and headed in. It was slow as we enjoyed this amazing canyon. We took a variety of pics and went about a mile in. At this point it was getting late in the day and we wanted to head back.

The drive home turned into an adventure. We headed north for the I-17 and snow started falling again. We hit the I-17 and found a standstill for miles and miles. We ultimately turned around and headed back down 89A and got home at least two hours later than we should have. Despite this, it was a really nice day. We were a tad early for the snow but got a small taste. This would develop into a solid storm over the next few days.

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2 archives

Jun 16 2018

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Mescal Mountain - Long Canyon, AZ

Hiking		Jun 16 2018
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	14.37 Miles	3,136 AEG

Hiking	14.37 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns		1.79 mph
	3,136 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	15 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

BiFrost

joebartels

The break in the June weather, moved this hike up on my list. Temps 70's and light to medium drizzle for a good portion of the day, made for some interesting cloud formations.

All of these trails were new to me and Long Canyon's been on the list for awhile. Starting at the Mescal TH, on the Mescal Trail, we were all surprised by how nice this trail and views were.

Deadmans Pass Trail is all about the views. The entrance to Boynton Canyon, Dutchwoman, Mescal Mountain and the entrance to our first set of adventures, Long Canyon.

I had a set of ruins and a 70' tall ladder on the agenda to find, with a few other ruins and a trip past the end of trail as options.

We took Long Canyon Trail to "Butt Rock" and started the 700' climb past the three sisters. The views got better the higher we got. The ruins are a pretty well preserved 3 room structure. There are corn cobs, hemp and shards in the area. They sure picked a sweet spot. The best part of this spot is it's echo. I've never heard a location that echoed like this one. [ youtube video ]

Next up, was to look for the ladder. I'd seen photos of it, and a cryptic idea of the location. The area we searched was a bust. I need to do some more research.

We skipped the search for more ruins to go past the "End of Trail" and look for a way up and out of the canyon. There is a well worn path for a good portion. There is a steep climb, head through a subway, up again and then...no go.

We retreated from Long Canyon and decided we'd finish the day with trip to the top of Mescal Mountain on the way back. The initial climb from Deadmans Trail, was more of a matter of finding a way through the brush. After the initial climb, we made our way across the ridge to the final climb. Looking at it quickly from afar, it did not look like it was going to happen. We got up to the edge and Karl found a path up. Good views for sure up top. Getting down was surprisingly much easier than getting [ youtube video ]

We saw only a handful of people all day.
Good times in Sedona

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

1 archive

Jun 16 2018

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Mescal Mountain - Long Canyon, AZ

Hiking		Jun 16 2018
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	14.00 Miles	3,150 AEG

Hiking	14.00 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns		1.74 mph
	3,150 ft AEG	1 Hour Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

BiFrost

The_Eagle

Mescal Trail
Semi dreaded this one heading in. Turned out to be a winner. Red rock views galore over a red rock course that holds your interest. Overcast and sprinkles are the ticket in June.

Deadmans Pass
Once again better than anticipated. The views, weather & company synced well.

Long Canyon Trail #122
Like Fay Canyon the forest alone has merit. Just a good hike if you follow the trail. Any scramble you survive will probably net a better experience. Ruins will be the main attraction for most. Looked similar to other rock pueblos but the approach was an impressive short adventure. Scratched a 17 year itch just enough to rekindle a quicker return. Speaking of which, there is some trophy poison ivy in this canyon.

Mescal Mountain
Heading in this intrigued me slightly more than the mountain bike trail around the perimeter. The pitch up albeit different than the scree chute to Brown's Peak rates a similar effort. Serious class 3 but not really class 4. Which means most will tackle it without hemming and hawing. The views up top are good. That said the perimeter trail is just as impressive in my opinion.

Synopsis
Sedona was a big piece of getting me interested in this despicably boring activity. Three previously traveled areas this year alone have netted unexpected new views and interest.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Cypress

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Medicine Wheel

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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- joe

Jun 16 2018

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Mescal Mountain - Long Canyon, AZ

Hiking		Jun 16 2018
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	14.37 Miles	3,136 AEG

Hiking	14.37 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns	1.79 mph
	3,136 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

joebartels

The_Eagle

Joined Bruce and Joe for some Sedona hiking fun. Bruce combined the Mescal Mountain and Long Canyon into a sort of loop hike. We did a partial loop on Mescal before heading into Long Canyon. Did a side trip up to some nice ruins around 3 Sisters rock formation. After that we continued up Long Canyon passed the end of trail sign and followed some routes up the steep canyon. Gets pretty steep and allegedly there is a way up to the rim but it looks challenging.

We headed back down Long Canyon enjoying the nice trail before one more detour. We took side trip off and up Mescal Mountain. Some rock scrambling but nothing too intense to make the summit. Nice views all around and with the on and off rain it made for interesting cloud formations all day long.

After Mescal Mountain we headed back to Long Canyon Trail continuing on to finish off the Mescal Loop trail back to the vehicle. It was humid but great temps for mid June.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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Nov 08 2015

Booneman

Guides 9
Routes 33
Photos 780
Triplogs 4,634

44 male

Joined Nov 25 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Run/Jog		Nov 08 2015
		Booneman • Triplogs 4,634

Run/Jog	19.00 Miles	1,230 AEG

Run/Jog	19.00 Miles	2 Hrs 42 Mns	7.04 mph
	1,230 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Chuckwagon Trail

Forest Service Road 152

Aerie Trail

Partners

none

no partners

Ran a big loop of trails, dirt and paved roads with enough hills to tax my legs. Felt pretty good overall.

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Nov 01 2014

Sun_Ray

Routes 144
Photos 1,145
Triplogs 1,238

77 male

Joined Sep 09 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Nov 01 2014
		Sun_Ray • Triplogs 1,238

Hiking	4.96 Miles	475 AEG

Hiking	4.96 Miles	2 Hrs 5 Mns	2.38 mph
	475 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Judy and I up in Sedona for 3 days. Did the Mescal, Long Canyon, Deadman's Pass, Mescal loop counter clockwise. Nice easy hike with great views and easy up's and down's. Great for your friends that don't hike much as there's little elevation change. Well marked off of Long Canyon Rd.

Autumn Foliage Observation Light

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Brian
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday......there is no SOMEDAY!

3 archives

May 03 2014

hikerdw

Routes 268
Photos 2,969
Triplogs 541

66 male

Joined Aug 16 2009
Mesa,AZ

Devil's Bridge Trail #120

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		May 03 2014
		hikerdw • Triplogs 541

Hiking	13.10 Miles	1,663 AEG

Hiking	13.10 Miles	4 Hrs 50 Mns	3.08 mph
	1,663 ft AEG	35 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Chuckwagon Trail

Partners

none

no partners

On day two of our Sedona hiking we parked at the Mescal Trailhead and headed over to Devil's Bridge via the Chuckwagon Trail which I got the idea from trekking gecko's triplog, thanks! To our surprise we were able to enjoy the destination to ourselves which was very nice. From there we hiked back to the trailhead and then crossed Long Canyon road and headed over to the Long Canyon Trailhead and up Long Canyon trail. Really enjoyed this canyon once we actually got into it. Stopped and had a quick snack, changed the socks, and returned the same way. The morning was heating up pretty good, my phone showed 81 with a realfeel of 93.

Note to self, time to switch out of the goretex boots for the year, man they were hot. Glad I brought a change of socks on both hikes.

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Expect to self rescue

Feb 02 2014

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Feb 02 2014
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	5.97 Miles	690 AEG

Hiking	5.97 Miles	1 Hour 53 Mns	3.29 mph
	690 ft AEG	4 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Vista Trail - Boynton

Partners

none

no partners

up early sunday morning to do this loop
deadman's pass to long canyon to mescal trail
took a side trip up vista trail
think there's a vortex up there
23 degrees to start with, maybe upper 30s when i finished
no wind, so it was fine
no people until i got back on deadman's pass
nice

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hazhole

Feb 18 2013

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Feb 18 2013
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	4.00 Miles	500 AEG

Hiking	4.00 Miles	2 Hrs 30 Mns	2.00 mph
	500 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

faithquilt

great morning hike with my mom and my brother
deadman's pass, long canyon trail to the road, then mescal trail along the base of mescal mountain and back on deadman's pass
there is a connector trail that skips the road, but we didn't realize it at the time
mescal trail must be relatively new, and there are several other newer trails in that area
if anyone know how long it is, chime in, as i am just guessing at the mileage on this loop
one stretch of mescal follows a ledge halfway up the mountain and it was super cool
my mom did pretty well on that part, even though she doesn't care for slanted slickrock with a dropoff

the mountain is definitely climbable, too
a nice hike capping a great weekend in sedona with family

had lunch at the mesa grill on airport mesa - cool spot

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hazhole

Aug 23 2011

sheideman

Routes 1
Triplogs 18

49 male

Joined Jan 18 2011
Gold Canyon, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Aug 23 2011
		sheideman • Triplogs 18

Hiking	6.50 Miles	975 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	4 Hrs	1.63 mph
	975 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Headed out to Long canyon and did a little side excursion to Mescal Mountain. Great day to hike--Long Canyon was very peaceful(except the helicopter tour every hour

) Trail was shady, lots of tiger swallowtail butterflies.

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Feb 24 2010

hippiepunkpirate

Guides 25
Routes 36
Photos 2,890
Triplogs 658

39 male

Joined May 30 2008
Peoria, AZ

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Feb 24 2010
		hippiepunkpirate • Triplogs 658

Hiking	2.00 Miles	300 AEG

Hiking	2.00 Miles	1 Hour 15 Mns	1.60 mph
	300 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

Originally planned on Bear Mountain but with the overcast skies I wanted to make my way down to the creek to take some soft water shots, so I decided to try this one out. Couldn't remember what the HAZ description said exactly, but I was on the right track for the first mile. Took the Long Canyon Trail, turned left at Deadman's Pass Trail and then headed up the north side of the mountain. After some bushwhacking I found the faint footpath leading up, completed a short class 2 scramble and crested the top of the bench. The trail got scarce but I saw footprints and continued on. I noticed a very defined trail far below and to the south and figured I was on the wrong path (I wasn't, pbaenzig's GPS route clearly shows two separate trails up Mescal). Bushwhacking my way down to the path took awhile with all the prickly pear and what-not. Decided to save the real Mescal Mountain for another day and headed back to the car so I could hit-up Wet Beaver Creek.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Manzanita

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My blog: Mountain Tripper
My book: Arizona: A Photographic Journey

Feb 11 2008

kgmolson

Photos 7
Triplogs 177

45 male

Joined Nov 14 2007
Phoenix

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Feb 11 2008
		kgmolson • Triplogs 177

Hiking	6.00 Miles	530 AEG

Hiking	6.00 Miles	2 Hrs 25 Mns	2.48 mph
	530 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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Jan 20 2008

kgmolson

Photos 7
Triplogs 177

45 male

Joined Nov 14 2007
Phoenix

Sedona, AZ

Hiking		Jan 20 2008
		kgmolson • Triplogs 177

Hiking	3.00 Miles	530 AEG

Hiking	3.00 Miles	1 Hour 15 Mns	2.40 mph
	530 ft AEG

no routes

no photosets

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

none

no partners

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Apr 08 2005

pbaenzig

Guides 9
Routes 28
Photos 211
Triplogs 20

88 male

Joined Mar 10 2002
Sedona, AZ