4 on the hike today and it was freezing starting out but once we got moving warmed up nicely. the most annoying thing was a church group of about 100 teenagers and their leaders coming down the mountain like a freaking stampede with no trail etiquette and rather quite rude (i will admit some of them had a clue of manners but the majority did not). it was a friend of mine's first time hiking in 16 years and she was so thrilled to get to Windcave and catch her breathe.
Four of us on the hike today and wow it was a chilly hike almost the entire time thank God for hand warmers. Hike was not difficult at all and to get to the falls which were running spectacularly was well worth the cold temperatures. The trail was super busy with hikers the entire time we were out there. Definitely a beautiful place to see in Arizona.
Three of us on the hike today and we did it as an out an back from First Water to Second Water. It was challenging on the return trip with the elevation coming up out of the valley that part took us the longest and then getting around and over the small boulder pass back to Garden Valley. It was definitely worth the trip, Second Water is beautiful and hardly anyone was on the trail so it was peaceful and serene.
3 on hike. was easy going up except one person we had to stop for heart race issues personally i could have gone up quicker. Another member of the party was taking pics so he just got to the saddle when he could. going down messed with my right hip which sucked.
This was an exploratory hike to see what the westend of the san juan part of the NT was like since we will be starting from there next month and in the dark. We did 5 miles and it was not bad. 5 of us on the hike
What a beautiful morning at Usery Park. It reminds me why I moved to this State. My friend and I did 3 loops on the Merkle Trail and it was the perfect way to kick off the hiking season!
Crossed paths with some nice people and their dogs. Watched a cute little ant carry a stick 4 times its body length across the path.
2 of us on this spur of the moment hike. It was a beautiful morning but the bees were crazy. At the ranger station they have posted that the Vista Trail was closed due to high bee activity well this one should be too they are swarming all over the place.
3 of us on the hike today. this is a great trail off the Desert Classic up of the ridgeline of Marcos de Niza. Very quiet and not a lot of people on the trail today. Tons of hummingbirds in the trees and ran across a bunch of quail eating an apple core someone had left on the trail.
4 of us on the hike today. We just did a quick hike up to the vista trail to the vortex. Our family in from Hawaii was amazed at the views the the energy that flows there. We took tons of pictures and made prayer rocks to celebrate a family member's life. Mother Nature was in all her glory with 40mph gusts as I tried to climb to my favorite spot on the vista rock but I held on for dear life and scrambled up to the spot and meditated for about 10 minutes. This place never ceases to amaze me with the beauty and serenity even if you have to tuck your hat away due to the wind.
4 of us on the hike today in breezy Flagstaff. Didn't see this trail posted in the hiking listings here but this is a nice short hike with some amazing views of cliff dwellings. From the Walnut Canyon visitors center you take 240 stairs down to the trail. While this may seem like an easy 240 stairs it is not. We are from Phoenix and our guests are from Hawaii so the altitude was a challenge and then mother nature got something up her pumpkin and decided to have wind gusts up to 60 mph. The volunteer guide had a lot of good historical information about the natives that lived in the dwellings and he knew about the geology of the canyon.
If you are doing this hike make sure you are back by 445pm or the employees at the visitors center will try to lock the doors and there is no way out.
This is definitely a nice short hike to take out of town guests to before going into Flagstaff and walking historic downtown finding a place to eat!
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
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