Humphreys Peak

Below is the first of the "Best Of" series. This was a difficult choice. Some of my favorite posts were about the Beastie Boys, the Cleveland Indians, the Tour de France and "Nimrod Nation." I've decided to exclude those, but I have to say that writing about those topics did come easily. Still, not central to the driftless area's focus.

July 26, 2006 -- I hiked up a 12,600' peak last weekend, but I'm struggling to decide how to write about it. Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona, was the location. The views were amazing (pictures here), but I suppose the tundra during the final few hundred feet may have been the most memorable part of it. The only plants I saw were lichens, the rare San Francisco groundsel, a perennial alpine plant with yellow and purple flowers, and another striking yellow-flowered plant. It was chilly (~50s), but there wasn't snow on the ground. There were a few birds around, even at the highest part of the peak. Dark-eyed juncos (gray-headed form) and american pipits (only breeding location in Arizona) were about. There were a few chipmunks, fatter than our eastern variety, but I don't think they were marmot or pika species. At the Agassiz Saddle, a broad-tailed hummingbird, perhaps attracted by a bright yellow stuff sack, stopped and hovered for a moment just inches from me. The mountain really is part of a volcano. It is crowned with rock fields resembling the Hollywood take on Mars.

I went from 550' in Chicago to 12,600' in Arizona in 14 hours (with of course, a near 40,000' plane ride in
between). The altitude caused quite a headache that lasted hours later. Advil finally proved to be the solution. It was difficult to focus on anything but getting up and down the mountain. We had a pre-dawn start that ensured we were off the mountain before the threat of afternoon thunderstorms, but we did take many breaks. It seemed like hundreds of people still were going up the mountain as we returned to the trailhead. From Flagstaff below we later saw the peak engulfed by a storm. For some, the journey didn't require the specialized gear we lugged to the top. One gentleman walked up in brand-new white sneakers, shorts, and a Polo shirt, clutching a plastic bottle of spring water. I wonder how they coped with the storm on those exposed rocks. We met several Flagstaffers on the mountain, and they were all very affable, urging us to go to the microbrew fest later that day.

Next stop was West Clear Creek Wilderness and an evening camped next to two swimming holes. We were now at about 4,500' and it was perhaps 100 degrees when we arrived. The spot was a little partied out, but the swimming was ideal. In one spot, there is a 25' bluff to plummet off of. Pancho Doll's swimming hole Web guide includes information on Fat Bradley and Bullpen, which has the big jump. I slept in a hammock strung between a sycamore and a small but sturdy cedar that night. Hammock sleeping, when possible, can be ideal. No doubt it's more comfortable than the ground.

The journey culminated with a ride on the Mogollon Rim Road, which skirts the edge of the 5,000' high escarpment that bisects Arizona. This is ponderosa pine forest country with vistas of canyons and valleys below. Among fauna was abert's squirrel, the tufted-ear creature pictured at right.

The final stop was Tempe and the Valley of the Sun, 115 degrees and I still can't understand why they put a city there.