Vince, Phillip and I took a second attempt at conquering the highest point of Arizona, Humphrey’s Peak. Standing at 12,633 ft it is quiet a scene opposed to the flat landscapes of the Arizona desert.  The first time we attempted the mountain we failed miserably. It took Vince and me 6 hours to get to the saddle! Needless to say this is not for beginners. We took only one 32 ounce bottle each, sandwiches, and some light snacks; very unprepared. But this time we were ready to summit! Toting day packs with a jacket, bladder, spare water bottles, snacks and lunch we were determined to conquer the mountain.

The trail begins with a quick stroll through a meadow, upon entering the dense tree line the uphill walk begins. This time we were all stretched and prepared, Vince was a bit tired and struggled more than what he would have desired, and so did I. But after some intelligent breathing advice from Phillip (he does cross country running for his high school) I was feeling like a million dollars, while Vince was still having troubles. Vince continued to push himself. We had very little stops and before we knew it we were at one of the neatest things of Humphreys; a pretty little place with rocks and a gradual downhill slide.

There is a crashed plane site somewhere along there that we will have to explore one day.

Excited that we had made it to that site in less than four hours (how long it took us last time!!) Vince was renewed and pushing faster. In what seemed no time we reached another famous marker, the 11,400 foot marker! This is a fun, because it helps you realize how truly high you are. At this marker there are also some rocks and if you look up towards a false summit you see how steep it is! It’s quite dizzying.

This marker is a bit of rejuvenation but also a bit of disappointment. Seeing this sign you think to yourself “almost there!” but in reality it is easily another 45 minutes to an hour to the saddle; with frequent switchbacks and being at a higher elevation breathing becomes much more difficult. But the good news is that from there on the views are breathtaking! The trees become smaller and the space between wider, it is quite beautiful to see the land below the San Francisco mountains. Once we reached the saddle we took a long rest because of weather. It was cold, stormy and I was frightened to climb above the treeline with storms, especially since I talked to a fellow hiker and they told us how their hair stood on end which is a sign to leave or risk getting struck by lightning.

As the peak began to become less cloudy we gathered our belongings and climbed the last stretch of mountain. This area of the trail is less visible because of large rocks and no trees to clear a path. To the left of you is a steep drop into the trees and we were all watching our feet.

Unfortunately tragedy was near; Vince was beginning to feel really bad. I know that frequent stops and plenty of hydration can help fight elevation sickness but this was not working on Vince at all. I felt bad leaving him behind, but I felt no sickness at all and I really wanted to summit. Vince being the wonderful guy that he is told Phillip and I to continue on and he sat down at a saddle before the first false summit. Continuing on Phillip and I climbed up the first false summit, then the second, then the third, almost tempted to give up. But after seeing another group that passed us stop on top of the last hill in view we knew that had to be the peak!

The climb to the peak is a short climb up some loose rocks, and there you are, at the tip top of Arizona! It was exhilarating to be on top after our last attempt. We put down our packs and began exploring the view.

To the east is the forbidden Agassiz peak.

To the north visible by the eye but hard to capture on camera was the Grand Canyon!Needless to say I was beyond excited to see it.

At the top of the peak there a few fun items. There is a geocache, which is a box that is left behind for others to write their names to show their accomplishment.

After sharing a banana Phillip and I had to leave the peak, it was 4 o clock and we wanted to be out of the forest by nightfall, because I am creeped out by the darkness and we did not bring flashlights. The way down to the saddle is rocky, slippery and took me quite a while to do. Phillip went down with a flash and I finally got to the saddle, hugged and kissed Vince we took off down the mountain.

It took approximately 4 hours to get to the top and an hour and a half to get back to the bottom. For the second time we saw deer! They always scare me because of the sudden movement, but it is quite thrilling to see a live animal on the trail!We would definitely recommend this trail, as long as you get there early, do some stretching, bring plenty of water and food, a jacket and a can do spirit!

Hiked September 2009

Directions:I-17 to Flagstaff, continue through Flagstaff towards Snow Bowl, Turn Left onto Humphrey’s Drive, follow Humphrey’s Drive until a sign signaling to turn right into Snow bowl. Follow snow bowl road until the sign to turn left for Humphrey’s peak trail. Accessible with any type of car.

Rating: Moderate to difficult. Well defined trail