Humphrey's Peak: 7.5.19
Humphrey's Peak is a 12,633 foot ascent, 11 mile hike in Flagstaff, Arizona. We completed this hike in just under 7 hours. Realistically, we probably would have completed this in 6 hours, but, one of our party members took a spill and we needed to help him down the mountain.
We attempted to train for this venture, but half-assed it because we were all in good shape. The biggest and I think most beneficial thing myself and another party member did to train was increase the frequency of our running. We ran a mile almost daily for about three months leading up to the hike. I frequently ran with an air restriction mask. In hindsight, the running routine was effective, but, what would have been more beneficial would have been if we trained by going on more hikes so that we could train our bodies to more effectively adapt to the persistent step-like motion associated with stepping over roots, rocks, etc.
Although a majority of us did not think we would need it, we did purchase compressed air bottles to help us deal with the elevation gain if needed. We got into Flagstaff the day before to acclimate to the elevation. In reality, we did not need the air, but, when our friend took a spill, the extra air was useful for him as well as for some other hikers we came across on the hike that were really struggling. The air canister was probably the only purposeful preparation purchase we made. Other items we took with us was food and water. We had a few small first aid in the form of sports tape and gauze. I can saw that this was the trip that taught me to bring a fully stocked first aid kit with me, religiously, on every hike I take regardless of level of difficulty. That being said, bring a first aid kit. The most "dangerous" part of this hike is the descent because your legs are tired and lifting ones legs over all the exposed roots becomes a chore. Exercising mindfulness is particularly crucial during the descent.
Anyway, the hike itself was breath-taking. Going up the mountain starts in a meadow. In the meadow you can see the ski lifts that are obviously used in the winter. Once you past the meadow, you enter the forest. About 20 minutes into excursion, we came across an area that was impacted by a major rock slide. We explored this area for about 15 or 20 minutes. Once we were finished exploring this area, we continued up the mountain. For it being July, we were really surprised by how cool it was. It was in the 60's but we a lot of us were wearing shorts and a tshirt and were comfortable. As we got towards the top, the peak plateaued and opened up to an area where off to the right, the mountain's dark brown rocks starkly contrasted with the still remaining, residual snow. Yes, snow in July. We hung out here for a while to take in the view, cool down, and eat.
Between this plateau and the technical peak is probably the hardest part of the hike. The path not only goes up steeply, but, it is fairly loose rock, and requires one to really rely on that stepping motion to get up and over rocks. This was most definitely the butt-buster part of the hike. It was about 2 miles of this. It was interesting to see that there were no bees at this elevation despite there being plenty of flowers. There were however flies. Not enough to be bothersome, but way more than one would think at such an elevation.
Once at the peak, we staid up there for a good 45 minutes, enjoyed the view., and ate. It was very windy. A lot of us sat not just because we were tired and eating, but also so we could stabilize ourselves and wouldn't blow off the mountain. We were all in good spirits.
Keep taking those detours!
