The two opening pictures provide perspective of the San Francisco Mountain range taken earlier this year.
We completed our third successful peak climb of Mount Humphreys, a giant that rises to an altitude of 12,633 feet making it the highest in the State of Arizona. On a clear day, a person can see the deepest hole in the state from the peak, the great Grand Canyon. While it does not have difficult climbing sections, it makes up for it by being over ten miles in length, a rocky and treacherous trail surface and an elevation gain of 3,333 feet. One has to be guarded about foot-placings the whole trail. We had been at sea-level for the past month or more so beginning at 9,000 and reaching 12,600 made an impact. We lost appetites, not a bad thing, lost strength, not a good thing but nothing serious. Truth be told, our muscles complained and offered an opinion that the height gain was closer to 4,000 feet. We never argue with muscles.
Humphreys is the highest of the San Francisco range which is a problem in and of itself. It sits well-back of the other mountains making the hiker/climber have to incur extra distance. We’d like to suggest that Congress pass legislation making it a requirement that future mountains should be constructed with the highest peak in the range being closest to the trailhead. While the request may raise some eyebrows, including hiking poles, it hardly seems more ridiculous than what the country is currently experiencing...continues at end.
For reasons not apparent, this was a very meaningful moment for Jeffrey. (Since our last visit, the sign has faded (aged) including 'others'.
Mount Weatherford across the way is actually lower than where we are standing.
Fall (autumn) earlier than most parts.
We reach the saddle and have a tough climb awaiting...rougher than we thought. There are 3 false peaks above the one in the picture.
Little rough up there but a spectacular position.
Homeward bound, a bit of a grind, coming off the peak.
The odd couple of slopes.
Jenni absorbs the colors as she moves down from the top
We thought we were at the top as we came around the 'peak' to the right.
Jen reaches a false peak.
The scenes, the position, were overpowering.
Often think how few ever see the various places tucked out the way.
The rage, power and force of the eruptions of volcanoes is way beyond imaginable. We only see the result.
We remember our first occasion on this mountain some years ago. It’s not that we have to remember because the experience is indelibly fixed within our minds and left scars on certain body parts. On that day, we hiked to the top on black ice without crampons. We spent much time on our rear-ends on the way down or arguing and sometimes both. Over the past couple of years, we have passed through Flagstaff with the intention of reaching Humphreys but each time the weather was poor. We learned our lesson about selecting better opportunities.
We were communicating with Barry Jahn, a distinguished Oregonian hiker, that this might be our last attempt at the particular mountain. It was a rather pessimistic approach which we’d like to believe was a temporary feeling. Fortunately, it went well but while it wasn’t difficult, it took a lot out of us—a day’s rest will put us back in the driver’s seat. Nevertheless, when one observes some of the youngsters in action, mind you not all, it’s a reminder that an extra 40-45 years makes a huge difference. It’s only dawning upon me now that our energy levels, bones and muscle strength, may be on the wane. Add in the injuries, worn out components and the future is not quite what a person desires. While one can easily accept no more ‘football, nightclubbing and other bodily contact sports’, the idea of limitations on walking, climbing and hiking is for us (me) sobering. End of soul searching section.
We were fortunate to stop on 3 occasions on our way down from the top and enjoy refreshing conversations. The interactions really add to the experience. The first lot was with an Afghan war veteran and his sister. It was a privilege to meet them initially and thereafter a few hours later. We passed them going up as we were returning. We hope they had flashlights as they were making heavy work of the trip.
The next lot were a group of hikers from Alabama. They mentioned they were from the deep south. When they asked from where we hailed, our reply was even deeper south than them. They made some interesting observations and our banter was light and caused much creasing of our faces. One guy even mentioned a South African whom he had worked with some years ago, a fellow we probably know of. Real small world—until you have to walk it.
We were trying to make the trailhead and get back to the car when we halted for John and Mary who had stopped early on the trail because they are a sane couple. They loved the concept of reaching the top but not the effort required. It’s fascinating the exchanges we have with people and what we all share together. Sometimes you wonder why relationships, obviously with strangers which we concede are easier, shouldn’t be much better than they are. We think when people are less judgmental and more open, we become nicer humans and have more enjoyable lives.
A rather rough day completed, we had a delightful evening and nearly restful sleep. You might ask, as we occasionally do, what’s the whole point of hiking in general and tough ones in particular. Surely you could find something more productive in your lives. We submit besides the involvement in nature, humanity, challenges and experiences and many other aspects, you cannot measure the incredible feeling that overwhelms the mind, body and soul at the end of the day—it's a temporary visit to Heaven.
For reasons not apparent, this was a very meaningful moment for Jeffrey. (Since our last visit, the sign has faded (aged) including 'others'.
Mount Weatherford across the way is actually lower than where we are standing.
Fall (autumn) earlier than most parts.
We reach the saddle and have a tough climb awaiting...rougher than we thought. There are 3 false peaks above the one in the picture.
Little rough up there but a spectacular position.
Homeward bound, a bit of a grind, coming off the peak.
The odd couple of slopes.
Jenni absorbs the colors as she moves down from the top
We thought we were at the top as we came around the 'peak' to the right.
Jen reaches a false peak.
The scenes, the position, were overpowering.
Often think how few ever see the various places tucked out the way.
The rage, power and force of the eruptions of volcanoes is way beyond imaginable. We only see the result.
We remember our first occasion on this mountain some years ago. It’s not that we have to remember because the experience is indelibly fixed within our minds and left scars on certain body parts. On that day, we hiked to the top on black ice without crampons. We spent much time on our rear-ends on the way down or arguing and sometimes both. Over the past couple of years, we have passed through Flagstaff with the intention of reaching Humphreys but each time the weather was poor. We learned our lesson about selecting better opportunities.
We were communicating with Barry Jahn, a distinguished Oregonian hiker, that this might be our last attempt at the particular mountain. It was a rather pessimistic approach which we’d like to believe was a temporary feeling. Fortunately, it went well but while it wasn’t difficult, it took a lot out of us—a day’s rest will put us back in the driver’s seat. Nevertheless, when one observes some of the youngsters in action, mind you not all, it’s a reminder that an extra 40-45 years makes a huge difference. It’s only dawning upon me now that our energy levels, bones and muscle strength, may be on the wane. Add in the injuries, worn out components and the future is not quite what a person desires. While one can easily accept no more ‘football, nightclubbing and other bodily contact sports’, the idea of limitations on walking, climbing and hiking is for us (me) sobering. End of soul searching section.
We were fortunate to stop on 3 occasions on our way down from the top and enjoy refreshing conversations. The interactions really add to the experience. The first lot was with an Afghan war veteran and his sister. It was a privilege to meet them initially and thereafter a few hours later. We passed them going up as we were returning. We hope they had flashlights as they were making heavy work of the trip.
The next lot were a group of hikers from Alabama. They mentioned they were from the deep south. When they asked from where we hailed, our reply was even deeper south than them. They made some interesting observations and our banter was light and caused much creasing of our faces. One guy even mentioned a South African whom he had worked with some years ago, a fellow we probably know of. Real small world—until you have to walk it.
We were trying to make the trailhead and get back to the car when we halted for John and Mary who had stopped early on the trail because they are a sane couple. They loved the concept of reaching the top but not the effort required. It’s fascinating the exchanges we have with people and what we all share together. Sometimes you wonder why relationships, obviously with strangers which we concede are easier, shouldn’t be much better than they are. We think when people are less judgmental and more open, we become nicer humans and have more enjoyable lives.
A rather rough day completed, we had a delightful evening and nearly restful sleep. You might ask, as we occasionally do, what’s the whole point of hiking in general and tough ones in particular. Surely you could find something more productive in your lives. We submit besides the involvement in nature, humanity, challenges and experiences and many other aspects, you cannot measure the incredible feeling that overwhelms the mind, body and soul at the end of the day—it's a temporary visit to Heaven.
A realistic perspective as one of us approaches the first false peak.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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