Groom Creek Loop Trail - Prescott

After a site visit for work in Prescott, I learned about the hike to the fire tower at the top of Spruce Mountain. I was going to try to get a couple of friends to join me, when the hiking group posted the exact hike I wanted to try. Perfect!

I carpooled to the hike with Brian, Sheri, and Bree - friends who I also know from the volunteer meetups.
The group decided to hike the loop clockwise, so we had a shorter steeper climb up, and a longer more gradual descent. (Yeah!!)
I saw lots of lizards and a few horned toads on the way up.
At the top of the mountain were picnic tables and an outhouse. Several people also discovered that the road led right here, begging the question..... why did we hike this?
There were several boulders to scramble over and climb near the base of the fire tower. Bree, Brian and I enjoyed the view.

The fire tower was manned, so we took turns entering and talking to the ranger.
After enjoying the views, we ate lunch then started the hike back down and towards the cars.

Trail Stats:

	Distance Round Trip	7.9 miles
	Trailhead Elevation	6346 feet
	Elevation Gain	1375 feet
	Avg Time Round Trip	4.5 hours

Sycamore Canyon Rim Loop - Williams AZ

The hiking group decided to do the Sycamore Rim Trail up near Williams, AZ this weekend. It's mostly a flat trail, with the exception of KA hill. The question is whether to do the hill first or last.
I've got my pack loaded for training for my Peru trip.
There were several pretty areas along the start of the hike.


I spotted this horned toad along the path.

We caught the last of the cactus flowers still in bloom.

We stopped for lunch at the waterfall. No water was over the edge, but there were a few rock climbers to watch.
Standing at the top of the waterfall, looking down.


The direction we took around the loop, left KA hill for the very end. I thought it was a great way to end the hike.

Others weren't so lucky!
Coming down off the hill, we could see the flat ground ahead, and knew the car would soon be in sight.

Trail Stats:
Length: 11 miles
Elevation gain: 600 ft
Hiking Time: 5 to 6 hours
Rating: Easy to Moderate

Hooping on Humphrey's

I decided that I wanted to do a trek across the Andes in Peru this fall. In preparation, I decided to hike Humphrey's Peak again. I figured that this would help prepare me for the altitude, but also give me a chance to test out the new pack and decide how many layers I would need, since there was still snow up there.


When I got to the saddle, I decided not to approach the summit, since there were 50+ mph winds and I really wanted to save my strength to climb over the snowdrifts on the way back down. While I was waiting for the rest of my group to return, I hooped it up!
Maybe I should have saved that energy for the trip down. Instead, I slipped on ice and tumbled down the side of the mountain. Luckily, my 4 layers of fleece cushioned my fall and my backpack slowed me down, so I didn't get hurt. (other than a few bruises)

Trail Stats:

	Distance Round Trip	10.25 miles
	Trailhead Elevation	9320 feet
	Elevation Gain	3313 feet
	Avg Time Round Trip	5 - 6 hours

Watson Lake, Prescott AZ

The hiking group headed up to Watson Lake near Prescott to hike the Peavine Trail. However, we made a slightly wrong turn and ended up on the Lakeshore Trail instead.

The tail took us around a few wetlands areas before turning towards the granite dells.

We had fun climbing up the various granite rock formations and looking at the blue lake below.





Shhhh.....no waking me for the entire lake......

On the way back, we found this snake alongside the trail.

Trail Stats:

	Distance One Way	2 miles
	Trailhead Elevation	5198 feet
	Elevation Gain	100 feet
	Avg Time One Way	1+ hours

Black Mesa-Hackberry Springs Loops (Superstitions)

All bundled up at the start of the hike. Hopefully 4 layers plus hat and gloves will be warm enough.
Can you believe that it snowed in the Phoenix area in April?
An hour into the hike, I'm brave enough to remove my hat ... but not my gloves. My hiking buddies have already stripped down to short sleeves.
Two hours into the hike and a snack break. My gloves come off :-)
OK, I only took the gloves off to make it easier to eat. My hands were still cold!
7 miles into a 10.6 mile hike and the windbreaker finally came off. Will 3 layers be warm enough?
A few of the hills.
Such grace! I hate going downhill!
I'm not a fan of stream crossings... especially when there's water and you have to cross the SAME stream 20X!
Only 1 mile left to go!

Trail Stats:

	Distance Round Trip	10.5 miles
	Trailhead Elevation	2300 feet
	Elevation Gain	480 feet
	Accumulated Gain	1125 feet
	Avg Time Round Trip	6 hours