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Walnut Meadows Day Hike Flagstaff May 27, 2017 by Ted Tenny |
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 We made it to Old Walnut Canyon Trailhead. [photo by Bill] |
| Li, Michael, Jeanne, Ken, Sandy, Melissa, Ted, Heather, Willie, Sue, Tamar, Karen, Bill, April, Marilyn, Suzy, Darrell, Cecilia |
The Trailblazers organized into three groups:
We all walked together on passage 31 of the Arizona Trail, westward to the junction where a connector trail branches off to the northwest toward Campbell Mesa. Here the groups split, with Tamar’s group leaving first, then April’s group, then Ted’s group. Ted’s group walked the Walnut Meadows Loop clockwise, enjoying a beautiful day and meeting hikers, bikers, lizards and insects along the trail. We were the first to get back to Old Walnut Canyon Trailhead. After the hike we went out to eat at Salsa Brava in east Flagstaff. Special thanks to Tamar and to April for leading hikes on the other loops! |
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 Civilization, halfway through the Walnut Meadows Loop. |
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| Castilleja integra - Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush | |
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| Each color of lichen is a different species. | |
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| Jeanne finds a Bombardier Beetle. | |
 Who knows what lurks in the shadows? “One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater” |
 ... and what if I say it isn’t so? |
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| Intricate patterns and colors of fallen logs. | |
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Supplemental Report by Tamar Gottfried |
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Magnificent Seven Group We were the first group out of the stocks at the junction with the Arizona Trail. We had an uneventful hike to the junction with the Campbell-Mesa Loop, and took a break for snacks and rest at the 5-mile mark. Shortly after that, we came upon an unnamed junction and had to decide left or straight. We turned left, and went about a quarter mile before realizing that not only were we getting progressively closer to the freeway, but that the trail was petering out. So we reversed course and continued on the “right” way. At the junction with the Walnut Meadows loop, we happened to see a bevy of familiar faces: April’s 9-mile group. We joined them, compared notes, and traveled together back to the trailhead. We ended our day with a relaxing Greek-style meal at Taverna in Flagstaff. Tamar |
 Walking the Campbell Mesa Loop. [photo by Bill] |
 Bill confers with Heather. [photo by Li] |
 There is some shade on the trail. [photo by Li] |
 Around the bend. [photo by Li] |
 The Magnificent Seven. [photo by Bill] Li, Darrell, Bill, Cecilia, Heather, Tamar, Sandy |
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Supplemental Report by April Goldstein |
We investigated a plastic bag in a tree top that turned out to be a large, webbed-nest (see photo), hopefully not spun by spiders of proportional size. Melissa and Ken also made us aware that the (oak?) bark smells like butterscotch, so we conducted sniff-tests, as Marilyn demonstrates in the attached photo. The hike was scenic, weather was perfect, and we had a wonderful day! April |
 The bark smells like butterscotch. [photo by April] |
 Snow on the San Francisco Peaks. [photo by April] |
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Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, Phoenix, Arizona
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updated May 31, 2017