The Trailblazers arrived at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff on a bright summer morning. There were lots of other people, and a plant exhibit where photographers could cheat by having the name of the plant right next to it.

We started toward Mt. Elden on the Pipeline Trail, straight and flat as it crosses Switzer Mesa before dipping down into the valley between the mesa and Mt. Elden.

Soon we were off the mesa and walking down into the valley. We came to a junction with the Arizona Trail, then followed it north for a short distance before turning right and heading southeast.

Hiking groups always get spread out along the trail, with the fast hikers surging forward and leisurely hikers stopping to chat and take pictures. So it was that Cyd, Craig, Chuck, and Ted found ourselves behind the others but enjoying the pleasant hike over Switzer Mesa and down the adjacent valley.

Neal explains edible mushrooms to Cyd and Chuck.

Edible, toxic, or what?

Farther down the trail we met a fellow named Neal, who had two dogs and shared his wisdom regarding mushrooms in the Flagstaff area. They occur in four categories, of which he showed us examples growing beside the trail:

“People eat a little of the mushroom, then see how they feel the next day before deciding whether it’s edible,” he explained. “Then I get called to the ER to identify what kind of poisonous mushroom it was.”

“We’ll stick to grocery store mushrooms,” the four of us decided.

After talking with Neal we continued walking southeast on the trail. There were many side trails branching off to the left or the right, none of them marked. We had never been here before. By this time we were starting to see houses and fences and other signs of a residential district. Curiouser and curiouser.

With all the distractions, it gradually dawned on us that we might have missed a turn somewhere. That notion was confirmed when our trail dead-ended on a residential street.

Everyone else was long out of sight. A series of radio contacts with the hike leader then ensued, but we couldn’t understand the directions unambiguously. The two-way radio signal got weaker and weaker. Reluctantly, we decided we’d better walk back to the trailhead.

So we re-traced our steps back through the residential district and past the many unmarked side trails, turning left at the Arizona Trail, which is marked. This is passage 33: the Flagstaff re-supply route.

It was a gorgeous summer day in the high country. Wildflowers were out in colorful profusion.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch at a table in Buffalo Park, then decided we had time to go exploring and find out where the new passage 34 of the Arizona Trail crosses Snow Bowl Road. We found it. But there isn’t a trailhead and there are NO PARKING signs all along the road.

Ted wrote a note and left it on Michael’s car so the others would know we’re not lost.