A dozen daring Trailblazers started their Independence Day hike from Sunset Trailhead on a partly cloudy morning. Recent rains had settled the dust. We walked by pools of water on the trail and kept a wary eye on the clouds.

The shortcut trail goes gently downhill from Sunset Trailhead to the Little Gnarly Trail. Like so many trails in this region, it began as a forest road. Near the trailhead is a bashful baby elephant hiding in the boulders. It seemed to have lost an ear since I last saw it. Anyway we stopped for a group picture taken by Emma, our newest photographer.

Our main climb takes us up to a meadow in the Dry Lake Hills. Unmarked side trails branch off from the Little Gnarly Trail here and there. “I’ve taken a couple of them, but they didn’t go anywhere I wanted to go. Stay on the main trail,“ I advise my companions.

Summer wildflowers pop up all over the place. Flagstaff has had enough rain.

The Dry Lake Hills aren’t so dry this time. We re-convene by a stock watering pond and some of the Trailblazers walk over to explore it and look for frogs. Then I wait for them at a trail junction.

“This is a junction not to be missed!“ It is unmarked and we don’t see it until we’re there. Two narrow bicycle trails meet in the tall grass. We turn left and take the trail eastward, leading us out of the meadow and down to the Brookbank Trail.

The Brookbank Trail makes a 90° bend where it meets our trail down from the Dry Lake Hills. We continue eastward on a quarter mile that is rocky and steep. Finally the trail crosses the streambed and takes a more moderate descent to Elden Lookout Road and the Upper Oldham Trailhead. We stop for a snack break.

Clouds are rolling in, so we probably ought to get moving. Across the road is a trail that is either the Brookbank Trail, Oldham Trail, or the Upper Oldham Trail. Anyway it runs 0.2 miles from the Upper Oldham Trailhead to the Lower Oldham Trailhead.

Along the way, boulders and caves on the northwest slope of Mt. Elden are popular with young daredevil climbers.

The rest of our hike is on the Rocky Ridge Trail. At first it kind of parallels Elden Lookout Road, then it climbs up to a local high point and meanders on down to Schultz Creek Trailhead, where we left my car.

Unmarked side trails branch off of the Rocky Ridge Trail, but I assure them that “What seems to be the main trail, usually is.”

The one marked junction is with the Arizona Trail. Passage 33 (the Flagstaff re-supply route) joins the Rocky Ridge Trail on its way to Schultz Creek. “Last week, Dave hiked this passage south of Flagstaff. We are hiking it north of Flagstaff.”

When we all get back to Schultz Creek Trailhead, I take the drivers to Sunset Trailhead to retrieve their cars. Then we go our separate ways.

Rudy joined Karen, Kim, Jim, and me to stop in Camp Verde and eat on the way home. After ducking the rain on our hike, we get soaked coming out of the restaurant.

Thanks to Jim for serving as deputy leader. He knows the way and can keep up with the fast hikers.

Thanks to Lin for helping with my Camelbak. Rudy was right: the missing piece of plastic was in my car.

Thanks to Lin, Dave, and Jim for sharing your pictures.

Thank you all for going with me! You made this hike memorable.

Ted   

Thanks, everyone, for joining together for this hike. I really enjoyed both seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Total descent was 1,276 feet because the finishing trailhead was almost a thousand feet lower than the starting trailhead. So if this hike seemed a little easier than most, that’s because it was predominantly downhill.

Thanks again for hiking with Arizona Trailblazers and especially to you, Ted, for organizing a great hike. I hope we all see each other again soon.

Jim