At 6:07 AM seven hikers headed up to Mingus Mountain to escape record-breaking valley heat. We met Mark at the Mingus Pass parking lot. From there it was just a short drive to the trailhead. At 8:15 we were walking under clear blue skies. Tall pines hugged the trail. We left the trail for a group picture and to enjoy the great views of the Verde Valley, the distant Sedona Red Rocks and San Francisco Peaks.

Tall pines gave way to Pinion Pine and Scrub Oak as we continued down the Coleman Trail #108. The trail was rocky. As we got lower we could see our objective: Peak 6731. The trail ended at Forest Road 413. Thick vegetation had foiled Bill’s attempt on a previous hike. Ready for bushwhacking? Was this the day to make it?

What fun would it be without crawling under a barbed wire fence? That was the easy part. After a short way we were turned back by thick vegetation. Strike two. I’m coming back with a chain saw next time.

After a short break and doctoring of a few scrapes we headed west down FR 413. At “TX” we started the climb out on Gaddes Trail #9037. It was breathtaking in beauty and physical requirements, as we did not escape all of the valley heat. We had good shade as tall pines towered above the lower walnut and oak.

With the heat affecting a few hikers, we bailed on the plan of hiking the canyon up to the tower. Just prior to “G72” we crossed a dry creek and followed cairns on an unlabeled route. Somewhere near the top we ditched the cairns for a more direct GPS path back to the vehicles. Near the Dry Lake Tank we heard thunder in the distance as light rain fell.

At 12:45 were in the vehicles headed to Jerome for lunch. No parking. Plan B: Best Western in Cottonwood. On full stomachs we said our good-byes and headed back to the valley.

Please welcome Elayne and Rebecca to their first Trailblazer hike ... and thanks to Andy and Rebecca for driving.