On July 11, seven club members and guests met on a warm Phoenix morning to hike in the cool climes of Flagstaff. After an extended stop at a rest area just south of Flagstaff, we met Darleen Lindquist and Ray Markus at the trailhead.

As we pulled into the parking lot, we could feel the cool Flagstaff morning temps (70s!) The weather was great for hiking; partly cloudy, cool temps, and slight breezes to keep the air clear.

We walked quickly downhill over the first mile of the trail. We walked through large groves of aspen, pine, and fir trees. In between we encountered fields of lush green ferns and field grass. At one point, approximately 3 miles in, we encountered ferns so thick, we nearly had to bushwhack our way through!

Ferns thrive on the slopes.

Clearing the trees, we came upon Freidlin Road (an old jeep trail) and Freidlin Prairie. Here we had a well-deserved lunch. While resting and snacking under the shade of the few trees in the prairie, we were treated with spectacular views of Flagstaff and central Arizona! We could pick out the Lowell Observatory and Rec. Center in Flagstaff. We could also see the hills in the Verde Valley area, including distant rainstorms.

We proceeded another 0.5 miles to another clearing for a fabulous view and photo opportunity of Mt. Agassiz and Fremont Peak. Here we encountered 3 mountain bikers and their dog. They appeared to be having a great time.

As we hiked back out the clouds slowly rolled in, with the occasional burst of sunshine. After another hour and a half (4:30) we returned to the trailhead to clear sunny skies, and clouds looming ominously to the south. Several hikers happened upon a deer just off of the trail about 0.25 miles from the trailhead.

We were all a little slow going along the trail as the air was a little thinner compared to the lower altitudes of Phoenix. No one became sick or ill and all had a great time in the cool pines, aspens, and ferns.

Several of us decided to hang out and talk rather than quickly return to the oven of Phoenix. After about an hour, the hiking gods rained on our party and we headed down to Flagstaff for a small dinner. As it turns out, the rain lasted only 20 minutes as we headed down the mountain.