This hike was the first joint event of Take A Hike Mountain Hikes and the Motorola Hiking Club. There were eight participants in all: Take A Hike was represented by the author and Richard DeSouza. The Motorola Hiking Club participants included Mike Wargel, Mike Mendelson, Mike Clayton (pattern developing here?), Todd Houser, and Ken Chaney. Joe Huppenthal was also there as a guest of Ken’s.

For Ken and me, this hike was a high-altitude warm-up for the upcoming Mt. Whitney hike. Mike Clayton had hiked the mountain before; for most of the others, it was their first hike up Humphrey’s, and despite a seasonal turn in the weather, they were not disappointed.

This was my fourth time up Humphrey’s but the first time I’d stayed in Flagstaff the night before. Between that and the cardiovascular exercises I’d been doing in preparation for Mt. Whitney, I found the 9.4 mile round trip much easier this time than on previous occasions. The trail was in excellent condition, somewhat drier than I’d seen it before, with excellent footing and almost no snow or mud. A number of recent tree falls were evident, though these had all been cut away to keep the trail clear.

That probably changed within an hour of our descent, as the day we chose for the hike turned out to also be the first official day of the Monsoon season. When we started the hike, the clouds were still at about 15,000 feet, but by the time we approached the steep climb onto the saddle 3 miles into the trail, the clouds had really thickened up, and were below the top of Agassiz to the south of the saddle. The wind picked up and clouds started sweeping up the slope and over the saddle just as we arrived there, making for an eerie swirling grey-out in the direction of the lower slopes.

Meanwhile, much of the Inner Basin was still in bright sun or thin clouds, as was Humphrey’s itself. Despite El Niño there was very little snow left on the slopes of the Inner Basin, which took on a striking reddish-brown and black cast against the fast-melting snow on the basin floor beneath the saddle. Unfortunately, the camera I had with me can not deal with such conditions very well, so the photos did not turn out very good. In any case, even mosaic photographs can not capture the immensity and beauty of the view.

After a lunch break on the saddle, we continued climbing into the clouds, which continued streaming up past us and quickly engulfed the outer slopes of Humphrey’s. But there was neither rain nor thunder, so we kept going. (There were just five of us now, Ken, Todd, and Joe having gone ahead at a much faster pace than the rest of us.) The climb up the outer curve of the summit ridge always seems endless and desolate, and the swirling clouds added to the effect superbly.

Eventually we reached the summit, after a hike of four hours and a few minutes. We took some quick pictures of the inner basin, with the clouds pouring over the saddle points like billowing smoke, and within a few minutes the view was completely obscured. Temperature on top was in the mid fifties, with the ever-present wind, of course. We rested for about 15 minutes longer before weak thunder a mile or so to the West told us it was time to start the long hike back down to tree line.

Fortunately both the rain and the thunder stayed well off the peaks, and we only encountered a few stray sprinkles as we took another 15 minutes’ lunch break on the 2nd saddle, just above the true saddle. Then it was back down again. The descent was fairly easy given the firm, dry trail conditions. The company also made the 3 mile hike through the woods pass much more pleasantly than my previous hikes, which had been solo.

Arriving back at the trailhead, we looked back to see the peaks engulfed in heavy gray clouds down to about 11,000 feet. I felt very good, with only minor back fatigue and slight swelling in my knees. My decision to wear two pair of socks – heavy cotton socks over thin polyester ones – made a world of difference; my feet stayed cool and dry the whole way, and I had not the slightest hint of a blister anywhere.

Temperature at the trailhead was about the same as it had been when we started the hike – mid 60s with mostly cloudy sky. After resting for a while in the parking lot, and changing shoes and socks, the three Mikes, Richard, and I headed down into town for pizza at Stromboli’s. Humphrey’s Peak 1998 was a very successful hike despite the restricted view; for all eight of us made the summit with no difficulty, and even the thick clouds added an extra dimension to an already unforgettable experience.

Unlike my past ascents, this time I have no reservations about returning to Humphrey’s. I’d be back the following weekend if I could. That won’t happen, of course, but I do hope to return with a visiting friend in early October – assuming, of course, the autumn snows hold off long enough. We’ll have to wait and see.