AZT 2019 Day 36: Highway 89 Junction (mile 583.7) to campsite north of Bismarck Lake (mile 606.4)

22.8 miles

I was sick of being in the hotel. I had just spent 4 nights in a hotel instead of on the trail. The first night, the original resupply night was planned. The second night was the night I came in soaked and shivering from the storm. Then, I had stayed two additional nights to wait out the rest of the weather system. It was way too many days in a hotel.

I checked out early and got to the bus stop in time for what I thought would be the first bus. It turns out I was there an hour early. I sat and waited at the bus stop for the full hour, that is how much I no longer wanted to be in a hotel. It felt like the more time I spent there, the less likely it would be that I would leave.

As it came closer to the bus's actual arrival time an interesting set of characters started to assemble around me. One of whom was way more chatty than I felt like engaging this morning.  I made polite, minimal conversation, but I just really wanted to get on the bus. When it finally arrived at my stop, I estimate about 10 people got on.

I got off on the outskirts of Flagstaff, right as the route turns and heads back to downtown. It was still about .5 miles to walk back to the trail and I passed directly by an archeological site, Elden Pueblo Archeological Site.

It was ruins of structures used by the Sinagua people, the same people who built the cliff dwellings. It had to wonder if these ruins were partially reconstructed, or if they were just that good at building structures that last. They were from the 11th through 13th century and there were still well defined walls. There was a brochure at the trailhead that explained the various rooms and that this community was a trade center, with items from far away having been excavated among the ruins.

Elden Pueblo Archeological Site.

I did the short walk from the site to the trail. I was relieved when I was officially on the trail and making northward progress. It was a beautiful day for it too. It was sunny and cool, and I was passing by some beautiful mountains.

The AZT and Mt. Elden.

Early in the day I hit a 7-8 mile detour. Part of the forest was closed as it was being thinned. I had to take a road that followed a buried gas line until I was around the closure, then I joined back up with the trail.

The detour.

Back on the AZT, I moved through more forest area, getting an occasional glimpse of the snow covered San Francisco Peaks to which I was headed. There were a lot of people out and about in this section, mostly mountain biking or trail running.

Heading towards the San Francisco Peaks/Humphreys Peak.

I crossed Snowbowl road and started gaining in elevation. The climb itself wasn't too steep, but it started to feel harder once I reached 8,000 ft. The trail crested at about 9,000 ft and as I neared the top, I came upon several clearings.  To my right I was getting great views of the higher peaks with snow, and to my left I was getting great views of the valleys and streams below, as well as the surrounding mountains. I even encountered some cool looking aspens .

Climbing up in elevation. 

Aspens.

The trail near 9,000 ft.

View of the peaks from the trail.

I had left the hotel with a lot of water, but was able to fill up at the end of the day with a small, flowing stream. I filtered several liters of water for the rest of the day, tonight's dinner, and part if tomorrow. I wanted to take advantage of a flowing stream since it didn't look like I had too many more in my future.

The late day lighting was incredible,  especially since I was still getting gaps with great views. I started to look for places to camp as the sun went down. I passed up a few decent ones in the hope that there was something better down trail.

Views near the end of the day.

There wasn't. I entered an area that was sloped and was littered with debris and deadfalls. I ended up picking the flattest, most debris free spot I could find to set up camp. It definitely was not my best site selection, but would have to do for the night.