To The Highest Summit

On Saturday, the 4th of July, my husband and I, my cousin and her friend hiked the tallest peak in Arizona–Mt. Humphrey’s. It was amazing!

We have been planning this hike for about a year so it was great to finally experience. We also spent the weekend camping in Flagstaff in order to do the hike so I truly got my outdoor therapy in. It is amazing how being in nature is so good for me.

Our hike took us 8 hours with all the breaks included, covered 10 miles and an elevation gain of 3,313 feet (the summit was 12,633 ft!).

This state is so incredible to me. You can drive two hours in any direction in be in a completely different landscape. The majority of this hike was in what could best be described as a coniferous rainforest. Yeah, I said rainforest…in Arizona. We did some mighty careful stepping over slippery tree roots for a few hours.

When we finally reached the saddle of the mountain we rose above the tree line and could see the spectacular view. There was some snow on the shaded side of the mountain–so beautiful! We had to go around three false peaks before getting to the summit.

My husband did something that I’m sure would cause a riot among devout leave-no-tracers. He hiked the whole trail carrying an American flag and then planted it at the summit. Frankly, it was awesome. He’s a Marine veteran and he was so proud to honor our country in this way. There were a few people who were rude about the flag, but most everybody was psyched about it and really appreciated the opportunity to pose with the flag on Independence Day at the summit.

We took in the beautiful views at the summit. I know we could have seen the Grand Canyon, had it not been so cloudy, but being in the mist of the clouds was really neat.

I’m sore. But I’m also totally happy we did it! Like I said, being outdoors is therapeutic for me. I think because it simplifies my life and allows me to just enjoy the here and now. A side benefit is that these types of trips–camping and hiking–is they cost so little! Just $16 a night for the campground (and you have better scenery than ANY hotel), and the cost of food at the grocery store (which you’d be buying anyway)!

Next up we’re planning a hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (can’t wait to see Havasu Falls), and then hopefully Mt. Whitney as part of the John Muir Trail thru-hike we’re planning. The weather this weekend was looking pretty iffy this weekend so we were exploring backup plans and now I also have a hankering for Zion National Park in Utah. It looked beautiful and there’s bound to be some breathtaking trails.

If anyone has suggestions for more visits, I’d love to hear them! See the gallery of our trip below.

At the campsite

Looking down the last false peak

Racing the clouds on the way back down

Philip with the flag he planted

Re-entering the forest on the way back

Lazy Sunday morning in the hammock

Happy hikers at the summit

Pano of the false peaks

At the summit

Monsoon thunderstorms making their way across Flagstaff

Halfway point at the saddle

Lookout over the saddle

Scrambling down volcanic rocks

Taking in the glorious view

Up in the clouds at the summit

Excited to get started at the trailhead

Beautiful trail