Weatherford Trail

Buoyed by a sunny forecast, five of us gathered at the Safeway parking lot in Cottonwood at 0500 on 16 July 2011 for a hike on Weatherford Trail. We drove to Flagstaff and stopped at Denny’s for breakfast. After breakfast we continued on into Flagstaff, took US-180 W and followed it about 3.2 miles before turning right on Schultz Pass Road. We followed Schultz Pass Road about 5.3 miles to the trailhead parking lot at Schultz Tank. The turnoff to the parking lot is on the right (south) side of the road. We arrived at the trailhead at about 0740. A toilet is provided at the parking lot.

Donning our gear we found a sign (right) on the north side of the lot marking the Weatherford Trailhead. The trail started out at a gentle slope that varied very little all the way to our destination at Doyle Saddle. NOTE: A very short distance up the trail from the parking lot we crossed an old road. On the north side of this road, a sign says Weatherford Trail while on the south side it is signed as Schultz Trail. Go figure.

About 2 miles (by GPS; 2.4 according to signage) from the parking lot the Kachina Trail leads in from the left. We continued on up the mountain on Weatherford, and shortly entered the Peaks Wilderness area.

We paused along the way for an occasional rest break and after a couple of hours for a snack break and a group photograph (below). We had a long way to go and so didn’t linger for very long. The trail continued its gentle slope along the old road that, according to the forest service, originally carried passengers to the peaks via Model T Fords. Higher up the trail became pretty rocky. Gordon described it as walking on egg-sized marbles. It is really not too bad as long as you step carefully, and it does maintain the same gentle slope all the way.

Left to right: Donna Goodman, Gordon Bice, Dolly Yapp and Betty Wolters

Gordon and I had hiked on ahead a short distance and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. I took the below photograph as the rest of the group were arriving.

Left to right: Betty Wolters, Dolly Yapp and Donna Goodman at rest stop

We had, according to my GPS, come 5.8 miles from the trailhead. Hearing this, Dolly and Betty, declared that as they had only signed up for an eleven mile round trip hike, this was enough, and they would stop to eat lunch start back.

Our hoped for destination was Doyle Saddle where we would be able to look down into the Inner Basin and up to Humphrey's Peak. So, leaving Dolly and Betty eating lunch, Gordon, Donna and I pressed on, hiking another 1.9 miles according to the GPS before reaching Doyle Saddle. By the time we arrived it was 1220; we were tired and ready to eat. We could see Humphrey's Peak ahead and Dona and Gordon were able to pick out where they had been on a hike on Abineau Trail earlier this year. The inner basin was below us but we really couldn’t see much of it from the saddle. We ate lunch, I took a nap and shot a few photographs and we headed back.

From Doyle Saddle - Humphreys Peak (against the sky at upper left)

From Doyle Saddle – Looking back toward Flagstaff. Weatherford

Trail is seen to the left in this photo

We didn’t note what time we left Doyle Saddle; however since I did manage to get in a nap and we spent a bit of time enjoying the view we must have spent most of an hour there. I will estimate that we started back down about 1315.

The far-off views all along Weatherford Trail were spectacular now that we were facing down the mountain and we were torn between looking far away and watching our step on the loose, round pebbly surface of the old tourist road the trail follows.

We stopped often just to look without the bother of switching our view to look where we were stepping. The below photograph, with a view of Flagstaff and beyond from just below Doyle Saddle, was taken during one of these stops.

View looking out over Flagstaff – Taken from Weatherford Trail just

below Doyle Saddle

We arrived back at the trailhead at 1645 to find Betty and Dolly waiting for us. According to the sign at the trailhead, the distance to Doyle Saddle is 6 miles and our round trip hike would have been 12 miles. However, the one-way distance as measured by my GPS was 7.8 miles, making it 15.6 miles round trip. I don’t know which measurement is more accurate; however, my feet were telling me to go with the GPS reading. The highest elevation was 10877 feet and the total ascent was 3138 feet.

The GPS elevation readings were 8047 feet at the trailhead and 10877 at Doyle Saddle, an elevation difference of 8030 feet.

Our track is shown on the included map (below).

Red Rock Park to Gooseneck Bend

On 12 March 2011, fourteen Skyliners traveled north from Cottonwood on 89A and turned on Lower Red Rock Loop Road. We drove the entrance to Red Rock State Park, turned and parked alongside the road at the Lime Kiln Trailhead across from the park entrance. George and Akemi had traveled from Sedona and were waiting for us there. The below plaque is mounted at the trailhead.

Plaque mounted at Lime Kiln Trailhead at Red Rock State Park

From the trailhead Lime Kiln Trail first runs to the southeast parallel to Lower Red Rock Loop Road for about 0.1 miles, crossing a wash along the way, and then turns sharply up the slope of Scheurman Mountain. The trail climbs around 400 feet in 0.9 miles to cross a lower ridge on the south slope of Scheurman Mountain and then descends to cross Lower Red Rock Loop Road heading generally west. About 1.0 mile from Red Rock Loop Road, where Lime Kiln Trail follows a dirt road, we came to a fork in the road. At this point, we took the left fork, leaving Lime Kiln Trail. This fork is marked as 9845H, although the marker is a metal stake, partly hidden in the bushes and cannot be read until you pass it and look back. After following Road 9845H for about 0.1 miles from Lime Kiln Trail, we came to Horse Trail A. This trail actually crosses the road at this point; to continue toward Oak Creek at Gooseneck (sometimes called Horseshoe) Bend we turned left onto the horse trail. A metal stake bearing the letter A identifies the trail.

About 0.25 miles from 9845H, Horse Trail A enters an old road. We continued along this road going uphill to arrive at a saddle in the ridge overlooking Oak Creek above Gooseneck Bend. At the saddle in the ridge, we left the old road and continued on the horse trail going downhill to the southeast toward Oak Creek. About 0.25 miles from the saddle in the ridge and just above Oak Creek, the Indian ruins were visible in the cliff across a wash to our right. At this point, we could either (1) turn off the trail to the right and find a place to cross the wash and climb the hill to the cliff or (2) continue down the horse trail to a fence, apparently designed to keep stock from entering Oak Creek, and follow that up the hill to the cliff. We chose the second option.

Note the rock wall built under the overhang. This could be either 

Indian Ruins or a latter day fake?

At the bottom of the hill, part of the group made the steep climb up the hill along the fence to reach the ruins. The rest of the group continued straight ahead and found a nice lunch spot at the foot of a cliff alongside Oak Creek. We all ate lunch, some at the ruins, some alongside the creek, before heading back

After eating my lunch at the ruins, I made my way directly down the steep slope toward the creek rather than follow the fence back. I then walked up a dry wash alongside the creek to join the rest of the group before starting back. Along the way I found the below pictured log fabricated by some industrious beaver. Following lunch we all gathered for a group picture before heading back.

Left over building material from a beaver construction project

Left to right: The author, Daisy Williams, Dolly Yapp, Name Withheld, Miriam 

Sterling, Marvin Alt, Jim Manning, Unable to contact, Donna Goodman, 

Connie Woolard, Bill Woolard, Akemi Tomioka, Jan PreFontaine, George 

Everman, Lila Wright and Fran Lind – photo by George with time delay

The photograph below shows Oak Creek at the apex of Gooseneck Bend where most of the group stopped for lunch.

Apex of Gooseneck Bend in Oak Creek – photo by George

According to my GPS file, we hiked 6.6 miles. The elevation change was around 530 feet. Those who retraced the entire hike route on the return trip ascended a total about 1050 feet. For those who returned part of the way by hiking along Lower Red Rock Loop Road, and thus did not climb back across the foothill of Scheurman Mountain, the total ascent was around 750 feet.

Our GPS track is displayed on the included map (below).

The Neighborhood Walk

As most of you know, I was recently diagnosed as having lung cancer (mesothelioma, stage 4).

After my second session of chemotherapy, I was feeling well enough that I decided to incorporate a walk around the neighborhood in my daily schedule. I walk the same 1.5-mile route each day, starting at the mailbox on the street in front of our house and heading south on S Arroya Vista Drive.

The walk takes me past Mescal Drive, the street that fronts our property on the south, across Christina Draw, past Brook Hollow Drive and to the south end of S Arroya Vista at the top of the hill. There the street turns right (west), becoming Meadowlark Drive. The view from our house to the end of S Arroya Vista Drive is shown here (below).

Looking from our mailbox across Christina Draw and on to the end 

of S Arroya Vista Drive at the top of the hill.

Although it is not immediately obvious from the above photograph, a substantial wash runs down Christina Draw and under S Arroya Vista Drive. The wash is normally dry; however, it drains a large section of the eastern slope of Mingus Mountain south of Allen Spring and north of Black Canyon. Heavy heavy rains on the mountain above can turn it into a raging monster of a stream. The below photograph was taken in March 2007.

Christina Draw Wash in March 2007

The distance to the turn onto Meadowlark Drive is 0.2 miles. Meadowlark Drive then leads along a level ridge for a short distance before descending to end at Christina Draw Wash, about 0.4 miles upstream from the S Arroya Vista Drive crossing. The view while walking west on Meadowlark extends to the top of Mingus Mountain.

View looking west on Meadowlark Drive – Mingus Mountain on the horizon

Just 0.3 miles from Arroya Vista Drive Meadowlark comes to an abrupt end (right) at the wash.

There, I was faced with a dilemma. If I turned back here, my walk will be only about a mile long. And all of that would be on paved surfaces. I really wanted to walk a bit farther and wanted to include some distance along a rougher surface to give my ankles a workout. Nothing is more irritating to me than a sprained ankle.

After examining the wash and determining it to be open and relatively easy hiking, I decided to give it a try.

Christina Draw Wash from the end of Meadowlark Drive

The wash turned out to be the most interesting part of the walk. It is open and free of large boulders all the way from Meadowlark to Brook Hollow Drive, a distance of 0.3 miles. Below Brook Hollow it tends to close in a bit with overhanging growth and a less open path. Since it is rattlesnake season and I would be traveling alone, I decided to avoid the section between Brook Hollow Drive and Arroya Vista Drive, leaving the wash at Brook Hollow.

The wash , except perhaps for changes in stream flow caused by the construction of houses in recent years, remains in its natural state with the exception of some erosion prevention measures along a single property.

Rock wall built for erosion protection along Christina Draw Wash

On my way past that property, I found the owner out working in his back yard and stopped to chat. Angel Vargas, a widower, has lived there and battled the wash for some thirty years. Angel served in the Navajo Army during the Korean War and in the National Guard; he retired from the Navajo Army Depot in Bellemont in the 1980s.

The stone wall seen above roughly corresponds with the location of the bank when he moved in. His battle continues as he reinforces the bank with various materials salvaged from a variety of sources, including discarded WWII practice bombs (left) from the Army depot where he worked.

In the photograph below a line of these old practice bombs can be seen serving as the base of a section of retaining wall.

Practice bombs serving as the foundation for a section of Angel's retaining 

wall

Angel's accumulation of treasures rescued over the years include an old 6-cylinder engine and a horse-drawn turning plow, both once used on the Alvarez Ranch in Sycamore Canyon where Angel grew up.

Old 6-cylinder engine

Old horse-drawn turning plow

The engine could have been used to drive a water pump for irrigation. The owner of a small portable sawmill where I once worked as a teenager used an engine very much like this one to power his mill. AS for the old turning plow, I spent many youthful hours following behind one of those pulled by a team of mules.

Another memory from long ago was brought to mind by an old horse-drawn scoop. I used one of these when I was about 14 years old to clean out a pond on our farm.

A horse-drawn scoop

I really do not look back on the days Angel's collection of equipment called to mind with a lot of longing. I never learned to actually enjoy such work. At the time, I thought it was just because I was rather lazy. However, in retrospect, I think that I just wasn't interested. The best thing I can say is that such hard labor led me to join the Navy.

Angel's front yard, in contrast to the collection of artifacts in the back yard, is quite neat and orderly.

Angel's front yard

High on the bluff just across the wash from Angel's home is a large house (right) that is presently for sale and he is making an effort to, in his words, “clean up my back yard” so as to present a better view to prospective buyers. In my opinion almost everything he has collected has long since entered the status of “artifact” and can by no means be called junk. I call the place Angel's Museum; I certainly hope that he doesn't go too far in his clean-up efforts.

My feelings about “junk” may be influenced by memories of my Grandpaw Wicker's junk yard. Grandpaw was a farmer, a carpenter and a sawmill operator who also owned a thresher that he used during wheat and oat harvesting season to thresh grain for other farmers, collecting a toll for the service.

He bought all of his equipment second hand and repaired and maintained it himself. He seemed always to have a tractor, a truck or some other piece of equipment under repair. When something was simply beyond its useful life, it was never completely discarded but was instead moved to a location under a large oak tree that was called the “junk pile.” There it would reside just in case some part of it became useful for repairing some other piece of machinery. As a result I have always thought of old machinery as stuff that might be useful someday.

From the wash at Angels Museum, the bridge where Brook Hollow Drive crosses the wash is clearly visible. Our house can also be seen beyond the bridge.

Brook Hollow Bridge across Christina Draw Wash 

– Price home visible in the distance

The bridge marks 0.8 miles of my 1.5-mile walk. If I turned right (east) on Brook Hollow at the bridge, another 0.2 miles would bring me back home. However, still wanting more than a one mile walk, I turn left (west) and walk to the end of the street.

Heading west on Brook Hollow Drive

At the end of Brook Hollow Drive, I pause for a view across a wash (unnamed) and the houses along Quail Run to Mingus Mountain.

View to Mingus from the end of Brook Hollow Drive

I then retrace my steps for about 100 yards and turn left (northeast) on Agua Fria Drive.

Looking northeast on Agua Fria Drive

Agua Fria Drive is 0.3 miles long, running from Brook Hollow Drive to Del Mar Drive. Del Mar Drive then runs for 0.1 miles from Agua Fria Drive to Mescal Drive. From the junction of Del Mar and Mescal, it is just another 50 yards to the Mescal Drive side of our house.

Our house seen from Mescal Drive

The total walk as shown on the map (below) is 1.5 miles long; the highest elevation is 3560 feet and the total ascent is 266 feet.

The Neighborhood Walk

Eventually I decided to extend my walk and found that by turning right on Acoma Drive when I reached the end of Brook Hollow Drive and continuing to the end of that street and returning, I could extend the hike distance to an even two miles. Then, a little additional experimentation disclosed that by taking S Arrowhead Ln from Del Mar back to Brook Hollow and then proceeding to S Arroya Vista and back home I could extend the walk to 2.3 miles. This is shown below.

2.3-mile walk route