Steve Bremner, Laila Hughes,
  Sir Vidia, and Sam the Wolfdog
August 23rd, 2000

Humphries Peak
High Point of Arizona
12,633'

Laila and I had been looking forward to this great Southwest tour of the "highpoints" of Arizona, Nevada, and California ever since I had purchased a permit to climb Mt. Whitney in the lottery system in February. The centerpiece of this trip was to be the climb of Mt Whitney on Wednesday, Aug 23rd. Unfortunately, due to a delay in our trip while I settled a real estate closing, we just didn't have time to get in Whitney.

We didn't get on the road from Colorado Springs until around noon on Monday, August 21st. On this first day we just wanted to get a lot of miles behind us and to get as close to Flagstaff, Arizona as we could.

Our first peak would be Mt Humphries, in the San Francisco peak range just north of Flagstaff. The San Francisco Peaks rise impressively out of the high desert about 70 miles south of the Grand Canyon. They are one of four sacred mountains of the Navajo, demarking the boundary of Navajo territory. In this instance the southwest limits of Navajo land.

That first day of driving brought us as far as Farmington, New Mexico, where we found a hotel for the night. Dinner was an assortment of deli food from Smith's grocery.

Next morning, driving past the famous landmark, Ship Rock we entered Arizona and the Navajo Reservation. After the obligatory stop at the four corners monument, the only place in the U.S. where one can stand in four states simultaneously, we considered what the landscape could offer for the rest of the journey to Flagstaff. We both had never been to the famous Anasazi ruin site, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced SHAY, a French corruption of the Navajo word "Tsegi"), so we decided to make a side trip down there and hike in to the "White House" ruin that afternoon.

We left the dogs in the truck and started down the trail around noon under partly cloudy skies. It took about half an hour to hike down. The ruin sits at the bottom of the canyon and is surrounded by fence. Navajo artisans sat at tables offering silver and turqoise necklaces and bracelets. The ruin didn't make much of an impression on me. I much prefer the canyons of SE Utah where solitude allows one to fully absorb the essence of the ghost spirits.

As we started up the trail back to the rim of the canyon we felt a few drops of rain. Hurrying, we were still unable to avoid the eventual downpour. The brunt of the rain lasted only a few minutes though and once back to the truck we took the dogs out for quick jaunt around the rim to the lookout point.

With the afternoon apent at Canyon de Chelly, we no longer had realistic expectations of going up Mt Humphries that day, so we settled into a barely acceptable cheap hotel in Flagstaff. After listening to a Navajo woman argue with her boyfriend next door for much of that night, we were rudely awakened early the next morning by someone pounding on our door. Peering out through the window shade I saw a burly Navajo looking menacingly in at me. I yelled at him to get away from our door.

After he departed somewhat chastened I realized he must have pounded on the wrong door. It proved to be our wake up call and soon we were out of that hell hole and driving north on US highway 180 from Flagstaff.

Turning east to Snow Bowl, a ski facility, the road climbed several thousand feet in elevation until just before Snow Bowl we found a sign pointing the way to the Humphries Peak Trailhead. The trail is nicely maintained, initially traversing a grassy meadow before entering forest with surprisingly massive spruce trees and other varieties of fir. After three or four miles of steady climbing we emerged from the timber to a high saddle, still some distance from the summit.

The trail moved left, ever up and onward, now through large boulder well above timberline. The summit came into view some distance away. Finally we spotted the one soul who had signed into the register ahead of us that morning as he made his way down the slopes about half a mile away. When we crossed paths he indicated that this was a difficult climb for him. Accustomed to the 14,000' peaks of Colorado, Humphries at a mere 12,633' was a cake walk for Laila and I.

The climb was very satisfying though, with much biodiversity as the trail climbed steeply through rich forest before entering the alpine region near the summit.

The time was close to noon when we had returned to the truck ready for the next adventure--the long drive to the isolated Boundary Peak, high point of Nevada.

highpoints