A Few Days Off and a Tough Climb

            June 12 – I took today to bum around Flagstaff. What a great little city. I can’t believe how overlooked it has been in my possible destinations. I talked to a guy who works at one of the outdoor stores here, Babbitts, and he said it is a “stopover” town – most people who visit it are only here for one night. I can’t understand that. It has all one could want: mountains for hiking (up to 12,600 ft. elevation); trails and trails and trails for hiking; places to climb, including being less than an hour from Sedona, which is known for its climbing; an historic downtown with everything from trendy to down-home restaurants; and, maybe most importantly, an unbelievably temperate climate.

While Phoenix to the south and Moab to the north are both in the hundreds, the higher elevation of Flagstaff (6800 ft. give or take) keeps the temperatures in the 80s and cools it off nicely in the 40s or 50s at night. I’ve had nights I’ve slept in my sweatpants and hoodie, and nights I was comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts – but the mornings are always bright and warm quickly. There’s been no rain since I’ve been here, although I know they could use some, and barely a cloud in the sky. That’s why I decided to stay for a week or so before heading farther west for the hike.

Berry berry crepe

So today I really did very little. I restocked a few things and walked a little downtown. I ate at a recommended Mexican restaurant that was okay – nothing like the places in Kanab, Utah – and found a little creperie where I had a “Berry Berry” crepe that was yummy. I found a lovely used book store called Starrlight where I bought an Edward Abbey book I’d not read, Down the River, and found another, Slickrock, that he co-authored. This edition of Slickrock was a hardback, first edition signed by Abbey, and it was priced at $375. Ah, to have more expendable income than I do . . . Unfortunately, the guy working said someone had come in just before me and bought a copy that wasn’t signed. C’est la vie, I suppose.

View at dusk from my campsite

My home these two weeks

My hummingbird friend

Returning to my campsite early, I enjoyed the afternoon. Sitting in my chair, reading the Abbey book, a hummingbird visited me a number of times, announcing his arrival with the unmistakable hum of his wings. My lantern must look like a feeder he’s used, because he kept returning to it. I say he, because what I know of birds is that the male is more colorful, and he had a bright, iridescent pink breast. I managed to snap a photo of him in the tree above when he lighted for a moment, but I wasn’t quick enough to get him next to me. My friend Rhonda reminded me that sometimes it’s better to just enjoy the experience than try to record it. Thanks, Rhonda. You are so correct.

The Honey Moon - Full moon on Friday the 13th

I watched the setting sun change the colors of the mountains just to the north of my campsite, and waited for the Honey Moon to rise. There’s just not a whole lot better than sitting outside on a beautiful, clear evening.

June 13 – Today I worked a little more on developing my trail legs and my altitude tolerance. I chose a hike called Eldon’s Lookout and Fat Man’s Loop. The entire length was only about six miles, but the first 2 ½ of it rose 2500 feet. It was probably the steepest climb I’ve ever done, with the exception of when Helen Cathey and I climbed out of that sandy wash in Capitol Reef. That was a mile long and climbed about 1000 feet, so the grade was similar but the length was longer.

Part way up

Much of the trail was along an edge

This is the trail

Glad to see this sign - finally at the top

Much of the trail consisted of rocks – some in the form of crude steps and some just rocks I had to scramble up. I decided I wouldn’t worry about how long it took me, so I rested a lot, taking pictures and catching my breath. There was a lot of shade on the trail, so it wasn’t as brutal as climbing out of the Grand Canyon, and I had plenty of water and only a day pack, so it wasn’t as brutal as Capitol Reef. I only averaged a mile an hour on the climb, but of course that included all the stops for pictures.

At the top the wind was blowing about 40 miles an hour, with nothing to block it. I walked around the fire tower part way, and then turned and walked around it from the other direction, letting it shield me from the worst of the wind. Finding a place up against the building to eat my lunch, I looked out over the various mountains of the San Francisco Peaks. Mt. Eldon, on whose summit I sat, is one of the shorter peaks – in the coming week, hopefully, I’ll summit Mt. Humphry, the highest point in Arizona at 12,600 ft.

From the top

The trip down was much quicker as I didn’t need to pause as often to catch my breath and rest my legs. I did have to check my speed at times, as the downward inertia occasionally pushed me faster than I should go. I was picking my way down, using my trekking poles as brakes, when I moved over to let this 30-something man with a three-year-old child on his shoulders pass me. He was probably 6’4” or so and had long legs that went from rock to rock with no hesitation. If ever I begin to feel smug about my abilities, I only have to wait a few minutes and someone comes along who reminds me how inexperienced and unskilled I am. 

I felt so good when I reached the base of the Mt. Eldon trail that I took the longer route back to the trailhead, looping up and around in the Fat Man’s Loop trail. I was really glad I did, as the trail led through some big, fallen boulders and was an easy, pleasant hike.

From the top - the fire in the distance was put out quickly

I decided to shower at the Aquaplex, and I indulged in a dip in the pool and a short soak in the whirlpool. It was lovely, and the hot water felt good on these old bones and muscles.

Finishing off the day, I spent some time at McDonalds on their internet. I searched TripAdvisor for a recommended restaurant, and I found a barbeque place called Satchmo’s that was highly rated. I’ve been craving good barbeque, and there is nowhere in Sioux City that has ribs like I know exist (sorry Famous Daves and House of Q). I even had ribs at the Jazz Fest, hoping for something wonderful, and they were only so-so (and overly priced). Here I finally found what I was looking for.

 

Satchmo’s is a little hard to find, situated in a strip mall just off a secondary street. You walk in, order from the counter, and then find a table. It probably only holds 40 people, so I almost got it to go. But just as I finished ordering, a table opened up, so I stayed to eat. The tattooed young woman working the register was helpful and made the suggestion that I make a 4-rib dinner a half-rack dinner for a few extra dollars, so I did that. I chose the sweet potato fries and beans as sides – the beans had been recommended in one of the reviews I read, and I saw the fries on another diner’s plate, and they looked fabulous.

 

The young man who brought my food out was a cook it appeared, and he was friendly and personable, even though it was busy. They had a large selection of beers, and I heard him helping customers choose their selections with knowledge and confidence.

When I took the first bite of the ribs, I knew I’d found the right place. The meat literally fell off the bones as I began to eat it. Ribs are often tough and you have to rip the meat from a solid bone, but these were unbelievably tender, and even the bones were small and fell apart as I ate. I seriously don’t know if I’ve ever had such good ribs. The sauces, I used a combination of sweet and spicy, were tasty but not overpowering, allowing the flavor of the meat to come through. Unlike Famous Dave’s, which has six different flavors to choose from so you can hide the taste, or lack of taste, of the meat, here the simplicity was perfect.

The sweet potato fries were thin, crispy, and fried to perfection, and if I weren’t concerned with weighing more than I should, I could have eaten another helping. The beans were okay; of the entire meal, they were the least memorable. They were good, but nothing exceptional.

I will return to Satchmo’s before leaving Flagstaff. Maybe after I hike Mt. Humphries I’ll treat myself to another of these heavenly meals. I can use that as incentive to hike the highest hike I’ve attempted so far. But that is a few days away. Until then, I’ll salivate just thinking about those to-die-for ribs.

June 14 – I spent another day doing very little today. I decided to return to Flagstaff and wander around its streets again. I needed to pick up another pair of the socks I found last week called “Darn Tough” socks. They offer really great padding but aren’t bulky, and they wash out well. I will only pack three pairs for the long hike – one to sleep in and two to wear while hiking, alternating wearing them and washing them out every other day, so finding the perfect ones is important. I’ve bought a number of pairs over the past year or so, but nothing was just right. Just like my boots, it’s taken some trial and error. The store where I bought the socks was out of the ones I wanted, so I stopped in another outdoor store in town. (I saw about six outdoor stores in about two square blocks, and that doesn’t even count the new REI in town.)

Talking with the young man working at Babbitt’s, the store I stopped into, I asked if anyone around could clean up my small backpacking stove. When I used it a few nights ago, it was really hard to light, and I need it to work easily while I’m on the JMT. He offered to do it for me if I brought it in after noon, when more workers would be there. I did, and he spent about 45 minutes working on it.

He took it all apart and cleaned it up, explaining what was wrong and how I could keep it functioning better. When I explained that Jesse had used diesel fuel in it at one point, he said that was part of the reason it was so filthy. He recommended to only use the white gas unless it was not available. I will definitely follow his advice.  We visited as he worked on the stove, and he told me he has worked as a guide for some backpacking and river rafting trips. He made some suggestions on hikes for me, and I used his suggestions to solidify my hiking agenda for the next week. I’m not hiking every day – I realize I need to save some energy and mental strength for the month I’ll be hiking almost daily. I plan to intersperse the hikes with days in Flagstaff or at the campground, enjoying the weather, the scenery, reading, and writing.

So tonight, I’m going to work on finalizing my resupply packages that I’ll be mailing Monday, and maybe reorganize my car a bit – it always gets to be such a mess living out of it. I’ll try my stove and make sure it’s working just right. There are real perks to spending consecutive days in one campsite, and I’m taking full advantage of those.

And tomorrow, I’ll hike up a mountain. Again.