2015 Hike #55 - Abineau Bear Jaw Loop, Flagstaff, AZ

The Abineau Bear Jaw Loop trail is located approximately 21 miles North of Flagstaff on the North side of the San Francisco Peaks.  The golden leaves were falling like snow from the Aspen trees and provided a carpet to walk on in the middle of October.  The 7 mile loop has a steep 2 mile climb.  We took the Abineau Trail up which is shorter but also steeper than the Bear Jaw Trail.  The trails are joined at the top by an old dirt road.

2015 Hike #54 - Pump House Wash, Flagstaff, AZ

Pumphouse Wash, a beautiful, sheer-walled gorge through cream-colored Coconino sandstone, containing deep pools, small cascades and flooded slot-like channels. Faint traffic noise from AZ 89A high above is audible at some times but otherwise the canyon is quite unspoilt and not much visited, despite the proximity to the highway, partly as there is no trail or signpost, and only limited parking where the road crosses the lower end of the canyon.  http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/pumphouse-wash/canyon.html

Paul and I hiked from James Canyon out through Pumphouse Wash on October 31, 2015.  It was a long day of rappelling, swimming and boulder hopping and we realized we would not make it back to our car before dark.  There wasn't a lot of water in October here nor were there any other people. What a relief to finally see the bridge and see the headlights of cars on 89A after almost 11 hours of hiking! This would be a great area to come cool off in the summer.  Very beautiful but tiring! The wash is approx. 2.5 miles from 89A before it meets James Canyon.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/slot_canyons/pumphouse-wash/canyon.html

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2015 Hike #53 - James Canyon, Flagstaff, AZ

James Canyon is accessed from the Kelly Canyon exit just south of Flagstaff off I17.  Paul and I hiked this on Halloween, 2015.  This trip will definitely remain in our memories for a long time to come! The approach to the canyon is easy to find and after a short walk following the power lines South to the canyon. Right away we had to put on our wet suits and drop into a pool followed by many more pools.  My hands got quite cold on some of the longer swims. The rappels range from 12' to 35' and were not difficult.  The anchors were in good shape and easy to find.  The boulder scrambling really slowed us down so by the time we reached the confluence with Kelly Canyon it was 3 PM and 6 1/2 hours had passed.  We did not have time to return to our car before dark so we opted to continue through Pump House Wash to 89A.  This required 4 1/2 more hours of boulder scrambling including 2 hours in the dark with only one headlamp! We then had to hitchhike from the winding 89A to Flagstaff (on Halloween at 8PM) and catch a cab back to our car on I17.  Thankfully a very nice young man picked us up and fed us bagels then dropped us off at the Flagstaff airport and from there we called a cab.  This was not what we had planned but we made the best of it and have a great story to tell.  This canyon was nice and would be very refreshing in the summer time.  There is too much boulder scrambling to make it an enjoyable day in my opinion.

2015 Hike #52 - West Fork and Insomnia Canyon, Sedona, AZ

West Fork trail is probably my most favorite trail.  The well maintained trail is just over 3 miles long and crosses Oak Creek 13 times.  Paul and I have hiked this trail at different times of the year, once in the winter when there was ice and snow and in the fall when the leaves are changing.  It is almost always crowded and hard to find parking.  This year I dropped off Paul and Mike Knarzer at the top of the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness to descend into Insomnia Canyon.  I was not able to join them due to a shoulder and knee injury so I hiked West Fork hoping to meet them as they were exiting.  For more information on Insomnia Canyon see: http://canyoncollective.com/betabase/insomnia.108/
After dropping off Paul and Mike, I hiked up to the scenic ridge which had views of the entire area. There had been a major forest fire the year prior and this area had been closed off to the public.  It was a little sad and spooky to be where just a year ago so much destruction had been done.  Insomnia Canyon is a technical canyon which includes a 320' rappel which is mostly free hanging and a couple of potential keeper pot holes. We hired Mike Knarzer to take us/Paul through this canyon to ensure our safety.  The distance of Insomnia/West Fork is 6 miles and it took approx. 8 hours. This canyon would require 2 vehicles unless you can be dropped off at the top (approx. 1 hour drive from Sedona) or hike up the steep AB Young trail afterwards.