Set off on the Humphreys Peak trail a bit uneasy as I didn't have a fully-formed idea of what I'd do upon getting to the saddle. Originally, I had thought about going up the Kachina trail to the southern end of Weatherford. In hindsight this would have been far too much so I'm glad I went with the shorter route to the saddle at 11,800'. Once there, I decided to go along the Weatherford from its northern end, for as long as I felt like, before turning back. This ended up being a relatively short but scenic stretch. At that point I started feeling peak lust, a bit surprising since going to the top wasn't something I had originally planned. Went back to the saddle and on to the peak from there, more running than I expected to do on this final stretch. After a good sit at the summit, zoomed back down. The last few wide sweeping switchbacks below treeline seemed to drag on forever, but overall this excursion was quite manageable, finished feeling fairly fresh. I did roll my left ankle on the descent but recovered quickly enough to avoid major damage. Windy of course, but clear and sunny for as pleasant a day as you're going to get. Some haze from the wildfires in the area which cut down on the view regrettably.
posing at the saddle
ridgeline to summit
this way to summit
Weatherford
more Weatherford
summit view, continued in pics below
trail down from the summit
In the evening, I decided to head down to Cathedral Rock for a sunset viewing. Alas, I underestimated how long it would take to get there from Flag (note to self, it's about an hour) and arrived at the trailhead just as the sun was about to disappear beyond the horizon. What followed was me rushing my way up to the top when I had planned on a leisurely hike. Definitely not what the doctor ordered after the morning's effort, and left me somewhat frazzled upon reaching the top. Spent a good while there as the light faded, used the headlamp to get back down, at a much more sedate pace.
Bell Rock in the distance
Oak Creek Valley
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