My hike into the Inner Basin was an opportunity while I was
in the neighborhood. I’m actually in
Flagstaff to attend the Overland Expo, a marketplace of camping, camping
vehicles, motorcycling. In general different ways of just getting
outdoors. I am interested in seeing
camping equipment; primarily truck campers.
I did stop to see other forms of camping; tents on trucks, tents on
trailers, plain old everyday tents and large expensive and very expensive all
terrain camping vehicles. The only thing
I didn’t explore was camping via motorcycle; I like four wheels and a lot of
sheet metal around me. I’m glad I
went. I didn’t get all my questions
answered but I was able to narrow my choices.
Prior to leaving I searched for hiking trails in the
Flagstaff area. Dozens showed up. I picked out one or two possibilities with
the idea of stopping at the National Forest office for suggestions. The Inner Basin Trail, one of my choices was
highly recommended by one of the rangers.
Inner basin area is an extinct volcano that collapsed millions of years
ago. From the inner basin it is possible
to see several of Arizona’s highest mountain peaks surrounding you.
Once off the main highway the forest road narrows to one
plus lanes, no RV’s are allowed. There
is little room for error; a steep mountain wall on one side, a steep drop-off
on the other. Even though there is no
one in sight on the way up the only way to enjoy the view is to stop, then
look. After three miles I rounded the
corner entering Lockett Meadow. The
meadow makes up the open side of the former volcano. The trailhead is at the far end of the
Lockett Meadow Campground consisting of a limited number of sites; primarily
for tent camping. The sites have gravel
pads for vehicles with spots cleared for tents.
From the trailhead a steady climb of 1,400’ gets you to the inner basin.
My hike is on Mother’s Day, I don’t know if there will be a
lot of hikers, or no hikers. Because I
have a 5 hour drive between Flagstaff and Albuquerque I decide to start early; getting
on the trail before 730. I am the first
one to sign the log book at the trailhead.
The temperature in Flagstaff when I leave the hotel is in
the low 40’s. I actually forgot to look
at my truck’s thermometer when I arrive at the trailhead. Probably a good thing. I am almost 2,000’ higher at the trailhead, plus
another 1,400’ to my destination. I don’t
do the math to determine the approximate temperatures I will be enjoying. The temperature I feel at the trailhead is
cool but comfortable. But I don’t feel
the wind that is swaying the tree tops several feet in concert with the rushing
sound matching the continuous ocean waves riding up a beach.
Wind will be the big obstacle today.
At the start, one side of the trail is an established pine
forest; the other new aspen growth; the first long term residents after a
recent fire. At this low elevation aspen
are putting on their display of spring green.
After a mile I cross into an established aspen forest. The trees are barely showing any hint of
green. Many aspen are larger than those
I have seen in NM, with calipers of 10 – 12”.
Snow piles, hiding in the shade of the mountainside, make occasional
appearances. 
As I continue my climb snow becomes a regular
occurrence. In spots I follow a trail of
footsteps to traverse the deeper snow. The
trees are swaying more and the rushing sound of the wind intensifies.
Coming around another corner, my view changes from forest to
open meadow and mountain peaks. I am
also hit by the wind. I have to stop. I have to turn my back to the wind; it is hard
to take a breath with the ferociously gusting winds.
My view of the basin is exhilarating. At first I only see one or two mountain
peaks. As I emerge into the basin more
peaks come into view. Depending on their
orientation they are in different stages of spring. South facing peaks have shed their snow; all
others are snow covered to some degree.
A little way into the basin I find a small hiking shelter. There I add my rain jacket and balaclava to my
existing layer of cool weather clothing.
Now I can go on. More on this
later.
Wandering through the basin taking in the mountaintop views I
see chipmunks dashing to their holes as I approach. I hear humming birds and occasionally see one
flying low to the ground probably wondering what they are doing here at this
time of year. I also hear other birds
but I am not able to see them, they must be hunkering down waiting for calmer
conditions.
After an hour or so of admiring and shooting the views I
decide to head back down. Nobody has
made an appearance yet. The winds have
not let up. My extra layer clothing made the difference between being
comfortable and staying for this extra hour or returning early, before I was
ready.
Once I start down I begin to run into hikers. I noticed that when there were couples the
women generally dressed for the cold, blustery weather while the guys, not all
of them, were not. Several were wearing
only T-shirts and shorts. Either they
are more hot blooded than I or they were being macho. I was happy with the extra layers. In all I passed about two dozen hikers on my
return trip.
By the time I made it back to the trailhead I was too warm,
having to remove my extra layer before the drive home. On my way out i stopped at the Lockett Meadow Campgorund for one last view of the Inner Basin over a small pond.
I recommend this hike for all of you going to the Flagstaff
area with a few extra hours to enjoy a wonderful hike.
Thank you for stopping by,
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment