FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA TO CAMP VERDE HOT SPRINGS. - Hot even at 8:30 am on 6- 25-93. Still fingers of snow on Mt. Humphreys, the highest point in the State of Arizona at 12,633'.It was so hot my thermal protection switch was shutting off the air conditioner. At Camp Verde along Highway 17, it was 105 degrees to 108 degrees Fahrenheit at 3000'. I left Camp Verde at 4:30 pm for the hot spring. I had 22 miles of dirt/washboard road to go on with no HVAC. It was so hot I missed the turnoff to the Verde River - the sign (USFS) was facing the wrong way, so I ended up in Strawberry and had to backtrack 12 miles of dirt road back to the turnoff. Hot, hot. Everything was hot.
CAMP VERDE HOT SPRINGS, ARIZONA - I camped out at 1 am last night and the air temperature cooled down to 80 degrees F or so. I was up at first light, 5 am. Left Childa Power Station and campground at 6 am. had a nice walk in and along the Verde River to the old Bridge Piers. Here I crossed the Verde River twice, waded up to my hips in one place but the flow rate was low. Found the old resort on the other side complete with palm trees and two outdoor pools. The water was 102 degrees F., nice. One pool had a roof on it but was washed down river when the Verde River flooded last Jan/Feb 1993. Interesting old hippie types at the hot springs. Photo's of the Hot Springs are in Jason Loam's Hot Springs book. I drove back up to Payson, Arizona at 5000'! Then down toward Globe, Arizona and past Roosevelt Lake and its Dam. They are putting in a new dam much higher that the old dam, due to the booming population In Phoenix. Saw Saguaro's at 2500'. Hot Real hot. The A&W in Globe was giving free ice cubes so I loaded up and wrapped them in a towel and put the towel around my neck. I visited a new park in Globe, Az, called Besh-Ba-Gowah Arch. Park. Very interesting. Especially the "Sipapu"! So hot I went to a movie in Globe: "Cliffhanger". The movie was somewhat of a joke but it was so hot I stayed in the show for two movies.
EARTH FIRST RENDEZVOUS ON MT. GRAHAM - Camped out near Geronimo, Arizona (6/27/93). Hot, hot, 12 midnight, hot, 7 am. Coyotes were up at 6 am. Nice soak at Watson Wash Hot Well. Someone build a nice concrete tub. Clear, good water 104 degrees. Nice heavy flow rate. Headed to Earth First Rendezvous. Picked up two girls hitchhiking ... would you believe they took a Greyhound Bus from Kitchener, Ontario to Safford, Arizona to attend the Earth First Festival and protest building the University of Arizona telescope within the Rare Red Squirrel Refugium! I couldn't hike to the top of Mt. Graham - it was red-taped for the Red Squirrel ... but powerful University of Arizona interests built an actual hi-tech telescope within the Refugium. This is an environmental atrocity and I told the ranger so. In fact, even the Pope (Vatican) has money put into this obscene project. Are all astronomers that narrow and mean?? But the way, thee Earth First people are radical. The two girls were chewing tobacco while carrying 50 pound packs, and, at the festival, I saw some pretty girls in their 20's walking around with no shirts or brassieres on!! A big poster in the trees said "U of A Don't Rape Mt. Graham." Dozens of News media were there. No dogs allowed. Police cars seen escorting people in U or A cars up the road. It was a lot cooler in camp at 9000'. But still 90 degrees and in the daytime. Good weather for the women to go bra-less!! The Heliograph Peak trail was