Humphreys Peak

29-May-99 (private trip)

By: Linda McDermott

I was visiting Ted/Lorry Brasket and Jeanette Vincent in Prescott the weekend of May 21, so convinced them to meet me in Flagstaff to climb Humphreys. Traveling alone used to scare me more than it has lately because I've traveled so many places by myself over the years. I left directly from work at 5:45 pm on Thursday night and drove to Kingman, AZ where I pulled into a Motel 6 parking lot and slept in my truck. What I didn't realize was that there is a major train route nearby, so heard trains most of the night. A better choice would have been the second exit in Kingman instead of the more popular first one. I had considered taking my dog Maggie with me for safety (she was allowed on the peak with a leash), but I didn't have time to pick her up.

I got up early to complete the drive to Flagstaff. The directions in the Sage were easy to follow, plus the ski lift area is on the AAA map of Arizona. I arrived at 8:00 am to wait for my hiking buddies. A car or two pulled past me, and I kept an eye for Ted's white truck. When a sporty red car pulled up, I was expecting kids to ask for directions. Turned out to be Ted, Lorry and Jeanette! I was jealous of that red car, but glad to have my practical truck.

We got off about 8:30 am and encountered snow at the bottom of the trail, for a mile or two. That side of the peak is sheltered and in the trees, therefore the snow was a bit icy and scary for me (who had broken my ankle because of melted snow). Ted, Jeanette and I followed the trail until near the ridge where we had to go up scree/ talis to get to the saddle because the trail was lost in the snow. The top of the peak had no snow (and no weather storms because we were early in the season). We got to the top around noon, spent some time on top, then started down. Instead of coming back down through the snow, we went for the ski run and followed it down to the ski lodge, avoiding the snow.

The peak apparently had gotten late snow this year, but it turned out to be a wonderful time to climb the peak. The temperature was nice all day, and because it didn't get warm during the day, we had no thunderstorms to contend with. Ted, Lorry and Jeanette took care of me the rest of the weekend, showing me all around Prescott, Arizona. My thanks to my three buddies fortaking such great care me over the weekend!