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We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day for this hike, with a
deep blue sky and warm temperatures. After Chuck and Ted took group
photographs, we started up the trail, heading clockwise, into the
lovely green forest. We proceeded past granite boulders covered
with lichen and breathed in the scent of pine trees. It was
heavenly to walk in the shade of those trees and to catch occasional
glimpses of Granite Mountain and the Prescott Valley to the left
and the surrounding peaks to the right. The scenery was breathtaking,
and the ascent up the switchbacks also tends to take one's breath
away. Unfortunately, more areas than usual were cleared due to trees
that had succumbed to the pine bark and engraver beetles.
Nevertheless, we were still surrounded by a great proliferation of
juniper, spruce, and Ponderosa pine trees. There are quite a few
deciduous trees as well, and this hike is very pretty when the
leaves are changing color. They had just started to do so for this
hike, with some great splashes of bright yellow on the trail.
When we reached the top of the mountain, at 7693 feet, we met several
troops of Boy Scouts who were using heliograph mirrors to signal
other troops located on Mt. Humphreys, Four Peaks, and other
locations in Arizona. We settled at a picnic table for lunch, and
then we climbed up to the watchtower for a spectacular view of the
valley below. One could see Sedona and San Francisco Peaks from there.
The rocks were covered with bright orange, yellow, and green lichen,
as well as a large profusion of ladybugs. Ted took some excellent
pictures of them.
As we started our descent on the other side of the mountain, we saw
a deer chomping away, undisturbed by our passing. Some of the trees
were covered with moss. We proceeded back down the mountain, past
the helicopter landing area, and saw water in the creek, sparkling in
the sunshine. The breeze kept us cool as we traversed the trail back
to the cars. It was hard to leave that beautiful area.
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