Mt Humphreys 2019

May 6, 2020
2 min read

I apologize to all my followers for being super late on the next couple blog posts. The last few months have been very hectic with work and haven't had that much time to write and share my experiences. So this post is from October 2019.

We drove up on a Friday and found a great camping spot off of FS222 in Flagstaff. We had a wonderful night camping. It was a quick night because we spent some time off-roading and playing around in the woods before we got to our site. Anyhow after a couple beers, a bon fire and a random guy walking through the woods we got to sleep. Woke up super early around 5am and packed, ate some oatmeal and were on the road to the trailhead for Humphreys Peak. Humphreys Peak is the tallest peak in Arizona, its said to be the only 14'er in the state of Arizona. We parked near Snowbowl and began our trek on the trail. Going through beautiful woods with overlooking canyons and draws. After a couple thousand feet we got above the alpine line where it became treeless and bare with nothing but rock. Once we got to this point the hike got interesting. The wind got stronger and the clouds dropped on us. Ive been told by several people this hike can go from good to dangerous in minutes and once the weather started to turn I would agree with them. Being only a 1/2 mile from the top we decided to push forward. By the time we got to the top we had zero visibility in any direction, freezing winds and light snow. We ate a quick snack and started our descend. The storm kept coming while we were at the top, hail and freezing rain drenched us. Once we got back into the tree line there was just rain and the occasional sleet. About two miles from the trailhead the lightning and thunder rolled in. This is where the hike got scary. We started a light jog back to the truck with lightning strikes that seemed just 100 feet away. The rain and snow did not let up until we got back to the truck, which was covered in a light snow dusting. Overall it was a great hike and I would love to do it again when the weather and visibility was better. This time though it made for a wild experience with an adventure buddy. To anyone that plans on hiking Humphreys Peak, just remember to check the weather especially during monsoon season as the weather on the mountain can change in minutes.