More Flagstaff adventures! Even though we had just visited the area with the kids, Angela and I decided to head back up to Flagstaff this weekend as one last quick trip out of town before she would be back to her teaching. The cooler weather was a major draw of course and the vibe of Flag also is relaxing and welcoming. Not to mention we were again looking forward to sampling some pizza from Pizzicleta.
Arriving on Friday afternoon Angela took the day off from running while I got in a quick 7 mile easy run right from the hotel onto the Flagstaff Urban Trail system. It’s really excellent that the city dedicates the resources to developing such a great system of mixed use trails around town. This run had some strides thrown into the mix towards the end which I really think will benefit my speed moving forward. The next day was set to be a long run for both of us. Angela planned to do around 14 while I hoped to get in 18 miles in my build towards Javelina Jundred. We discussed a few trail options and ultimately decided on the same Rocky Ridge to Schultz Creek trail loop that I inadvertently took the weekend prior.
One of the major benefits of running in Flagstaff was NOT having to get up super early to beat the heat. We had a lazy morning around the hotel, eating breakfast first before heading up to the trailhead. The route would start on the Rocky Ridge trail, to Lower & then Upper Brookbank, catch Sunset, before descending down Schultz Creek. Total mileage for this route came out to 13.4 with 1,885 feet of elevation gain. Most of this gain comes in the early part of the run up Rocky Ridge and particularly the Brookbank trails. Angela and I stayed together for the first 5 miles as I wanted to get through most of the major intersections before we separated. Since I had gotten a bit turned around last time I knew the major problem areas of the route. The plan was I would run ahead after that to get my extra miles so she wouldn’t have to wait around for me too much at the end.
Once I went off ahead the running picked up as we had reached the more runnable sections of the trails anyway. Being that it was a very pleasant Saturday there were many other hikers, bikers, and a few trail runners out as well. One interesting encounter was with a hiker who had her dog alongside her. As I approached from behind and called out to her to make my presence known she nicely held the dog as I went by. However, she must not have held on quite long enough as soon the dog came up behind me and I had a new running companion. Or at least that’s what it seemed like at first as the dog and I switched places leading for fifty yards are so. Then, unexpectedly the dog came alongside me and I felt the pressure of its teeth on my leg. While it may have been a “playful” interaction I reacted automatically by yelling at the dog and thankfully it quickly backed off, as the owner called out to it as well. I’m normally not too skittish of dogs but really even out in the wilderness they should be on leashes if not EXTREMELY mild mannered.
The rest of the run went well enough, descending down Schultz Creek faster than I had even the week prior. Since I had another 4.5 miles to complete at the end I went out into the nearby neighborhoods for a stretch and then back up the Schultz Creek trail, figuring I’d pass Angela going the other way at some point. The weather had begun to turn a bit and right as I came upon Angela the rain started as thunderstorms built in the area. Quickly I found myself in a downpour and lightning was visible fairly close nearby. That’s all I needed to see and I turned around about a quarter mile short of where I needed to get the full distance. This would put me only at 17.5 miles total for the run, but it’s just not worth any risk for a measly half mile. Especially when our plans the next day were to go back up Humphrey’s Peak which would put me over mileage for that day’s planned run.
Another great time up in Flagstaff and we hope to get back up there again soon and explore some different trails. Kendrick and Elden are two more peaks that will probably have to be conquered on the next trip!
