Humphrey’s Peak, Arizona

My first attempt at summiting the highest point in a state of the US was serendipitous. I had not planned on tackling highpointing as a challenge yet. My brother and I, staying in Sedona, had realized we were very close to Humphrey’s Peak and had a day with nothing planned; so we decided, why not?

We drove the 1.5 hours to the Humphrey’s Peak trailhead at the Arizona Snowbowl and started trekking. We had a couple layers of clothing, some snacks, and plenty of water. II picked up a walking stick at the beginning of the trail, which came in handy. I am not a fan of hiking poles, for several reasons.

At 12,637’ Humphrey’s Peak is the highest natural point in the state of Arizona. Our hike took about 7 hours, out and back, with very little preparation. I am in fairly good shape and my brother is a marine, so although we admitted some fatigue and altitude tiredness to each other, there was no possibility of not summiting without dire circumstance intervening.

Our summit took place in August.

There was a delightful and unexpected abundance of all kinds of plant life on the mountain, but abundant of all were the  mushrooms. Pines, grasses, lichen, and mountain flowers were all present, but all manner of fungus grew on the slope, all the way up to the tree line, and lichens and less needy and more stoic types grew further up for some distance.

The weather on this hike was pleasant and cool, but overcast the entire time. We had some rainfall, and near the top visibility was very limited. There were no grand scenes as a reward for our efforts. The temperature dropped severely after the treeline and the wind howled with little reprieve, making the air even colder. It was an icy reception at the top, and I wish we’d packed more layers. But it was our first time and what did we know?

The descent was much quicker, of course, and we met with no obstacles worth mentioning. We did encounter, by way of our ears, some of the wildlife of the mountain. We had seen two young men who couldn’t have been more than 22 or 23 years old going up and coming down. On our own way down they had preceded us and we’re downhill, when we heard screaming of the kind a man only makes when in great pain and fear. We immediately thought of the two young men and even ran for a short way before we figured out that it was not the young men.

We heard a similar scream from a different direction, distinct from the first. What we heard, stopping to listen, were two mountain lions calling across the mountain below the tree line. A frightening prospect as we had only small knives and our walking sticks, but we kept a good eye out  and saw nothing of them. They called for several minutes back and forth and then were quiet again.

We made it down the slopes without incident, enjoying the grey and the cool and the greens, and the feeling of not being overwhelmed with wind and cold.

In retrospect this first peak that we bagged was the perfect start. It was large and hard, but not technical, requiring no planning beyond food and water for two fit young men. It is a good achievement in itself, and I am proud for having done it, but there are 12 higher peaks in North America, and it is also a challenge.

Check out the route we took here.