Rhi's Last Hurrah....Arizona Trail, Walnut Canyon

A beautiful morning for 12 runners on the Arizona Trail from Walnut Canyon north to I-40. The day started off cloudy and damp, a fitting weather pattern for Rhiannon's last NATRA group run as she and Tim are headed to Portland, Oregon! Once we raffled off some great FUTS caps, shirts and bandanas, we hit the trail. Right off the bat, we scared a large herd of about 20 elk. As we descended from the old growth tall ponderosa pine stands to the lower pinyons and junipers, we were overpowered by the sweet scent of cliffrose. Our view of the Peaks in the open grassland was marred by the blackness of the Schultz Fire. Feeling strong running downhill, I ran a bit too fast and on the uphill return my legs decided to rebel against forward motion. David Mckee made the return walk less painful as his jokes distracted me from the hurt in my legs. Back at the trailhead we returned to the Seasoned Kitchen where Tony whipped up his finest coffees for all.