Old Munds Wagon Trail/Merry-Go-Round

Eleven humans and two dogs began the 9 AM climb past frozen waterfalls
in oddly warm weather and great trail conditions to the Merry-Go-Round.
One late-sleeper started later, making it an even dozen. Still two
others carved their own route, vaguely associated with the scheduled
NATRA run of the day. What a wonderful day to be alive!

Coffee & treats followed at the usual place, including some incredible
chocolate cake, courtesy of the Blanchards. (Thanks to Bruce for the post and photo above and newcomer Kimball for the photo below!)

Rocky Ridge - Elden Road

It is seriously hard to believe that one year ago we were buried under 5 feet of snow. As the Arizona Daily Sun reported today, this is shaping up as the second driest January in Flagstaff's history. With that in mind, we figured our best option was heading up Rocky Ridge.

11 runners including two newbies showed up. We welcomed John, visiting from Washinton DC and Mike who just moved to Flagstaff from San Diego. Rocky Ridge was for the most part pretty clear with most runners navigating the tricky icy patches. I do however know there are going to be at least few sore butts as I watched the slips and falls safely from my position at the back of the gang. As Mackenzie, Amber and I all whined about missing Rhiannon and Tim (Rhi leading the pack with a shirtless Tim), the run reminded of one of our favorite NATRA pictures from the archives of January 2007 (on this very run!)






After the run we visited Late for the Train and basked in the warmth of the powerful January sun, hoping winter will soon return.

Chicken Point

On any given Saturday, you never know who is going to show up on a NATRA run. While we have seen a consistent 12-15 runners, we broke a new Sedona record with 25 runners and 7 dogs on our Chicken Point adventure today! The weather was perfect and unlike the mud, snow and ice of Brins Mesa two weeks ago, these 8 miles were mostly dry. It is always fun to run onto Chicken Point and surprise the visitors that arrive via jeep tours. Yeah, tough bunch we are! Several runners actually started early and logged even more miles. Afterwards we all enjoyed the warmth of Sedona in the plaza at New Frontiers and hailed King David.

Schultz Creek Road to Lincoln Logs

13 runners, Sklar and Annika headed up Schultz Creek Road on Saturday morning. As the warming temperatures of the past few days created hard packed snow, the challenge was avoiding plunging into pockets of the trapped powder beneath. All I could think about was the old game Don't Break the Ice! Thus we had to focus on every step we took, making this a far more strategical run than is often required for heading up Schultz Pass Road. The first group made it all the way to the Lincoln Logs while the rest of us turned around a bit earlier with thoughts of the Seasoned Kitchen treats pulling us back. The return trip was even more challenging as the sun had softened the hard pack and our downhill weight breaking through the hard pack more often than not. Coffee and teas at the Seasoned Kitchen were well earned by all!

Moutainaire 100

A great day for some cross-country skiing at the "Mountainaire 100!"

Brins Mesa/Soldiers Trail Loop

10 Runners including the Mangine clan (and no dogs) made a last second decision to test the Brins Mesa Trail Loop from the Jordan Road parking lot. Undaunted by promises of epic hill ascents, the group headed out for the 5.2 mile tour (David forewarned the group that it'll feel like 8). After making some quick wrong turns in the forest (the snow and ice made the turns a bit tricky to recognize), the group headed into the wilderness and were not disappointed.

In rating today's trail climbs on Nigel Tufnel's scale (Spinal Tap), "these go to 11!". This was simply one of the most scenic and challenging 5 miles of NATRA trail runs ever. The experience was enhanced by the snow, ice and mud on the trail. Water trickled down the drainages and ice crackled on the sandstone.

For the most part the trails were frozen until we got on top of Brins Mesa which had just thawed. We ran through a short section of the Brins Fire which has healed over very nicely. The views of the wilderness were spectacular from the top.

Once we all safely navigated the final descent and headed into Sedona, we encountered 3 javalinas who seemed to consider whether they would let us get coffee. Once they decided we were not worthy of their time, we enjoyed sitting outside in West Sedona's sunshine and snarfed down coffee, teas and pastries. A great day for a new trail run!

Check out Efmer Trails Web Page for a profile of the run.

Happy New Year's Frozen Bun Run 2011!

Amber, Mackenzie, Sabrina, Rob, Don (back form India, briefly), Brian, Bruce & Annika kept NATRA's streak going, with the first run of the 10th-anniversary year. Lot of crunchy footfalls echoed off nearby houses as they tried out their various solutions for 'warm' through the snow-packed streets of Flagstaff. Rob's Radar O'Reily parka hood was the most distinctive, but Brian (who ran with us once about a year earlier) received many moxie points for running in shorts. This time, the temerarious trotters resisted the temptation to pound on Neil's door.

Coffee at the Kick Stand followed (thanks to Bruce for the posting and Rob for the photos!). Download today's photos!