A great day for a snowy run on the Fort Valley Trail System. Dogs Annika, Josie, Wiatt and Skylar accompanied Tony, Neil, Sabrina, Tobin, Chris, Janie, Matt, Gail, Bruce and Mackenzie. We started out in a light snowy drizzle with a crusty, wet inch coating the ground. Once we got above 7500 feet the snow depth quickly reached our ankles and the run became quite challenging. Bruce, Tobin and Chris made it all the way up to the pipeline they encountered a foot of snow! On the way back, Tony led several runners across a short cut over a fallen ponderosa that was a bit too slippery for some (see video). We happily warmed up with coffees and teas at the Seasoned Kitchen.

I Heart Huckaby!

16 runners, Petzl and Skylar ran the always beautiful Huckaby Trail down to Oak Creek. It was a picture perfect Sedona day with thermometer on the rise throughout the run. There were more newbies on the run than ever with Tony, Angela and Margot from Sedona, their visiting friend from Boston, and Brett and Bridget from Flagstaff. We then enjoyed basking in the sun at New Fontiers enjoying coffees, juices and Brett's almond, pinyon, cashew, macadamia nut butter spread!

Observatory Mesa

Fifteen runners (16? 17?) showed up for a run to the top of Observatory Mesa along the Mars Hill Trail. This is a trail with a tough uphill start but levels out after about 3/4 mile or so. This first section was doubly challenging because it was snow packed and icy in spots -- but far less snow than last years run (12/12/2009). At the end of the trail, we split up with the one group following a route similar to the BBBS half marathon, another heading out towards the A-1 mountain loop, and the rest heading south along the Tunnel Springs Trail. This section was mostly clear of snow and dry since it faces south.

Unlike the "Ninja Runners" of a few weeks ago (11/06/2010), we didn't all arrive back at the starting point at the same time. No matter -- everyone had a good day and we regrouped at the Seasoned Kitchen for coffee and some of Bretts fabulous brownies. (Thanks to David Blanchard for the post)

Beaver Creek/Parents Weekend

Both Janie and Heather's parents joined 13 runners and headed up to the Beaver Creek pools. While the day started out chilly in Flagstaff, it was very pleasant in the friendly confines of Beaver Creek. Tony, Chris and I all wondered if our calves would create problems. For me, this is the run where my calf muscles snapped last year, leading to a frustrating year of running. Luckily, we all survived.

No one was brave enough to take the Beaver Creek polar bear challenge, so we just let the dogs show us up (photos posted above are from last year's run). Heather's dad successfully negotiated the rocky trails, feeling much more at home than on previous visits. We all returned to Tony's for coffee and teas and enjoyed watching the holiday shoppers bustle through the Seasoned Kitchen.

Turkey Predictor Run

Greg, Alexis & Mike, Margaret and Bruce met on a very cold & windy morning to run from Flag Middle School up to the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot at Buffalo Park. Along the way, since Neil didn't show up, they stopped and POUNDED on his door before proceeding. Now, we hear Neil wasn't there, but someone was. Is that someone mad at us or Neil?

The turkey trot had scads of brave runners. Many of us apparently finished much faster than our predicted times. (Numb faces will do that.) Alexis' and Margaret's maternal instincts took over when they caught up with a little boy who went out too fast and was upset; finishing with him in a little under 20 minutes. None of us were close to winning and it was COLD, so everyone jogged home for their various, awesome Thanksgiving celebrations.(Thanks to Bruce Higgins for the post, and yes, Diana did hear the knocking at 9 AM, but she thought it was a dream - until now of course!)

AZ Trail - Picture Canyon Section

Anne, Neil, David M, Heather, Bob the dog, David B, Susan B, Tony, Sabrina, Mark and Jennifer, Randi, Joel, and Aaron set out to enjoy a romp on the Arizona Trail. It was nearly a repeat of last year's run (the pictures above are from last year's run) as the first winter storm of the year brewed to the west. The winds slammed us heading down the trail, and we hoped this would help propel us back up the hill.

David and Neil led the runners on a tour of the petroglyphs and restored natural channel along the Rio De Flag. Although many of the runners were long time Flagstaff residents, few had ever seen Picture Canyon and all were amazed at the waterfalls, restored channel, and ancient petroglyphs of this hidden canyon in their backyards.

The plan was to run a bit longer at this point, however, the bridge across the Rio had been removed since the restoration of the natural channel. As David M tried to guide us across on the wooden boards, he fell knee deep into the cold stream and we decided it would be better to take a longer tour of the canyon.

It was a little more than 5 years ago that NATRA helped sponsor "Make a Difference Day" when 60 volunteers cleaned up the trash filled canyon. Thanks to the efforts of many partners, this jewel of Flagstaff will hopefully be preserved for generations to come. The runners, helped along by the tail wind returned to the Seasoned Kitchen and enjoyed Tony's agave sweetened cafe lates.

Sandy Canyon to Fisher Point

18 runners (including two new faces) and 5 dogs headed out on a crisp,
bright day to Fisher Point and back. Along the way, we also encountered
a 19th, who was on her way back from an 8 AM start. Wyatt found an elk
leg to carry most of the way. Many of us headed to Tony's afterward.