NATRA/FBO Arizona Trail Day

The rains came early and often, and as I arrived at our annual NATRA/Flagstaff Biking sponsored Arizona Trail Close the Gap Trail Construction day, water was rushing down Forest Road 164B. As my Honda Civic wound around the rocks and mud, I arrived at base camp where Gary and Gay called in the towel. 72 volunteers had signed up for the weekend with some from as far away as Oklahoma. While spirts were dampened, we still enjoyed Late For the Trail Coffee and held the NATRA raffle with lots of Soulstice/Flagstaff Urban Trail System giveaways. Aaron suggested that while we would not be working on trail, volunteers could assist with efforts protecting homes in the Schultz Fire area, and many headed that way. There is still one more Arizona Trail work weekend coming up August 28th-29th, so hopefully this section will get completed! Contact sghohner@cox.net to reserve your spot today!

In other news, thanks to Steve Rhode, NATRA has made its appearance on the Great Wall of China! Thanks Steve!

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.

Schultz Creek

A remarkable turn out of 25 runners on a sultry, stifling humid morning. Prior to running, we held a quick raffle for Flagstaff Urban Trail caps, shirts and bandanas. We will continue to celebrate the 50th mile of FUTS with raffle giveaways at the next two runs. As a result of the heavy rains of Friday, the trail was in perfect condition. The wild flowers were spectacular with more columbines than I can ever remember. Even more amazing was that most of the runners completed the entire loop! At the top of the Lincoln Logs the water was flowing and it felt like we were in a rain forest! Once the sun broke through the clouds, the temperature quickly heated up and by the last half of the run, Schultz Creek trail was nearly bone dry. We all returned to Late For the Train and filled up the outside benches.

Sandy Canyon and FUTS 50 Celebration

What a day for Flagstaff. While I wasn't running, I had a fun time photographing the group run at Sandy Canyon. Thanks to Aaryn Baltutis we have a google map and elevation profile of the run (see pics). I then zipped off to the unveiling of the monument marking the 50th Mile of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System. It was a great turnout with many of the original visionaries, planners and supporters who laid the ground work for the trail system in the late 1980s. Vice Mayor Celia Barotz unveiled the monument and the celebration began. City staff handed out t-shirts, bandanas and caps to attendees and NATRA secured a handful of prizes to be raffled off at future group runs! Download photos from today's events! Sandy Canyon Run and or the FUTS 50 Celebration!

2nd Annual 4 on the 4th

Today marked the second annual Free Flagstaff Four on the Fourth. Organized by Arizona Daily Sun Editor Randy Wilson, the race handicaps fast age groups. With a head start given to slower runners, everyone has a chance at victory. Sara Wagner returned to the Flagstaff racing scene in grand fashion crossing the finish line with a 2 minute lead. This year, the top 3 runners were all women, and Matt Boness was the only repeat top 10 finisher! Download photos . Happy July 4th to all!

22 runners headed up on top of Observatory Mesa on a beautiful fall like morning. Several had to put on an extra shirt just to keep warm! Most actually ran the 10.7 mile long around the A-1 Mountain Meadow. Afterwards we returned to the Seasoned Kitchen to wind down with Tony's lates. Download today's photos.

Humphrey's Trail Conditions

A lot of questions this week about the Humphrey's Trail. Read the article that appeared in the Daily Sun after Memorial Day Weekend. Looking for elevation? Run Weatherford to Doyle Saddle for at least another week.