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!

Buffalo Park Christmas Loop

Today's Christmas Day group run (and the last group run of 2010) had a surprisingly large turnout with 14 runners and for the first time in recent history, no dogs! Even Santa and a Soulstice jester showed up! Susan must have put something extra in David Blanchard's breakfast as he bolted out with the lead group. No sooner than had we tried to see where the lead group had disappeared, they ambushed us with snowballs at the 1 3/4 mile marker. Luckily Bruce, Sabrina and David had pushed too hard in the foggy, icy conditions as their throws completely missed their intended targets. After we finished the short jog around Buffalo Park, we noticed that David McKee had arrived and was somewhere in the vicinity. Watch the end of the video as David had a special message for all. Download Cory Sheeley's photos!Cheers to all, Neil

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)