Days 14-15, Fort Valley Experimental Forest to Flagstaff

Within a few short minutes, I arrived at the road. There was no sign of the source of those unusual sounds.

The road acted as a boundary for the no-camping zone. I intentionally stopped before getting this far last night. It seemed I made a wise choice to stop where I did because I didn’t see any potential campsites this morning on the way to the road.

Officially, this was the Flagstaff Area Permanent Fire Restriction. The perimeter was established to reduce the likelihood of human-caused wildfires around the densely populated city.

Ironically, I saw several places that would have been perfect for camping as soon as I crossed the road. Or at least I was pretty sure they were good spots.

I was still hiking without my eyeglasses after they were stolen by a pack rat. To be honest, I may not have gotten a good look at the terrain.

The sign said, “Reserve Tree. Protect from damage or destruction.” This was something else I had to research later to know why it was there.

Reserve trees (sometimes called "leave trees" or "retention trees") are intentionally left standing as nearby trees are harvested. There may be one of several reasons for this designation. The tree could be a nesting site. Other tree species might depend on it. Seeds could be harvested for preservation. Or, the tree may be preserved to maintain long-term forest complexity.

As expected, I had to stop after walking only 40 minutes and remove my puffy jacket. I stopped again at 8:30 a.m. to eat breakfast.

The second break allowed me to use my phone and work out a plan for staying in Flagstaff. It took 45 minutes of checking maps and googling to do that, but it was worth the time. I wanted to stay overnight near the center of town, where I'd be close to stores and restaurants. 

Surprisingly, the Embassy Suites was nearly the same price as other hotels in the area, so I made a reservation for a room there.

There are two ways to hike the Arizona Trail as you approach Flagstaff. One is called Passage 32, also known as the Elden Mountain Route. That passage serves as the trail's equestrian bypass because it does not enter the city limits.

Going in that direction would require a long Uber ride to get to the post office or a store to buy fuel, which I needed to do.

The other option, Passage 33, goes inside the city limits. It is called the Urban Route and follows bike and walking paths. I chose to go this way because it would take me closer to the city's center and its bus system.

The Urban Route may sound like it's paved and cushy, but for the first few hours, it was just as rugged as any other trail. I figured most of the way would be downhill into Flagstaff, but that was not the case.

The trail meandered about with a few climbs. It did not take a direct route into the city.

I got my first view of Flagstaff from one of the hills. At this point, the trail was still following a single-track footpath, and it would be a few more hours before I was on a true urban path.

When I finally reached the city-maintained trail, it was a wide, gravel path. I passed several people strolling on this flat, wide-open terrain and enjoying the pleasant weather.

The sky had been cloudy all day. Sometime after 2 p.m., I caught the scent of rain in the air. Looking back toward the San Francisco Peaks, I saw rain was falling. I couldn’t tell if it was evaporating before it hit the ground.

I left the trail at Old Route 66, a main road into Flagstaff. This was part of the same historic highway I briefly walked on during my 2021 Continental Divide Trail thru-hike. The buildings along the road here in Flagstaff were much less rundown than in Grants, N.M.

I found a taco stand just off the trail, so I bought a taco and a drink. Then I walked to a nearby shopping center. This seemed like an easier spot for an Uber driver to find me, and I ate my taco while waiting for her. 

As soon as the driver dropped me off at Embassy Suites, she pulled out a can of Lysol and sprayed the seat where I sat. I had to laugh when I saw this and didn’t take offense. I also gave her an extra tip.

Later, while doing my laundry, I learned my package had arrived at the post office. This was slightly annoying because I could have saved some money by checking out of the hotel and picking up the package on my way out of town. It was too late for that now.

Getting to the post office was easy. A central bus terminal was a short walk from the hotel, and after a 35-minute ride, the post office was another short walk away. If I wanted, I could have ridden the bus all day for $1.25, but that's not my idea of a good time.

The postal clerk needed several minutes to find the package my wife sent, which worried me a bit. After he finally showed up with the package, I immediately put on my spare pair of glasses, then took a selfie for my wife to share in the happiness of my restored eyesight.

Filling out my election ballot, which my wife also sent to me, turned out to be a challenge. There were no pens in the post office to write with. I had to walk to a nearby bank, borrow a pen there, then walk the ballot back to the post office and mail it.

Returning to the bus stop, I discovered that a motel had an astronaut statue. I have no idea why, but it seemed worthy of another selfie while I waited for the return bus to downtown.

I completed my other town chores when I got back downtown, one of which was devouring a large pizza by myself. This was further proof I was nearing true thru-hiker form.

I also spent time researching the next leg of the trail. That’s when I discovered there was a closure because of a large wildfire near the village of Pine.

Would I have to skip that section? It seemed so, but I wasn’t certain. This could be troublesome for completing the whole trail this year, I thought.

I could see clearly now with my replacement glasses, but there was still much I couldn’t see. What’s going on in Asheville, and should I be there? What’s ahead of me on the trail? Will it alter my hike? I didn’t know, and that was frustrating.

As I prepared to return to the trail, I began to wonder if I should even be here.