Since I had the day completely free to do whatever I wanted, I decided to go north to hike and do some photography. I had seen an article in the newspaper a few weeks ago about 3 trails. One was in Payson, one in Prescott, and another near Flagstaff. After researching all 3, I decided to pick the one that would be furthest away since I had the entire day to myself. So off to Payson!
I took the longer route (2 hours 45 min) that would take me up the 17 instead of having to drive through Scottsdale and then up the Beeline Highway (2 hours, 15 min), I think. The drive up was absolutely beautiful! I was able to roll the windows down, put my music up (yeah, I am back on a country music phase), and drive to my heart's content! It was so nice! At one point in the drive, there was the wonderful smell of burning campfires. They were doing some monitored burns of part of the forest. The smells just reminded me of my childhood and camping with my family. It's not a scent I encounter anymore, so it definitely brought a smile to my face!
Through the mountains, I kept going in and out of service on my cell phone. I wasn't paying attention to the directions because I thought I still had a ways to go, and I actually missed the exit for the trail I had intended to go to! I thought about just turning around whenever another exit came, but there was no exit! And all I could see was dead stopped traffic on the other side of the road! So if I did ever get the chance to turn around, I was going to be stuck in all of that traffic for hours! So I decided to forgo the original plan and just wing it! I had seen enough trailhead signs everywhere to know that I could probably pull over just about anywhere and hike!
The first empty street that I saw, I turned down. It was a camping area. I drove through until I found an area I could park and walk in silence. I really didn't want to deal with other people. So off for the first hike!
I didn't want to get too far away from my car since I had no cell service and was alone. So I hiked around about 20 minutes and then headed back to my car.
Back on the road, I drove another 10-15 minutes and came across a sign for the Two-Sixty Trailhead. It was a pretty big sign, so I thought it must be a decent trail. I'm so glad I made the turn! This one was my favorite of the day. I drove up and there was 1 truck there. A family with their 2 dogs were just coming off the trail. The mom said it went for about 4-5 miles and was beautiful and shady. Perfect!
The trail was pretty easy and already marked. It was easy to navigate and I got some nice pictures along the way. I walked about 45 minutes before I turned around to come back. I wasn't sure how far I was and I didn't know if I would have to turn around eventually or if it curved back around. On my way back, I came across another couple who was hiking. As I returned to my car, there were already another 3 cars there too. It was a nice hike that I would definitely look to do again.
At this point, I was getting service on my phone and trying to figure out the best way to still hike, but to make sure I'm on the way back home too. I couldn't believe that the directions from my phone were to go back into Payson! There was no way that I wanted to sit in all of the traffic, so I decided to take the long way, through Heber/Overgaard and then Show Low, through Globe, and then through Apache Junction and Mesa.
Along the way, I stopped at another 2 or 3 trails to get out and walk and do some photography.
It was a nice break from driving. I think I must have drove about 8 hours today! I went through almost a tank and a half of gas. So much for my cheap and easy day off! I could have gone shopping with that money and bought a new outfit!! Oh well....
It was a beautiful day. I got to be alone and think about some things that are going on in my life. I don't know if it helped to make any decisions for me, but it was nice to have the time to process some stuff internally. The weather was absolutely perfect! It made me anxious for Phoenix's summer to be over and done with already!
Back to work in the morning!
