Resident T again, live (sort of) from the still unseasonably warm Flagstaff, AZ! This week was pretty interesting and our trip was fantastic. We had some bumps in the road, which I’m sure you are all super eager to hear about, so without further ado….
We woke up Sunday morning bleary eyed and moving slowly, laundry still in the wash and dryer, much to the chagrin of the guides. After some choice words and some solid boot to rear motivation, we loaded up in the vans, burritos in hand to head to the early morning Men’s Stag AA meeting. As always it was a fantastic meeting, and afterwards we crushed the gym for a few hours, wanting to get our pump on and make the most of the weekend. Lots of weights were lifted, hoops were shot, and racquetball was played.
Around 12:30 we hit the road to Payson, AZ, about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Flag. Upon arrival, we stopped at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, where we did a short hike down to an area where an underground stream ran off into another stream as a waterfall. We hiked further up the stream to a pretty special and unique spot. I really wish I could tell you more about it, but I can’t. The knowledge is classified (locals only).
We woke up Monday morning eager to begin our hike. We hopped in the van for a short ride to Derrick Trail trailhead. Our moods soured slightly when we came to the realization that the hike was entirely uphill, but the scenery and serenity of the area more than made up for it. It was a decently sized hike, clocking it at just around 6 miles, but the best part was definitely the campsite. It was located on a hill about 150 meters from a stream, and was gorgeous. We settled into camp, and attempted to summit a nearby peak to hold our AA meeting, but ended up finding the best spot slightly down from the peak. After a productive meeting we returned to camp for some dinner and to play (cue dramatic music) Mafia. If you’re interested in how to play it, please look it up, as it is a ton of fun. I’d love to explain it to you, but I’d end up spending the rest of my letter just doing that. Anyways, much hilarity ensued throughout the 4 rounds, as yelling, mistrust, sneakiness, and general mischief abounded. Afterwards we were exhausted, so after a quick mediation (or game of spades) everyone fell asleep.
Tuesday morning came much too quickly (in my humble opinion), and within the hour, we were packed up and hiking out. The benefit of hiking uphill the whole way was quickly shown as the way back was entirely downhill, and we flew like the wind back to the trailhead. We were soon back at the van, and returned to Hunter House, where we chowed down on a delicious meal after Derig. Our day ended calmly, with an in house AA meeting, some tv, and some tunes on our MP3 players.
Much love to all y’all out there,
This is T, over and out.
P.S. Due to Guide Nick saying “Best Veg Meal Ever!!!!” when he promised he wouldn’t, he now has to research the benefits of eating meat and present it to us carnivores next trip *muahahaha*
Guide Nick- 0 Residents-1
