While approaching Flagstaff on Friday night in the rain, I wondered what kind of weather was in store for John and me for this weekend. Hiking Kendrick Peak and Humphreys Peak in the rain did not sound like a fun 2 days of hiking. There was no need for worry or our rain gear however, as Saturday morning brought blue skies and smiles as we headed to Kendrick Peak.

Bearing northwest from Flagstaff on State Highway 180, we unknowingly passed our turnoff, but by the time we got to the Kendrick Picnic Area John had become convinced we had missed it. As John turned the truck around, there loomed Humphreys Peak - tomorrow’s destination. This striking site of Humphreys Peak as a backdrop for a lime-green meadow is somewhat marred by a fire along the small volcanic cones and hills surrounding the meadow. John commented about feeling lucky to have taken several pictures of this view before the fire. Within a couple miles of backtracking on Highway 180, we found Forest Road 193 and headed for the Pumpkin Trail trailhead.

At this well-marked trailhead is a trail map of the Kendrick Mountain Wilderness carved into a huge wood sign. As John shut off the engine to his truck, I noted the time as 9:00 AM. After the usual pre-hike rituals, we were off.

The trail immediately starts in pristine forest. I noted a lack of fallen timber throughout our hike. After a half-mile, we stopped for a water break at the junction which offers a choice of continuing with the Pumpkin Trail, or utilizing the connector trail to the Bull Basin Trail. Another half-mile down the connector trail we came upon the Bull Basin Trail. A sign here noted the Bull Basin trailhead to the left, so we bore right to continue the ascent to the summit.

Less than a half mile later, we discovered a porcupine scurrying from the right side of the trail. We followed him for about 20 feet as he chose to seek the cover of some trees with branches low to the ground. We maneuvered very carefully in order to capture this fella on film as he appeared content to sit amongst the trees. The color of this porcupine caught my eye. I had only seen one other in the wild, and that one was entirely a smoky gray. This one had a rather dull yellow appearance to the top quarter of each quill, which were standing at attention for us. The rest of him mirrored the smoky gray of my first porcupine sighting. To get a picture, we each fought with what little light was available in this rather dense forest area. After snapping a couple photos each, we left our bristly friend. As we retreated, John told him he wished he had some food to give him. What do porcupines eat anyway?

After hiking for about 2 1/2 hours, we were treated to the first of many small grassy meadows surrounded by aspen. The sight of the white trees among the meadows gave a cleansed appearance to this area. As we hiked through the aspens I began to notice what appeared to be claw marks traveling 6 feet up the trunks. As I looked around, very few of the aspens we encountered on the hike had escaped these markings. Though there were similar marks that were well healed, nearly every tree had extensive fresh gashes on them. I surmised these were made within the last month if not the last week. As I stared at the marks of one tree I was able to picture a bear straddling the trunk while scratching at each side of it.

At about the 3-hour point, we reached the saddle that merges the Bull Basin and Kendrick Trails. We investigated a small cabin on the saddle. It was a musty-smelling, tin-roofed wood shack, but I thought it could be nice cover in the rain. John mentioned he knew of a metal-roofed shack people on Mt. Whitney had sought cover in. That shack had been hit by lightning killing one of those inside. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea after all.

As we walked further onto the saddle we were able to see tomorrow’s destination, Humphreys Peak, among the peaks of the San Francisco Mountains. A couple of pictures later we headed for Kendrick's summit.

From the saddle, the trail to the summit steepened. As I led the way through the beginning of the switchbacks, I stopped dead in my tracks as I smelled one of the foulest smells I've ever encountered. I turned to John to ask whether he also smelled it. With the markings we had seen on the aspens, and now this extremely strong odor, there was only one conclusion. There was a bear close by. A bear we never heard, let alone saw, but were convinced we had smelled.

Several minutes later, we passed a sign for the Pumpkin Trail which was to be our way down. Climbing another 5 minutes up the trail I was able to hear voices coming just above me from the lookout tower perched on the summit. The formality of asking to climb the steps to the tower didn't seem necessary as the trap doors were already open, and conversation was obviously taking place. Inside were the Lookout and a Ranger who both welcomed me with smiles and greetings.

I utilized the balcony surrounding the tower to take pictures of the San Francisco Peaks to the east, along with Sitgreaves and Bill Williams Mountains to the south. On a clear day, which this was not due to clouds and haze in the western sky, it is possible to see the rim of the Grand Canyon to the northwest.

John and I shared our experiences with the Lookout and the Ranger, noting the clawed aspens and foul smell we had experienced. The Ranger seemed surprised to hear of this possibility. She mentioned she had been on the Bull Basin Trail about 2 weeks previous and did not see any of the marks we had seen. Looking toward the northeast we could see the fire damage done around the meadow by the Kendrick Picnic Area we had driven by. The Ranger explained to us the fire occurred last May and had jumped across the meadow (perhaps a quarter mile) to engulf a separate area of forest.

After enjoying the scenery, along with some food and water, we headed down by way of the Pumpkin Trail. One of the subtle differences of this trail to the Bull Basin was the lack of moisture on the trail. With its southern and western exposure, the Pumpkin Trail was virtually dry. The scenery of both trails is much the same, as are the slope of the trails. We noted the aspens on the Pumpkin Trail had the same damage to them. John and I spent the rest of our time in the aspens looking for a tree with just the right kind of damage to take a picture of. We remembered one we discovered on the Bull Basin Trail that had 4 distinct long claw marks on it. Unfortunately we didn't take a picture of that tree, as we never found one like it on the Pumpkin Trail. We did notice the damage done to these trees was more aggressive however, as entire chunks of bark had been ripped from many of the trees.

The only wildlife encounter we experienced on the Pumpkin Trail was a small light-brown horned toad scurrying from the trail. John took a few moments to calm him so we could each get a picture of him.

This hike is characterized by the serenity it offers. Very few birds are on hand to break the sound of the wind through this beautiful forest, grassy meadows and aspen groves. I will remember this place as a wonderful calm. A great escape.

Getting there:: From Flagstaff, take State Highway 180 northwest approximately 15 miles. Turn left (west) on FR 193. Follow FR 193 for 3 miles until it ends at FR 171. Take a right on FR 171 and follow the well marked signs to the Pumpkin Trail.

Tips: No Fee. A porta-potty is at the Pumpkin Trail trailhead. We encountered no one on the trails. We only saw one other hiker. He had preceded us to the summit as he sat eating lunch with his two dogs. Though this hike was taken during the monsoon season, the skies were blue and the temperature perfect.

Stats: This 11-mile hike with an ascent of 3,160 feet, to a summit of 10,418 feet, took 3 hours 15 minutes utilizing the Pumpkin, Connector and Bull Basin Trails. It took 2 hours to return to the trailhead utilizing the Pumpkin Trail.

Thanks to John Piersa for proofreading and editing suggestions of this journal.