What a lovely day for a run around Flagstaff! I looked forward to seeing what I could do, after a summer of altitude acclimation and recent backpacking. I hadn't really run since Bigfoot so that was the wildcard. Happily my legs were game to try and they did really well as long as I didn't push super hard. Climbing was much easier this time around, as I hoped/expected.
I stashed water in 5 places plus stopped in at the Chevron on Railroad Springs for a 99-cent Moon Pie. I carried everything else I needed. I followed Georgia's track from 2025 and my track from June of this year, with one exception noted below.
I started in the dark to hopefully have enough daylight with the shorter days. I was initially about on pace with my June effort but didn't fret. I eventually gained a few minutes here and there, especially toward the end, and was happy to finish an hour faster. Saw a few hikers and bikers but overall it was a pretty quiet day on the trails.
There were a few minutes of confusion as I tried to find the trail up from Schultz Pass Road. Turns out the AZT has been rerouted and the old trail is now covered over with branches and rocks (see photo). The new trail isn't even on Gaia yet, but it's well signed on the ground. It meets up with the previous trail at the top of the climb. The FKT route should be adjusted here to accommodate this.
Thank you Loop Trail for another fun day roaming around in the ponderosas!