With lots of wind and cold weather rolling into Flagstaff, it felt like a good weekend to run this loop. Some sections of the trail are nicely sheltered from the wind, and it was a nice 45 degrees out. Since AZ has had such a dry winter, most of the stream crossings were dry, though there were plenty of iced-over pools in the Canyon and tanks. As a plus, the grass was a bit lower than Spring, so the cairns were a bit more visible when the trail was difficult to find. Counted 49 downed trees across the trail, but that’s part of this area’s charm! Now someone get out there and run this faster than me- it’s definitely very possible!
Logistics: I carried 600 calories in the form of sports drink mixed into 1000ml of water, and did this effort alone. Having the route on my watch was definitely a bonus, and I scouted the Tanks area the day before, to avoid a major navigational blunder (though, this trail definitely keeps you on your toes, navigationally).
A fun day!