I suffer through the summers here in Arizona, so that I can enjoy this time of year. I went for a trail run this weekend a few miles from my house, 11 miles round trip with 2,400 feet of elevation gain, all in miles 2 through 6. I thought I’d be able to run more of it, but it was too tough for me, so I decided also to take a few pics.
If I remember correctly, didn’t you do your Ultra here (Javelina Jundred)? The trails in the photos connect to that system (Pemberton Trail), just a few miles to the east. It’s really fun to link those trail systems together on the MTB, but I only dream that I could be a strong enough runner to do it on foot.
Yes, good memory I did the 100k on Pemberton and will be back again in Oct. this year to tackle the 100 mile. I love the desert and want to get the hell out of the rain of the PNW and move south. I lived in Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon in the early 90s and that is where I fell in love with the area.
If you need any help when you come back in Oct, let me know. If you are allowed to have a personal aid station, that would be a good excuse for me to ride my MTB from this side of the mountains to the Pemberton/Dixie Mine trail junction.
Thanks for the offer! You could always run a lap with me at 3am. 15.5 mile loop thru the desert, in the dark with the coyotes howling and prowling about. Very cool.
I get over to the Fountain Hills side once in a while - usually on the roadie, but I did a full loop of the McDowells on the mountain bike a couple of weeks ago, which included Promenade, Sonoran, and Dixie Mine trails on your side. The run route I did on Saturday was from the Gateway Trailhead and up/back on the Tom’s Thumb trail. If you are a real animal, go up the East End Trail (closer to Fountain Hills, off of Windmill/Coachwhip from Dixie Mine), which connects to Tom’s Thumb up top.
I did the 100k on Pemberton and will be back again in Oct. this year to tackle the 100 mile. I love the desert and want to get the hell out of the rain of the PNW and move south. I lived in Sedona, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon in the early 90s and that is where I fell in love with the area.