Backpacking the Coconino Rim
August’s big event was a backpacking trip up the Arizona Trail along the Stagecoach course out to the Coconino Rim. During the race, I had gone through a lot of this area in the dark, and when sunrise came toward the end of it, it was so beautiful to me that I wanted to come back out to see a sunrise there again.
So I got some friends together for the trip, and they came along to check it out with me.
It was a nice hike out, the weather was great (if a smidge warm), and we found a nice campsite out toward the edge of the Rim. Filtered water from some kind of collection tank filled with the funkiest green muckwater I have ever stuck a filter into (and subsequently clogged), which added some adventure to the trip.
It was a warmer night than any of us expected it to be, so we all slept a little restlessly. Per my plan (and really the whole point of the trip), I did get up before the sun so I could sit outside and watch it rise, and I was staggeringly, blissfully content. One of the peak highlights of the year.
After we packed up and hiked back to the car, we decided to take an alternate route back to Flagstaff that resulted in hours of semi-lost wandering through miles and miles of cattle ranching land. It was a pretty weird way to cap off a great trip.
At the very end of August, I joined a gym again and signed up for a premium tier to take advantage of the small group training classes. I have been looking for a long time for a gym that a) had small group training at a rate I could afford, and b) a class that is focused on heavy weight lifting and strength training that I could do to complement my running. Vasa Fitness finally checked those boxes for me.
