This and that

While I was not writing in this blog, a lot was happening here in Flagstaff, walking-wise. Walk-the-walk was taking place regularly. The Forest Service had its regular series of walks, even tho some had to be rescheduled and rerouted because of the Schultz fire. And the FUTS trail celebrated its first 50 miles. Then, of course, we had our Flagstaff Walks! celebration culminating in a safe International Walk to School Day (despite the tornado outbreak- eight confirmed tornados, big deal for up here). Also, many other walks were held and trails built/improved. It was a good year for walking (bad year for natural disasters).
Recently, Jack Welch wrote an article in his weekly column Flagstaff Trailheads about how many people came together to work on improving a FUTS trail. Jack highlighted the many groups that worked together on this project. Go ahead and read the article, All hands on deck for Rio makeover, - “many hands make light work.”

Flagstaff Fridays

Well, I am working out some kinks here. I wanted to share Flagstaff walk events with you on Fridays, so I will try but I might have to update during the week. We'll see, right now I don't have a full week of events. And believe you me, Jack Welch always has a full week planned. :)

First off, don't forget First Friday Art Walk in downtown Flagstaff. This is always fun! Grab a cup o' hot chocolate and head on downtown. Friday, December 3, 6 p.m.

Here is the event list from Jack Welch. Lots of stuff to do!

SATURDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Snow Shoe or Hike
Anderson Mesa Overlook
Start Location: NPOI Parking Area. From the end of Lake Mary Road continue on to the sign marked
NPOI/Marshall Lake. Drive up to the top of Anderson Mesa on that paved road.Park in or near the Arizona Trail parking lot - Top of Anderson Mesa
Time: 3:00 PM 3:00 PM
If we can't snowshoe we'll walk. About 3 total miles. We use the Arizona Trail to the overlook of the two Lake Marys

SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Snow Shoe or hike
Fox Glenn Park Prairie Dog Loop
Start Location: Fox Glenn Park corner of Fox Glenn Drive and Butler Ave
Time: 3:00 PM 3:00 PM
About 3 total miles of walking

MONDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Snowshoe Equipment - How (and where) to buy or rent
Presentation by Cuyler Boughner
Location; Willow Bend Environmental Education Center
Time: 6:30 PM
Chance to see what features make Snow Shoeing fun or not so much fun.
You don't have to buy the high end. Places to rent. Equipment and clothing
Don't miss this one
Cost: $5.00 that goes back to support Willow Bend

TUESDAY 30 NOVEMBER
Walk into Winter
Start Location: Adult Center Thorpe Park
Time: 9:00 AM
About three total miles of walking in and around the surrounding neighborhoods.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day. ~Robert Caspar Lintner

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

One of my favorite things...

Okay, I am back. I guess I got lost in wanting to do more for this troubled world. But I will remind myself of what my friend said, “every little step counts.” That’s why I still like “Going for a Walk,” every little step counts in walking and what you do in life.

So my son is doing this tracking project and taking all sorts of photos of animal tracks. Have I already talked about animal tracks? Probably. But on my list of favorite things they would rank pretty high. I feel like I am looking into the secret world of animals when I see their tracks- you usually don’t see the animal you just see where the animal was.

Sometimes stories are written in the tracks. Today, in the new snow, we saw where a squirrel jumped from a tree, hopped to an area, dug up some ponderosa needles, and went to another tree. Did the squirrel find something to eat under that patch of needles?

This past spring we visited Death Valley and stopped by the dunes. I had to stay back with our dog but the others headed off for a quick journey to the impressive sand dunes- my family and dozens of other people. As I hung close to the parking I checked out the vegetation and the sand near there. Hundreds of tracks told a tale of life hidden from these daytime visitors. Tractor-like tracks- an insect?, four-footed tracks with a tail on one side then another- a lizard, more lizards, more insects, mice, other rodents, rabbits, a fox? And now where were all of these critters?

Once I felt I chanced upon a nighttime story. We were coming home late in a light snow. As we drove up the road slowly we could see a group of five or six deer on the street under the streetlight. They kind of looked around before one-by-one they turned and trotted into the neighbor’s yard, into the darkness. My biologist-side explained that they had been on their way to some available vegetation. But for some reason the image that lingers is a night-gathering, a party for the deer. In my imagination what we had interrupted was a brief moment of the deer enjoying the spotlight. Maybe if we came upon the hoof prints left by these deer the next day, it would have looked like a dance.