Accompanying me on this adventure was hubby R, J and her boyfriend E, and A. Although this wasn’t a long hike, the surroundings were different from what I have hiked so far. To get to Mormon Lake, you pretty much just take Lake Mary Road out of Flagstaff for about 30 minutes or so. It was nice to see Upper Lake Mary and Lower Lake Mary, which are apparently popular for water activities. We also encountered the tail end of a triathlon. J talked us into cheering for runners as we passed them. I felt a little silly, but it was also fun and maybe they needed that little bit of enthusiasm to make it to the end!
This hike was up a mild incline through a ponderosa pine forest. It is supposed to be a good destination for wildlife spotting, but we didn’t see much on this trip. We did see a big foot print that may or may not have been an elk print. It is so funny observing everyone’s different styles for hiking. J and E are the power hikers and they are in it for making it to the destination. A and I tend to meander at a bit slower pace and like to stop and look at things and take pictures. Dear hubby, well, he just likes to stop and look at things and set up the perfect picture! As you will see from his photographs at the end, he does get some cool stuff with his patience. Luckily, we all work well with each other’s styles and preferences and don’t mind everyone being at different paces.
The destination was a rocky outlook where you could see for miles including a view of Mormon Lake. Unfortunately, despite it being monsoon season, there still wasn’t much of a lake to be seen. More of a marsh, really. However, it is the largest natural lake in Arizona, so I can check that one off the list! I continue to marvel at the different things to look at. The rock formations are so fascination – thank you earth science class for increasing both my appreciation and understanding of what is going on there! And apparently, I have a fascination with dead trees… I have noticed a trend in my picture taking with this theme. I think it is because I love the shapes and the stark contrast they make against their backdrop. So once we made it to the top, again we all kind of went our separate ways to enjoy our surroundings. J and E did a little rock climbing. R took pictures. A and I just chilled, had a snack, and enjoyed the sunny day.
This is also where we saw a bit of our wildlife spotting. I saw a cool lizard (look close in one of my pictures to see it) and a very curious and bold Abert's squirrel. My dear friend AMS and I have started this running joke since Boston this spring about squirrels that is based on the movie UP and one of the talking dogs. I am sure you can figure it out if you have seen the movie, right? If not, just go see it! Kinda sad, but really fun movie too! ANYWAYS, there are like 5 million common squirrels on SMU’s campus. You see lots every day. I never see any squirrels on the NAU campus, and this little guy was the first I have seen since moving here. You should really click on the link and check these guys out. They are goofy looking. I took a couple of pictures, but again, you will have to look hard to see him. Anyways, it was fun and easy hike. Hope you enjoy the pictures! Here is a link to Mormon Lake, too. We took Lake View Trail # 132.
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