Mt. Elden Hike

Before Our Hike

Yesterday, the boys and I decided to have a look at Elden Pueblo. It's an old Hopi Pueblo that was unearthed in the 30's, I think. Since 1978, the public has been encouraged to participate in digging out of the pueblo. The pueblo was home to the Sinagua people from 1070-1275 AD. (The people's name, Sinagua, comes from the long ago name of the area, Sierra Sin Agua, Moutains Without Water.) The pueblo is on Highway 89 North, from Flagstaff to Page, AZ.

After we visited the pueblo, we decided to check out Mt. Elden to hike. From that trail head, there were three trails, each a bit longer than the other. The longest was two and a half miles long and ended at the top lookout of the mountain. Two and a half miles is a 30 minute breeze on flat land! Two and a half Mt. Elden miles are a bit different. Right away, it started to rain hard. We took shelter under an Alligator Juniper tree, which by the way can be up to a thousand years old in this area. A-Mazing! When that down pour ebbed, we trekked on, only to find ourselves drenched half-way up.

After shivering for  a few minutes, I made the executive decision to start our decent. It was a bitter sweet moment; we were only a half mile from the top, but I felt that I would be risking hypothermia if we continued. The wind was blowing on our soaked skin and clothes and we all had cold, stiff arms. We did take the long way down though, which was a blast! It was longer, but it was also less steep, so we ran most of the way down.

Drenched and Happy After Our Hike