Tag: trail running

Wildflowers and Running

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Wildflower photographs and trail running. It’s a nice match.

I typically carry the small Sony RX100 VII camera when I go on trail runs. It easily fits into my waist pack or on the shoulder strap of my Camelbak water pack so it is always handy. Running should be about having fun and stopping to photograph the flowers makes for a fun adventure.

Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
  • Evening primrose
  • Penstemon
  • Coralroot
  • Yellow salsify
  • Trail map
  • Columbine
  • Deerbrush
  • Cryptanthas
  • Penstemon

Sometimes all you need to do is walk out into your backyard and adjacent open spaces to see a variety of wildflowers. For these shorter trips, I carry the Sony RX10 IV.

Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
  • Prickly pear cactus
  • Milkweed with a pollen wasp
  • Sticky geranium
  • Sonoran bean
  • Bluehead gilia
  • Prairie coneflower
  • Fleabane
  • Lupine
  • Flax

Both cameras have a zoom lens (24-200 on the RX100; 24-600 on the RX10) allowing me to get closeups of the flowers without having to get too close.

Trail Running in April

The good news was precipitation was slightly above normal in April (measured: 1.02″; normal: 0.89″) although it mostly fell as rain and not as snow (measured: 0.3″; normal: 5.0″). The moisture helped keep the trails in great shape. Only towards the end of the month did the trails start to become dusty.

Kelly Canyon

This is an out-and-back that can start from either the top or bottom of the canyon. We chose to start low because there would be water at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash and I wanted to visit it earlier in the day. Good choice.

Early morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Early morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Mid-morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Mid-morning light at the confluence of Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash.
Some wildflowers (valerian) to gaze at as we run the canyon.
Some wildflowers (valerian) to gaze at as we run the canyon.
Running up the canyon.
Running up the canyon.
Sometimes you run; sometimes you walk.
Sometimes you run; sometimes you walk.

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Trail Running in Northern Arizona

Running—especially trail running—is a big part of our lives and we try to run in interesting places. That could be running up mountains, alongside streams, through forests, and in canyons. And I try to take a camera with me when we run. As a minimum, the camera will be a phone but I prefer to take along my Sony RX100 V, a small camera with a 24-70mm  zoom lens. The camera is actually smaller than my phone (smaller length x width, but thicker) so it fits well in my water bottle waist pack.

Here is a collection of photographs taken on the trails we have run this spring in northern Arizona.

The rising sun illuminates the red rocks of Sedona as we prepare to start the run.
The rising sun illuminates the red rocks of Sedona as we prepare to start the run.
Sometimes Dry Creek has water.
Sometimes Dry Creek has water.
A great swimming hole at the turn around point on Wet Beaver Creek.
A great swimming hole at the turn around point on Wet Beaver Creek.
Group run through Carroll Canyon.
Group run through Carroll Canyon.
Spring blossoms along the Elden Springs Trail.
Spring blossoms along the Elden Springs Trail.
Overhanging rock on Hardline Trail.
Overhanging rock on Hardline Trail.
Blooming agave plant on Hangover Trail.
Blooming agave plant on Hangover Trail.
Spring-fed ponds along the Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail.
Spring-fed ponds along the Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail.
Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail overlook.
Sycamore Canyon Rim Trail overlook.
Cluster of oak trees on Apollo Trail in the Mount Elden Dry Lakes (MEDL) trail system.
Cluster of oak trees on Apollo Trail in the Mount Elden Dry Lakes (MEDL) trail system.
View of the San Francisco Peaks on the high point of Space Walk Trail, a part of the MEDL system.
View of the San Francisco Peaks on the high point of Space Walk Trail, a part of the MEDL system.
Tree with carved bench at the top of Space Walk Trail.
Tree with carved bench at the top of Space Walk Trail.
Rock art along a trail in the Red Rock—Secret Mountain Wilderness.
Rock art along a trail in the Red Rock—Secret Mountain Wilderness.
Rocky Mountain Iris along the Arizona Trail.
Rocky Mountain Iris along the Arizona Trail.
Picturesque stand of aspen along the Arizona Trail.
Picturesque stand of aspen along the Arizona Trail.
Running on the Oldham Trail at the base of Mount Elden.
Running on the Oldham Trail at the base of Mount Elden.

It’s not just about the running—it’s also about the beautiful places running can take us.

Edit: fixed typo in title.

 

Trail Running in Sedona-II

As noted in the previous post we had a lot of snow in Flagstaff during the first half of March. That meant if we wanted to do any trail running it had to be elsewhere. And, of course, that means Sedona.

On 22 March the group run was Hangover Trail loop (Munds Wagon Trail, Hangover Trail, Cow Pies Trail).

A brief respite from the near-continuous climbing on the Hangover Trail in Sedona, Arizona.
A brief respite from the near-continuous climbing on the Hangover Trail in Sedona, Arizona.
An expansive view of the Red Rocks of Sedona near the intersection of the Cow Pies and Hangover Trails.
An expansive view of the Red Rocks of Sedona near the intersection of the Cow Pies and Hangover Trails.

The run up Wet Beaver Creek on 29 March was the final Sedona run of the season; we return to running in Flagstaff now that the snow is gone (well, it could return).

This is the turnaround spot on the Wet Beaver Creek Trail. Weather permitting, a few runners make the plunge into the deep pool.
This is the turnaround spot on the Wet Beaver Creek Trail. Weather permitting, a few runners make the plunge into the deep pool.
A narrow ledge on a steep sandstone cliff along the Wet Beaver Creek trail.
A narrow ledge on a steep sandstone cliff along the Wet Beaver Creek trail.

So long, Sedona trail runs!

Edit: Fixed typo.

Trail Running in Sedona

Back in mid-February we did a trail run in Sedona using a combination of both designated and social trails. Early in the run we crossed these beautiful carved channels in the sandstone bed of Dry Creek. It had been a dry winter up until that point so there was no running water but still enough for a few pools that included reflections of the blue sky.

Channels carved into the sandstone of Dry Creek, Sedona, AZ.
Channels carved into the sandstone of Dry Creek, Sedona, AZ.
This is a composite of two photos. We each took a photo of the other then combined them. It works...
This is a composite of two photos. We each took a photo of the other then combined them. It works…

Farther along we passed this small reflecting pool. Since there were only the two of us the best we could do was to each take a photograph of the other running past the pool. A little bit of work in a photo app composited the two images and it looks like a real photograph!