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Beth is the newest Back2Basics team member in the Outdoor Adventure Program. We’d say she did an awesome job on the field! Check out what she had to say about it.
Having never hiked West Fork of Oak Creek, I had no idea what a treat I was in for. We arrived at the trail head at around 10:00am to begin the first day of a two-day, 14 mile hike. Since we would be ending our hike in the village of Oak Creek, one of the recent graduates, and now intern for B2B, dropped us off so that he could drive the van to the end of the trail the next day. We grabbed all our gear, made a few last minute backpack adjustments, and we were off.
The trail head sign indicated that the trail was not frequently maintained and encouraged only experienced hikers and route finders. We encouraged the guys to take it slow and be cautious of unstable boulders. The opening into West Fork is a steep canyon packed with dense green foliage including gamble oak and desert rose bushes. They look similar minus one important distinction: thorns!! On this stretch of the hike we would have to swim our packs across a pool of water about 12 feet deep and 15 yards long. In order to do this we brought a dry bag, unpacked our essentials: sleeping bags, clothes and food, to be placed in the dry bag and shuttled across the pool. Once our packs were emptied of the gear, we kept our ground pads in them to assist flotation and scooted them in front of us across the cold deep pool. Greeting us on the other side were several large sun soaked boulders to set out our gear to dry, and most importantly to warm us up after a refreshing dip in the creek. After an hour layover to dry out and get snacks we were on the trail again. As we traversed the canyon we were able to get to a campsite 4 miles in from the trail head. This would mean that we had a 10 mile hike the following day. Given the time and effort it took to cross the pool and the weight of our packs, this was a well earned resting place. Everyone had a positive attitude and the residents were all up for a challenging day two. We set up our tents and enjoyed some nice hot dinner. That night at circle we all shared our marvel at the beauty of the canyon, the fun challenges it presented us with, and discussed different experiences with step two of the 12 steps. Off to bed to prepare for a 10 mile hike.
Morning light came creeping over the canyon walls as we were preparing coffee and breakfast. We got packed up and we were on the trail by 9:00am. Day two brought twice as much beauty and twice as much challenge. This section of the trail forces you in and out of the creek, but fortunately not in pools as deep as the one from day one. We did keep our water shoes on for the majority of the day. We shared the canyon with innumerable butterflies and only saw two fellow hikers who had entered the canyon from the south. As we came out of the creek bed and on to the trail, we were relieved to not have to jump from rock to rock and climb over fallen trees.
Once we saw the van, we were ready to get to camp and fill our bellies with a big pot of spaghetti! We called Pine Flats campground home that night and enjoyed the luxuries of park toilets and running water. Following dinner we had circle and discussed the importance of integrity in sober living. Everyone in the community championed the effort and determination of the group to overcome the challenging 14 mile hike. It is always rewarding to look back on something you never thought you could do from the vantage point of having done it. All in all I was impressed with the views, the butterflies, and all the residents for supporting and encouraging each other.
On day three we modified our original plan to do a day hike and decided instead to take the group to Lowell Observatory located in Flagstaff. We were able to go on two tours of the different telescopes including the one credited for the discovery of Pluto. The guys seemed to really enjoy learning about the history of this discovery and it’s relevance to Flagstaff. After the conclusion of our tours, we returned to the house to unpack, clean the van and take well earned showers. Lunch was prepared by a few of the residents and then we played a board game. I feel so fortunate to live in place that is surrounded by so many opportunities for outdoor adventure. I can’t wait to do West Fork again!
— Beth Copeland, B2B Outdoor Adventure Guide and contributing blog writer