Pomade frisur 2021

Urban Wilderness Dreaming of Doe Mountain in Sedona, but staying home. Fay Canyon in Flagstaff is on my post-crisis to-do list Four blocks from my house, there’s a yard with the most gorgeous hollyhocks.   I must have walked my dogs past the little bungalow dozens of times on our 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. walks, but the hollyhocks never caught my attention.   A few homes down the street, chickens scratched the ground behind a non-descript brick home. African daisies bobbed among aloe vera plants in a weedy space between an alley and a median.   For the more than 20 years I’ve lived and walked in my Central Phoenix historic neighborhood, these details were lost among doggie poop pick up stops, rogue chihuahua encounters and occasional chats with neighbors who happened to be out and about at my fringy walking hours.   Most of the homes in my corner of Downtown are old, some coming up on 100 years in age, and encompass architectural styles that include, among others, Tudor, Hacienda, Territorial,

View from Crater Lake trail, Flagstaff In all my decades of hiking, I've never been off the trails for more than a few days. Now, I'm going on my second week without stepping foot on a hiking trail. My choice to avoid trails for the time being is not only because of the ongoing pandemic and the unprecedented (and reckless) surge in trail visitation but because I do not want to strain our already overburdened first responders and healthcare workers. What if I fell, got a snake bite or suffered a medical crisis while hiking? That would pull resources (assuming they would even be available) from where they should be focused.   Also consider that when you travel to off-the-beaten trails, you will likely make rest stops, use public facilities, get fuel or pick up some supplies thus risking unnecessary exposure in small communities where resources and medical services  may be in short supply. Little Elden Trail, Flagstaff It’s true that many popular hiking destinations have not yet c

This week there's been a lot of media coverage about how hiking is the one last "safe" thing we can do in the new reality of social distancing. Predictably, popular trails are now experiencing heavy visitation. Unless you're out in the middle of nowhere, hiking is not a guaranteed safe space.  With this in mind, I will not be responding to requests asking for recommendation about less crowded trail destinations. My best advise is to stay home and spend time researching trails you will do once this crisis ends. And it will end. Please don't take unnecessary risks. Staying off crowded trails for awhile isn't the end of the world. Need some inspiration? I've been writing about under-the-radar hikes for years. Here's a compilation of a few of my favorites: https://cities-west-publishing.square.site  

GROUND CONTROL TRAIL Ground Control trail traces the cliffs below the Cockscomb Kudos to whomever came up with the name for one of the newest trails in Sedona. The Ground Control trail, which opened in January 2020, delivers exactly what the aerial-themed moniker implies, lots of exposure and terrific fly-over views. Fog covered Bear Mountain seen from Outer Limits trail The compact but complex trail is located in the still-evolving, 29-mile Western Gateway Trails system that spins off from the old standard Girdner Trail in the Dry Creek area on the western edge of Sedona. The 0.7-mile Ground Control trail is situated in the middle of the system and can only be accessed by way of connecting routes. The quickest way to get to is from the north at the Aerie trailhead off Boynton Pass Road not far from the hyper-popular Bear Mountain and Doe Mountain trails. From this relatively under-the-radar trailhead, a 3.8-mile loop using the Cockscomb, Outer Limits and Ground Control trails gets to

YELLOW JACKET TRAIL Prescott National Forest. Mesquite and juniper trees ring Cottonwood Tank The most striking characteristic of the Yellow Jacket Trail 524 is the silence. Located a mere 4 miles from Interstate 17 near the Yavapai County town of Dugas in a hilly corner of Prescott National Forest, the shared-use path cuts through sprawling open spaces where the sounds of civilization are muffled by a landscape of mesas, buttes, creeks and ragged drainages. Estler Peak is a prominent feature along Yellow Jacket trail At first glance, the largely treeless terrain flanked by volcanic bluffs and bald, isolated peaks appears intimidating and harsh. Within a few yards of hiking, though, the trail reveals bucolic rangeland, epic vistas and hidden pockets of greenery. The out-and-back trek begins at a tiny trailhead near the leafy confluence of Little Ash Creek and Yellow Jacket Creek where sycamores and cottonwoods create a conspicuous ribbon of color against the muted tones of desert chapa

BALANCING ROCK-SURPRISE SPRING LOOP Granite Basin Recreation Area, Prescott. Balancing Rock teeters on its host boulder along trail 349 Situated in a pocket of pine-oak woodlands at the south edge of Granite Mountain Wilderness seven miles northwest of Downtown Prescott, Granite Mountain Recreation Area offers over 40 miles of interconnected trails, camping, picnicking and boating. Drainage area near Surprise Spring on Balancing Rock trail Area trails feature incredible views of the craggy escarpments of 7,295-foot Granite Mountain and varied terrain that runs through boulder-strewn back country. Manzanita bloom in sunny spots along the route For a taste of why this easy-access recreation hub is so popular, take a hike on the Balancing Rock and Surprise Spring trails. The circuit uses 3 trails to make a 3.8-mile loop. An oak thicket on Balancing Rock trail Begin at the trail 350 sign behind the pay station, hike 0.1-mile and turn left at the West Lake Trail 351 junction. Hike 0.7 mile