PETS
Boondocking near Marshall Lake, Flagstaff Told by Kuma & Written by Lorraine Bossé-Smith What a weird year this has been! Between COVID-19 closures and my dad’s truck needing repairs, we haven’t gone camping much. It’s been crazy, but all of that changed recently. Dad’s truck was fixed, and he hooked up the camper so we could head north to enjoy fall-like weather. Mom’s goal was to hike the Sandy’s Canyon trail. We had been on part of it that connected to Walnut Canyon before, but we wanted to try the other direction. That meant we would need to head up to Flagstaff. We got up early and hit the road, taking I-17 up the grade. Traffic always seems to be heavy, but this time it wasn’t too packed. The Sandy Canyon trailhead is near the Canyon Vista Campground, which is off ForKuma checks out Marshall Lake. (Photos by Lorraine Bossé-Smith)
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est Road No. 3 or Lake Mary Road. If you plug the campground in to your GPS, it will get you close. If you are towing a trailer or camper, allow three hours. Otherwise, you could make it in about two and a half hours. It would be a full day but doable. We’ve done both, but we wanted to stay overnight. Canyon Vista Campground is first come/ first serve, and we missed the last site by minutes. So, off to Forest Road No. 128 (about 5 miles farther on Lake Mary Road past the turn off for the campground) we went, because it allows boondocking. What is that pray tail? Heck if I know, I am a dog! Ha, OK, I asked. Dad says it is camping in the wilderness wherever you want, just as long as it is permitted by the Forest Service. We drove to mile marker No. 29 and parked with great views of the San Francisco Peaks. Note: Please check the Forest Service website and look for orange indicators of allowing camping. There is a ranch near Marshall Lake, and camping isn’t allowed on their land. Be respectful so that we can all continue to enjoy the great outdoors. We basically unhooked the truck and headed back to the Sandy’s Canyon trailhead off Forest Road No. 3; there’s a sign and free parking lot. This is a heavily trafficked trail, so parking could be an issue. Get there early or—like we did—go out
on a rainy day! Yes, the temps were 86 when we started, but they quickly dropped to 50 when it rained. Wow—how refreshing that was indeed! Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. The trailhead starts at the parking lot, or you can access it on a connector trail from the campground. From the parking lot, you head to the left. It’s kind of confusing as you follow signs to the Arizona trail. This section called Sandy’s Canyon is 1 mile out and 1 mile back. It will take you to another sign where you have additional options to go farther to a vista or to a climbing area. Because we were getting rained on, we just did the 2 miles. The trail starts off flat but then heads down to the canyon. Remember, you will have to hike back up it. It isn’t too steep, but you are at 6,800 feet elevation. Mom wished she had her hiking poles because the wet rocks were slick. The canyon is a mix of forest, grasses and incredible rock faces, thus why there is a climbing area for those who wish to partake in that. We saw other folks out despite the weather, and even some horses. I know my kind were happy to cool off. Woof! We found a spot to have a quick picnic, but then the rain got harder. We packed everything back up and Kumaito (Kuma for short) is a multi-tan shiba inu, the oldest and purest from Japan. I personally was born in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, moved to Friendswood, Texas, and now call Phoenix home. I enjoy running or hiking almost every day with my mom, chasing rabbits out of my neighborhood, playing with toys, pestering my brother Edmond, eating and napping.
Lorraine Bossé-Smith is the founder of the FIT Leader Formula. She shares Kuma’s adventures. She is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, business consultant, executive coach, behavioral-wellness expert and author of eight published books.
