Kuma’s Great Adventures

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 For

Kuma checks out Marshall Lake. (Photos by Lorraine Bossé-Smith)

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.

Chris Gonzalez Your Neighborhood Lender

Proud Member of

Kuma on the Sandy’s Canyon trail.

hiked to the car.

The storm was in full swing now, and we decided to take a drive until it let up. We saw Lower Lake Mary, which wasn’t very full. We ended up back on Forest Road No. 128 and stopped at Marshall Lake. Both lakes can be brimming to the top with water or can be as small as a mud puddle. It just depends upon the rains, which stopped finally. We decided to check out Marshall Lake. It had a ton of ducks in it, and the grasses were super high. Man, I smelled all sorts of creatures! Dad and I found an area where something big had slept. A bear? I didn’t need to find out.

By this time, the storm passed and the evening turned lovely. We had dinner and soaked up our view. Because the ranch was nearby, we kept hearing mooing cows. I’ve met cows before, so I was OK with that. Mom said cows warn other cows of danger by mooing—or they could just be hungry. What I didn’t like is when the people who live on the ranch began shooting off their guns. The noise freaked me out something fierce, and into the truck I went! I’m getting a little wimpy in my old age. No judgment, please!

As I sat inside the truck, mom and dad watched the sun go down. Once the gunfire stopped, I came back out—only to go back in for bedtime. I still don’t want anything to do with the camper. Dad thinks he figured out why. Our rig is leaking gas. See, I am a smart dog; I know better. That’s something he’ll have to look at further. They slept with all the windows and the door open. Nature’s air conditioning was wonderful that night, so we all slept well.

The next morning, we opted to pack up early to beat the traffic on I-17 so we could relax by the pool in the afternoon. That’s the awesome thing about living in Phoenix: mountains by morning and desert and pool in the afternoon. We are truly blessed to live in such a great place as Arizona. Unplug, get out in nature and take some deep breaths of fresh air. You will never regret an outdoor adventure.

Mortgage Advisor | NMLS 669924 480-442-4494 AZMortgageProfessional.com Professional & Values driven Call for a no obligation mortgage review

All Western Mortgage, Inc. 3715 W. Anthem Way, Ste 110, Anthem, AZ 85086 Branch Line: 480-237-3421 AZ BK #1005805 Branch NMLS 1942702