PICTURESQUE
PEAK Winter go at Bill Williams Mountain Story and Photos By Larry Hendricks
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lue sky spans uninterrupted in all directions. Wind proves nonexistent. The temperature settles in the low 60s at 7,000 feet. Snowfall has been abysmally less than average. It’s a rare January in northern Arizona. With such pleasant winter conditions, my legs itch for a hike. Friend Kiril Kirkov and I decide on a trek up Bill Williams Mountain. The experience proves solitary and special, but one ill-informed decision makes it a much longer hike than expected. We arrive at about 10 a.m. at the trailhead on the north side of the mountain, adjacent to the Williams Ranger District offices on the west side of the city. Ours is the only car. We head into the forest and immediately are met with an inch or two of snow, remnants from one of only two snowfalls so far this season. The footing is good, so we decide to give it a go. The lungs burn with a pretty immediate incline into the ponderosa pine and the oak trees that provide shade and keep the temperatures cool enough that our jackets are still necessary. The trail levels off after the first half mile, and glorious sun bathes the trail with enough light that the snow has melted, and the trail is quick. A bit farther on, the incline steepens. The snow on the trail returns. A crusty top layer gives way to soft powder underneath. My feet slip every once in a while, and it forces me to travel with care and keep an eye on my footing. We pass a road, which I assume (in error, I later learn) is the road to the lookout.
We see footprints in the snow, and guess at which animals made them—elk, deer, coyote, rabbit, squirrels and birds. Kiril says he hopes to see mountain lion prints. Traditionally, there have been mountain lions in the area. I tell him I’m not so sure I want to see mountain lion prints. The trail steepens, and we eventually hike into aspen stands. The air gets cooler, but the sun and lack of wind keep the temperatures enjoyable. I am astounded that we can hike this trail in January. By the time we’re two miles into the hike, we’re cutting our own path through the snow, now about four inches deep and even deeper in spots. We don’t see another human being on the trail the entire time to the top. At about three miles up, our lungs burning, our feet wet from trudging through the snow, we emerge onto the lookout road (Forest Service Road 111) and easily finish the hike to the summit. We bathe in the sun, have a bite to eat, meditate on the San Francisco Peaks to the northeast and enjoy the vivid brilliance of the day. Then, it happens. We decide, on a lark, that trudging back down the trail in the snow might prove uncomfortable, and I remembered we’d crossed a road down below. We amble down the lookout road instead, without questioning whether the road I saw down below was the same road we are now on Tip of the day: Don’t be spontaneous without first doing some research. We follow the lookout road for about three or four miles. To my concern, it keeps descending on the southeastern side
of the mountain, away from our vehicle. We keep expecting the road to begin to turn left and wrap around to the north side of the mountain, but it continues south and east through wide meandering turns. Suffice it to say that we end up at Highway 73 (the Perkinsville Road) about seven miles from our vehicle. A long haul, for sure. We call a fellow in Williams to shuttle us back to our vehicle at the trailhead. Our decision causes us to add about three hours and maybe four or five extra miles to what should have been a seven-mile hike, but we enjoy ourselves, travel through beautiful scenery, have great conversations about life, and laugh at our boneheaded rookie mistake. I’m looking forward to trying the hike again in the fall, when the leaves of the oaks and the aspens will be burning with color. And, I’ll know what not to do.
Bill Williams Mountain Trail No. 21 Length: 7 miles roundtrip Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous (about 2,300 feet in elevation gain) Directions: From Flagstaff, take Interstate 40 west to Williams. Take Exit 161 west of the city. Follow the signs to the Williams Ranger District Office for the Kaibab National Forest. The trailhead is to the left of the district offices. march18 namlm.com
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