Staying in our home state, the SaddleBrooke Hiking Club traveled up north in April for the first offsite trip of the calendar year. The destination was Prescott with three days of hiking from Tuesday, April 14 to Thursday, April 16. The trip started inauspiciously with unforecast heavy rains falling on the Prescott area on the eve of our hikes. Fortunately, the next three days brought near perfect weather with lows in the 30s and highs in the 70s—temperatures we would love now that summer is here in SaddleBrooke! In addition to hiking, the city had much, much more to offer and the 88 adventurous members who made the trip took advantage of the entertainment, restaurants, golf courses, shopping, museums and even casinos that Prescott is noted for.
Thirteen members of the group served as guides, and did a great job of selecting, scheduling, and leading the hikes, with a total of twenty-three hikes offered over the three days. A representative hike was the Balancing Rock Trail, a 5.7-mile loop trail with an elevation gain of 544 feet. Led by Guide Nancy Reed, 10 members were on the trek.
A unique aspect of the trip was a guided tour of the downtown historic district, which due to high interest was offered twice on Wednesday, April 15. Both the morning and afternoon tours were filled with twenty members per tour, each led by SBHC Tour Guide Kathryn Madore. Starting at the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza, tutorial narratives told the history of Prescott. Stops included the Sharlot Hall Museum and ended at the Prescott Western Heritage Center.
The evening was capped with the Group Dinner arranged by Heather Davis, attended by 68 of the 88 registrants and held at the historic Palace Restaurant and Saloon on Whiskey Row.
The historic Hassayampa Inn was the unofficial headquarters for the trip, with over half of the participants choosing to lodge there. Opened in 1927, it is located in the Prescott downtown historic district and just a block off the Courthouse Plaza, convenient to hike trailheads, restaurants and shopping venues.
Leadership for the trip included Ken Wong – Trip Director, Jim Solon – Hike Director, Heather Davis – Group Dinner, and Leslie Hawkins – Pre-trip Potluck. Thirteen guides volunteered to lead hikes: Jim Solon (Hike Director), Bill Bender, Dave Corrigan, Susan Hollis, Terry Hughes, Jeff Love, Kathryn Madore, Randy Park, Nancy Reed, Dave Sorenson, Tom Stafford, Dianna Wilson and Kelly Wilson. Thanks to these volunteers, the trip was a big success.
