{"id":9335,"date":"2019-08-12T05:41:17","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T12:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=9335"},"modified":"2021-10-06T06:21:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T13:21:30","slug":"the-flume-at-fossil-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=9335","title":{"rendered":"The Flume at Fossil Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Quiet as a mouse<\/strong>, I close the door to the Flagstaff apartment. It is twenty degrees outside as I sit in the truck waiting for the windows to defrost. The snow atop Mount Humphrey is glistening in the moonlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An hour later, just outside of Camp Verde, I find the dirt road that leads to the Fossil Creek<\/a> area. It is the last day one is allowed to enter for free, as April throughout October one must pay an entrance fee. Rumbling along for fourteen miles in the dust, I search for the trailhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Navigation is tricky out here<\/strong> in the remote wilderness, and more than once I stop and survey the area before realizing I am in the wrong place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I come to a bridge with slow moving emerald pools beneath. I see a girl with a large pink flamingo floatation device. I must be getting close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I snag one of the few remaining spots left to park, then chat with a forest ranger about the start of the Flume trail. He suggests walking up the road about a mile, cross the creek, and start hiking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The river is moving swiftly, and for a spell I am dumbfounded as to where a safe place to cross would be. Perhaps the turquoise color of Fossil Creek has me under her spell. I take a chance and enter, finding a smooth river bed that is no more than a few inches deep. Quickly I am on the other side, my shoes soaked but no worse for wear. The Flume trailhead sign is before me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I soon find myself up in the hills, the soothing sounds of Fossil Creek far below me. I wonder if this trail is what I was searching for, until the water comes back into view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It is not a mirage, but a true oasis that I have found out here. Heading down the mountain, the sounds of Fossil Creek become, louder, clearer…..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fighting my way through the thick underbrush, I find a spot next to the creek to have a bite to eat. Three girls appear beneath me, ready to go skinny dipping until they see me. I smile in a not-threatening manner, then wave goodbye and leave them to their own endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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