🌚 New moon ⭐️ stars 💫 & Saturn 🪐 viewing up on Kendrick Peak (DIFFICULT)

We did this trip in May but this time there'll be a 99% new moon on the night of this trip. I can't think of anyplace better in Arizona to gaze at the star packed night sky than here. An added bonus is Saturn will be at its brightest and out all night, we can watch it travel across the sky. The view up on the peak is vast, you can see the north rim of the Grand Canyon and for many miles in just about all the other directions. This is my all-time favorite Flagstaff area backpack and gets us spending the night above 10000'! It's going to be cold up here overnight so be prepared 🥶 I would say 25F-35F.

This is a hard trip but its not as bad as it sounds. The hike is on a well built and maintained trail with a grade that isn't very steep. The Kendrick Peak trail #22 climbs over 2400' in a little over 4.5 miles to the summit which has a fire lookout (10423'). Not far below the fire lookout and along the trail to it, is a cabin located in a meadow where some in the group will camp 🏕️

You'll have to carry your water up the mountain 😟 There is a spring kind of near the cabin but the times that I've seen it, its been a muddy bog or dried up. We'll have a late start so it would be beneficial to hydrate prior. The temperature shouldn't be hot (low 80's max) so water consumption shouldn't be excessive. I took 5 liters last time and had a little left at the end of the trip.

I plan on bypassing the cabin and sleeping on the helicopter pad next to the lookout tower with no tent, wind permitting. There's room for 4 or 5 more people but no tents. The pad is a concrete slab and not very big, there's no way to stake tents. The stargazing is indescribable up here, I feel like a bird when here 🦅

However, the camp fire 🔥 will be in the meadow near the cabin, you can't have one up top. So you'll have a choice of camp spots. Those that head back to the cabin will find the meadow a great place to camp. There's a nice fire ring with a whole forest of dead trees to burn. Although this wilderness area is heavily scared from fire, the trail goes through the only surviving forested part of the mountain. In the morning we'll all meet back up by 10AM and head down the mountain.

The plan is to meet in the Flagstaff area at 11AM on Saturday. I plan on camping near Flagstaff on Friday night, let me know if you'd like to join. After meeting we'll then drive to the trail head (TH) on forest roads (FR). These roads have always been in good shape and I've been able to drive them in a small passenger car 🚗 with no problems. Last time, they were rough and now I'd recommend a medium clearance passenger car.

I'm not a professional guide but have spent hundreds of nights out on backpacking trips. I like to lead trips not for financial gain but instead to bring backpackers together and create some lasting friendships. Most of the places that I venture to are remote with help being many hours and sometimes days away. When you attend my trips you must realize that you are responsible for yourself and bad things can happen. I intend on using good judgement when leading but will not be with you at all times. In an event that something bad happens, I will attempt to get help and/or give help as soon as its safely possible. I expect the same in return, we all watch out for each another.