I don’t know what it is about trees, but I’m drawn to them.

flagstaff forest

Maybe it’s their height, or maybe it’s the fact that each one is different from another. I like getting lost in their arms, being drowned out of society behind their leaves.

What I like most about trees is the fact that they each have a story to share. Their rings reveal their age, and their roots dig deep through history.

My new hometown of Flagstaff is a landscape of green hills and rugged mountains filled with all sorts of trees.

One of my favorite hikes takes you deep through the woods on a 4.5-mile trail that winds up Humphreys Peak, which is the tallest mountain in Arizona. If you wish to summit the peak, it is a perfect day hike, taking an average of about 6 hours (3 hours each way) to complete the adventure.

hiking the humphreys peak trail

Otherwise, you can enjoy a brisk evening hike at your own leisurely pace surrounded by trees at dusk, with the sun sifting through the bark and leaves creating an ethereal atmosphere, turning around at any point.

Then, when you depart the woodland trail and re-enter the small, city of hippies and tourists, with the distant sound of the hourly train passing through the historic town, you’ll be welcomed with a sunset that will catch your breath.

If you’re not much of a hiker, throughout the summer season, Snowbowl lets people ride the ski lift to the top of the extinct volcano to enjoy an expansive view at 11,5000 feet. You can see for miles, miles, miles: 70 miles to be precise. And, thus, fill your lungs with the fresh mountain air as you make your way back down into civilization.

“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.’” – Sylvia Plath