And camping in freezing weather at East Pocket, AZ

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16 December, 2019 11:08 AM

“Are you really planning to camp in these freezing temperatures?” my supervisor exclaimed when I proposed my plan to camp near Flagstaff. I quickly looked up the temperature at the East pocket lookout camping area, which people adorably call “The edge of the world”. The forecast -5 degrees Celsius and 5 mph wind speed seemed not so frightening to my brain, which never resided in a body that ever camped. But the breathtaking photographs and the articles about the wilderness never left my mind.

Along with three of my not-so-adrenaline-junkie friends, I set out to try it with minimal winter camping gear and a strong 4WD, high clearance Jeep Sport. FR 231 is the forest road which takes us to the destination. One has to drive off-road for 20 miles on FR 231 to reach the edge of the world. If we would have planned our trip 3 days later, FR 231 would have stopped us with the signage “Road closed due to heavy snow”. Luckily, we made it to the paradise on Earth, but in a freezing weather.

The “edge of the world” #

All the languages in the world gave up when I sought their help to describe my experience. Instead, I want to leave this to your imagination by posting a few photographs. Let me know what you think of the ‘edge of the world’ and ping me if you plan to camp there.