McCannster wrote:We will be passing by Humphreys around May 10th-ish and we'd like to give it a go. I hear that this is pretty much the worst time to do Humphreys because of terrible winds. So, how bad is "terrible"? Like, miserable winds that won't stop making your drawstring on your hood hit you in the face, or blow you right off the mountain bad?
The winds can happen all times of the year. There are few foothills to break up the winds, and they funnel up the slopes unimpeded.
On two of my summit days (out of 6) the winds have been so strong that I partially crawled the last 100 or so feet to the top ... I'm 6-4, about 220 lbs. One guy had an anenometer that he said was reading 70 mph +.
The other times it's been very still. So it can vary. However, the worst of the winds are only at the very top.
In May it can be muddy. I hiked it in early June once and there was considerable mud where the snow was still on the ground, shaded by the forest. If you're okay with mud and possible wind at the top, you should be fine in May. May is usually very stable in AZ. No storms and the real heat hasn't settled in yet.