Half-Day Mogollon Rim Adventure

Some time ago, my husband told me that he wanted to plan a day trip for us. It would include hiking and we would need a picnic lunch. He asked me if I wanted to know details about location, and I said I didn't. I just needed to know enough specifics to plan, and plan I did.

I have been going through some body changes and not liking how my clothes fit, so I decided to buy something new to wear. Did I need to? No. Did I buy something I did not yet have in my closet? Yes. I bought a tennis dress, convenient because it has shorts built in, inconvenient because it is one piece, and required wearing a jacket to ward off the chill. Still, in the end, it helped me get excited and feel more confident as we got ready for our adventure.

The Sourdough

I also planned our menu for the trip. My theme for trip food was sourdough, and I prepped our meals the day before. For breakfast, we had sourdough discard egg muffins and sourdough chocolate zucchini muffins. For our picnic lunch (that we ended up eating at home), we had snack boxes of carrots, cheese, sourdough meatballs, and homemade ranch dip, with protein boost sourdough chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I have to say, everything hit the spot. Adventure has a way of increasing the appetite!

The Travel

We left our house for our adventure a little after 6 AM Saturday morning. (We planned to leave at 6:00 AM sharp, but as usual, I ran late, and then packing the cooler took extra long.) The drive was foggy and rainy. The rain lifted some by the time we got to Payson, Arizona, and we decided to look for some coffee. (My parents sent us money for a coffee date for our anniversary, and we had not used it yet.) We found Smashley's Coffee at the edge of town, and stopped in. The shop was small, but the coffee was fresh. (My husband got a carrot cake latte and I got a light pour over coffee.) While we waited, we browsed the various olive oils and other food stuffs in the shop. Somehow, we managed not to buy anything.

The Adventure

Then it was off the Mogollon Rim, located just past Heber. I didn't know we were going there yet, but my husband has been there many times and knew just where to turn. We passed the main trailhead and pulled off at one of the first overlooks. From there, we walked on a gravel path and through some wet grass to join the paved Rim Lake Vista Trail. My husband hoped for views. I didn't know what we were missing and just soaked up the loveliness of the pine tree forest and peaceful, misty, air.

The Rim Lake Vista Trail stops off at several overlooks. Of course, my husband had to go to the edge. Something about heights makes me woozy, so I stayed pretty far back.

We took the Rim Lake Vista Trail to the Meadow Trail, and that to Woods Canyon Lake. I was thrilled to get to the lake, as I had not known where we were going, and I thought views plus forest, plus lake made for an awesome trip!

It started to sprinkle at the lake, and we had already walked over three miles, so we headed back. The fog cleared a little, but not too much. That gave me a taste of views that might be had, as well as time for lots of conversation. Some of the things I enjoyed most about dating my husband were the long conversations we had about life, and society, and dreams and faith. This time, we spent almost our entire walk dreaming about what could be in our future. Maybe it is possible. Maybe not. Still, it was fun to toss ideas back and forth.

We did need to clear the path for a stretcher to pass as we walked back. We had seen a police car barrel up the road on our way out to the lake, and saw the sheriff with a lady who was lying down. We tried to give everyone a wide berth and mind our own business. On the way back, though, EMTs were wheeling the lady out, and her family told us what happened. We took a minute to stop and pray with them, and then travelled back to our car.

From where we parked, my husband drove me out to the forest road where he and his friends camp. It was gravel, and a little rough for our car. He offered to park and let us walk out the rest of the way to the camp site, but given that I had just hiked 6.3 miles, farther than I have in ages, I decided I probably shouldn't. So, it was back in the car and homeward bound.

The skies cleared as we drove home, allowing for beautiful views. I love Arizona for many reasons: the mountains, the saguaro, the trails. My, how blessed we are, and how blessed we were to take this trip. Life is not about comparisons, but perspective does help. Taking our first active trip since my injury and then seeing someone get terribly injured gave me that, and made me extra, extra grateful. Thank you God and husband for this adventure!

Butcher Jones Trail

I have been hiking a lot less since going on my endurance running journey, but for special occasions, I still make the effort. The special occasion this past weekend was nearing our engagement anniversary. Since we got engaged on a hike, I try to plan a special hike each year to remember it.

I don't remember exactly how I found Butcher Jones Trail. I think I found it one one of the "Best Hikes in Mesa" sites [maybe this one (The AZ Hikeaholics, 2024). Anyway, it is a ways from our house, but it looked beautiful; long enough to be worth the drive, but not too challenging, since neither my husband or I have been hiking that much lately.

We drove about 40 minutes from our house to get to Butcher Jones Recreation Area, down Bee Line Highway, onto Bush Highway, and then a few miles down the park road. We arrived early, about 7:45 AM, and found a parking spot in the main recreation area. (This had very much filled up by the time we left. We did see an overflow parking area on our way out, though.) The cost to use this recreation area in Tonto National Forest is $8, plus a $4 convenience fee, and the machine only accepts credit cards. The recreation area has several composting toilets (no water), multiple concrete picnic tables, and open beach access to Saguaro Lake. We did not see any trash receptacles, so pack out what you pack in!

Most of the trail sites say the trail starts on a concrete path (OhOh7, 2004). We saw the trail sign at the end of the parking lot and just headed off through the woods. The trail is narrow and rocky, but pretty easy to follow. It mostly followed the shape of the lake, revealing different coves and inlets, as well as revealing gorgeous view of the mountains. We did find the trail highly trafficked, which meant yielding to others. [Apparently uphill hikers should have the right of way (National Park Service, 2018)]. There were a few very steep drops or climbs (for which I needed to grab my husband's hand) to stay steady.

The trail ends with a fork: 0.25 miles to the end of the trail, or 0.25 miles to the shoreline. We chose to go to the end of the trail, which was basically a wide area with some rocks for sitting or looking out. We decided not to go to the shoreline, leaving that for another time, if we go again.

My watch registered about 5 miles total. (Maybe avoiding the sidewalk, which we saw on the way out, cut off some distance.) It took us a little over two hours total. We celebrated afterward with a picnic breakfast and then headed out.

I would recommend this trail, but with a few caveats. Start and finish hiking in the light (to avoid tripping over the rocks). Wear sturdy shoes. (I saw so many people hiking in tennis shoes. I was very thankful for my thick-soled hiking books with all those rocks.) Pack water in and out, as a lot of the trail is exposed to the sun. Have fun!

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P.S. I did some research to find out about the namesake of the trail. Apparently Butcher Jones was Dr. D.W.W. Jones, a surgeon, but not a very good one (Hiland, 2014). He ran a freighting business around the state of Arizona and had a ranch north of Saguaro Lake.

References:

Arizona NA. (2024). Butcher Jones Trail at Saguaro Lake. https://arizona-na.org/events/flyers/20240224_hike.pdf

The AZ Hikeaholics. (2024, April 8). Best hikes in Mesa, Arizona: Saguaro Lake and Salt River. https://theazhikeaholics.com/mesa-arizona-hikes/

Hiland, A. (2014, April 30). Asked & answered: Who was Butcher Jones? Arizona Central. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/2014/04/30/who-was-butcher-jones/8538709/

National Park Service. (2018, May 16). Hiking trail etiquette. https://www.nps.gov/articles/hikingetiquette.htm

OhOh7. (2024, June 13). Butcher Jones Trail #463, AZ. Hike Arizona. https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=685

Wisconsin Part Two: The Gadgets

The cheese was unique to Wisconsin, but gadgets are unique to my tech-savvy brother. And man, did we make use of some fun ones!

Brother bought a Samsung smart watch to encourage him to get his steps in every day. That led to the discovery of some beautiful hometown trails. 

The Traeger grill led to some tasty cookouts:

Lamb kebabs

Grilled chicken

I made some tasty cocoa with his electric kettle that heats water to a precise degree.

He made us banana ice cream with his Creami.

(This seriously had the consistency of soft serve ice cream, and it was just mashed and frozen bananas.)

I'm probably missing some gadgets, but this is a pretty good list, don't you think? (We may or may not have some of these items pegged for future wish lists.) In all seriousness, though, this was a dream of a trip, and we are so grateful to my brother for his hospitality!

You Can't Rush the Downhill

My friend C. Salena (2019) coined the phrase "Truth on Trails." Here's another edition, this time from a recent hike where I did not really have a precise plan. I just wanted to hike up one trail and loop back on another. It's been a while since I hiked these trails, and I did not remember them well. I was pretty sure I was going the right way, but there sure were a lot of ups and downs. By the third or fourth or fifth one, I really wanted to be done and back to my car.

As I picked my way down yet another rocky descent, I thought to myself, "You can't rush the downhills." Go too fast, and I risked falling, face-planting, and possibly even sustaining a severe injury, none of which I wanted. I just had to watch my feet, and slowly, steadily make my way down the trail.

I thought about the downhills of life as I gingerly made my way. I dislike hard times. I hate struggles. When they come, I just want to power through them and be done. That's not the way life works though. That's not the way God works. We learn through struggles (Rom 5:2-5; James 1:2-4). We gain strength through trials. God sanctifies us in and through fire. It's not pleasant. It's not pretty, but it generally works out for our good when God is behind it.

There are certainly times when our struggles, the downhills of life, are due to our own poor choices (as in the instance of addictions, substance use, infidelity, etc.). That's not what I am talking about here, though. I'm talking about the hard times that come, not because anything we have or have not done, but just because life is hard, and difficult.

Rush the downhills, increase the possibility of hurt. Try to speed through, and maybe miss the lessons God is trying to teach me, and potentially have to go through this again. Rush the downhills, and miss the dexterity learned from careful foot placement. Hurry up and miss some of the glories of home when I get there.

I don't like the downhills, in hiking, or in life. I don't have to. What I do need to do is be present in them, giving care and prayer to my way so that I may grow and learn through them. In God's providence, may it be so.

Reference:

She Say Speak [@SheSaySpeak]. (2017, November 5). Taking the way that creeped me out allowed me to see something so beautiful it distracted me from fear and [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BbH4PjoALm6/

Grace

My husband and I had just driven an hour to get to the hiking trail. The sign said we needed to pay a cash entrance fee. I hoped there might be an ATM. As we walked up to the rustic gatehouse, I realized, however, there would be no such ATM. There probably was not even power I did not want to turn back now, though. So I waited. And when I got to the front of the line, somewhat sheepishly, I asked the attendant, "What is the nearest place to get cash? We did not know you did not take cards."

And she replied, "Don't worry about it. Catch us next time. It's a beautiful day, and I wouldn't want to keep you from it."

I thanked her, and a little embarrassed, we continued through. My husband said he felt bad. I felt bad. I started to make excuses for ways they could get paid (eg a phone app, or something), but didn't. And then I found myself thinking that I could somehow get on a website when I got home and make a donation to make up for not paying. And then the Spirit whispered, "That was a gift of grace. You don't pay grace back."

And I thought to myself how many times I try to earn God's favor. How often I try to pay back grace. But then it's not grace. It's works. Grace is God giving me a FREE gift I don't deserve.

We didn't deserve to get a pass on our hike that day. Even more so, I do not deserve God's grace. It is a blessing though. It is a gift. Praise God for it, for through it, by faith, we are saved!

Silly Mountain: Easy to Moderate Hiking

I found a new mountain! (Or rather, my friend introduced me to it.) A thirty minute or less drive from downtown Mesa, Silly Mountain is a little oasis in the Apache Junction desert. It does not look like much, and in truth, it does not look like much, but if you are looking for a little challenge, some beautiful scenery, and a pretty customizable hike, this is it!

Directions: Drive US 60-East to Mountain View Road. Turn left. Turn right on 32nd Avenue, right on Silly Mountain Road and park in the dirt lot on either the right or the left. The trail head is right there! (Note: the only bathrooms here are one portapotty.) 

Silly Mountain's trails range from 150 feet to 0.7 miles long. Yes, they are short! That is what makes it fun. You can hike one or any number of them. If you want no hike at all, you can take the short Botanical Walk/Interpretative Trail to introduce you to lots of different native vegetation. (The signage is awesome!) Otherwise, Brittle Brush connects you with Old Mine, Superstition View, and Palo Verde. 

Coyote Loop connects Old Baldy to Jackrabbit. Crest connects to Huff and Puff and Old Baldy. High point gets you to the summit with views galore! 

If you do them all, you get nice views of the Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction, and about 3.9 miles. 

There is a little climbing, a little bit of loose rock, and people here and there, but those are the few and far between drawbacks of this mountain.

I do not have kids, but I saw several families with kids, and this looked like a great place to introduce them to the great experience that is hiking!All in all, it's a winner, and one I would recommend to anyone who can walk at least a little bit! 

Marriage, Year Two: The Highs

Two years. The highs, the lows. We have had them all. Maybe not every experience of life, but a lot of ups and downs for sure. In my book, anniversaries are time to celebrate, so this post will be about the highs of the year:

Making special dinners for my parents: My mom likes to go out to eat. At the peak of corona virus, few places were open and all of us were not feeling fully comfortable, so when it came to her birthday my husband and I devised a plan to make a fancy dinner for my mom at home. We shopped together and divided up the cooking. It was one of our first joint meal ventures, and it turned out well. We repeated the party (with different food)for her Mother's Day.

Hiking Piestewa Peak: This item was on my bucket list, and I wanted to cross it off with my husband. That meant waiting until the heat was bearable for him, which felt like a long time. The hike was harder than I expected. I got scared of the heights. I have no aspirations to do this hike again anytime soon, but we did it, and we did it together!

Fat Man's Pass: Hiking was on my December bingo. Fat Man's Pass was a place a friend took me, and I, in turn wanted to take my husband. It was a great hike and a great way to end the year. Spoiler alert: In the desert, you don't need winter jackets, even if it feels cold to start with. We got so sweaty!

Hassayampa Inn Christmas Stay: Friends gifted us a certificate for Hassayampa at our wedding, but with our move and COVID, we had not used it. We decided to spend Christmas in Prescott, and booked a stay at the hotel. Honestly, the accommodations were not great. (We had to slide into the bathroom sideways, probably because the original rooms had no bathrooms. There was also a lot of noise permeability.) Staying in the heart of Christmas town and having multiple opportunities to walk around the lighted square was memorable, however, especially since we spent quite a bit of our dating time there.

COVID vaccinations: Getting vaccinated was not great, but we did it for ourselves, our jobs, our loved ones, and our world. I got super sick after my second shot, like the sickest I have been of our married life. Getting to lie next to Chris on the couch all day and soak up his love and care was special, though. There is no one else I would rather spend my day invalid with.

5K: We trained for a 5K together. Like many other events, our race got postponed due to COVID. I decided to make a race and run anyway. Training, and the actual event were fun, especially since this is the first time we have done the whole process together.

Highs and lows, I am thankful for my husband, for two years of marriage, and for another year to make memories together. To God be the glory!

Payson Vacation

Sometimes you just gotta get away, and that we did. It's been over a year since a real vacation, and though we're living on a budget and had time constraints, we made it happen. Well, my husband made it happen, and I am so thankful! 

Now onto the details....

We decided on a driving vacation, so traveled north to the mountain town of Payson, Arizona. The higher elevation brought some cooler temperatures and the population of just over 16,000 meant there were enough creature comforts to sustain us without having to pack a lot.

We spent some time at the parks the first day, eating lunch at Green Valley Park, a rather luscious grassy area with a small lake.

We stayed at Majestic Mountain Inn, not lavish, but sufficient for our needs.

The next day, we hiked Water Wheel Trail. We got a little turned around at first, but managed to find the Ellison Falls by dropping in from the top. At 1.8 miles roundtrip, this is not a far hike, but there is a lot of rock hopping. This is also where an entire family lost their lives due to a flash flood, so use care if hiking during monsoon season.

After some lunch, we played bocce ball at Green Valley again.

The third day, we hiked part of Oak Spring Trail, part of the Arizona National Trail system. The trail is dubbed as moderate and promises scenic views. Spoiler alerts: We never saw the spring. The prettiest view we saw after hiking three miles out and three miles back was an open pasture.

Following the slight hiking disappointment, we backtracked to Tonto National Bridge State Park. It costs $7 per adult to get in, but it was totally worth it! We hiked the Gowan Trail to get down into/under the bridge. The trail was a bit steep, and the cave was wet and slippery, but I definitely recommend the trek.

We found more things that we could/would do, but opted to go visit family outside Payson, thereby ending our stay, at least for this time. After the fun we had this time, we are pretty sure we will go back!

Three Things That Got Me Through

As I reflect over this past year, I recognize many things I did wrong. Many ways I failed. Many things I could have done better. And I also see things that worked. Things that mattered. Things that gave life meaning. Among these were:

1) Sally's Baking Challenges: Something "silly" I picked up, but stubbornly managed to make my way through each month. The challenge instructions were sufficient to ensure sufficient success, and the completion of each challenge gave me a sense of confidence. The baking recipes also provided me with goodies to share with my neighbors, an "excuse" to form connections even while social distancing was the norm.

2) Hiking: I have written many times about the benefits of hiking. Hiking took on special value this spring and summer, however. At the height of the pandemic, it was one thing I could still do. Something that gave me a sense of accomplishment. Something that tired my body while helping my mind rest. An occasional way to connect with others, even if walking spaced apart and/or with masks. I started hiking more regularly when I realized the consequences to my mental health when I didn't do it. Meltdowns. More burnout. Less processing. As Abby Cannon stated in her episode of the Just the Good Stuff podcast, sometimes what we need is not more professional therapy, but more therapeutic activity (yoga for her). Hiking was that for me.

3) Blogging about marriage: Suffering is easier to endure when it has a purpose. Don't get me wrong; marriage is an incredible gift. This last year has been extremely difficult, however, in marriage and beyond. Being able to write and share about what God is teaching me has made it easier. Having people who read made my struggles feel more purposeful. And finding purpose in the struggle provided me with courage to endure.

What about you, readers? If you had to list three things you've taken away from this year, what would they be? What habits give meaning and purpose to your existence? What traditions or routines do you hope to carry from 2020 into 2021? I've listed mine above. Please share yours in the comment section below.

Piestewa Peak Paces

Why do we always pick hard hikes for our month-iversaries? I guess I should say, "I." I definitely picked this one. But I wanted to do it with him, so I waited for a special occasion (our month-iversary), and until it was cooler. Cooler being a subjective term given that it was in the 100's all week. (Welcome to Arizona!)

Anyway, onto the hike: Piestewa Peak in Phoenix, Arizona.

Distance: 1.2 miles one way

Difficulty: Marked moderate to difficult on the website; marked double black diamond at the trail head. At 116 flights of stairs according to my FitBit, I'd dub it difficult

Time: About two hours (without rest breaks)

We started early, but not early enough. At a few minutes past 6 am (with sunset being around 6:30 am), ALL the parking spots were full. We ended up parking in a neighborhood despite our wishes not to do so. (Please don't block the driveways of people's homes if you do this!)

The trail is mostly rock, which decreases dust, an added plus. There are lots of steps built into the trail, especially in the beginning. There is also a low concrete rail along the first portion. We walked that rail like a balance beam to decrease the stepping. I recommend this if you can. It's pretty much a steady climb, with switchbacks. It's hard to miss the trail, but it is easy to miss your footing, so step carefully! Also beware of the brave runners who want to get around you....

The top is beautiful, though not quite as beautiful as the views on the way up, in my opinion. As with other trails, there are quite a few people at the summit, making it less serene.The way down was easier in some ways, but also harder on the knees. We took breaks both ways as needed. The plus side was that we heard a flutist as we descended. We saw him pack up on our way down. He'd even toted a drum half way up the mountain. Respect!

It was a good hike, one we may not do often (or ever again!), but worth it! I'm glad we went.

In summary: Go early. Take a headband. (The mountain is windy and you'll sweat.) Do the trail to commemorate something. Pace yourself. Do the trail to commemorate something, because you'll remember it!

South Mountain Summer

After realizing anew the therapeutic value of hiking earlier this year, I started trying to hike most Saturday mornings. I made it my unofficial mission to see how many trails of the 16,000 acre South Mountain Preserve I could hike. I didn't make it to all of them, but I hit quite a few! (I also wandered some.) Here's a brief rundown:

Beverly Canyon Trail



It took me three tries to finish this one due to the number of spur trails. Follow the power lines to get it done!

Bursera Trail

Intended to be a Pyramid Trail hike, but I got off track. Lots of elevation change on this one!

Desert Classic Trail (partial)



A flat and ambling trail popular with bikers, so walk to the right and be careful!

Hau-Pal Trail



Starting from the 19th Avenue Trailhead, pretty much straight to the top and hard! Beautiful views!

Holbert Trail



Long, but great views! A moderate climb.

Javelina Canyon Trail 

An accidental hike when trying to find Beverly Canyon. Long, but not too hard.

Kiwanis Trail



Moderate. A good hike for the recreational hiker, but somewhat busy. This connects to Telegraph Trail.

Las Lomitas (partial)



Ambling, but enjoyable.

Marcos De Niza Trail



Whew! This is an up-and-down climb! And the end is not marked, so watch how far you go!

Ma Ha Tauk Trail

Beware! This trail goes on forever, way past what is mapped. Turn back when you are ready.

Max Delta Trail



Good for getting a feel for the park. Not too much climbing. In the open sun, though, so use care when hiking during the heat!

Pima Loop



A nice loop, with some shaded areas. Parking at the trailhead goes fast, though, so arrive early!

Ranger Trail



Flat-ish, then a climb to the ridgeline and views.

Ridgeline Trail



A steep climb to the top, but worth it for the view!

Telegraph Pass Trail



Starts on a cement trail, then turns to dirt/rock. Has petroglyphs and some climbing. A shorter hike that still leaves you feeling like you did something.

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Arizona friends, any new trails to recommend? Please comment below.