[mattm]

I've been in the White Mountains area for a little over a year now.

I'd like to find one or more people to hike with that are into nature, spirituality, and building community both in a spiritual and physical sense. Would love to increase my knowledge of the area, history, significant Native American sites, maybe look into wildcrafting edible and medicinal plants, etc. Or just some decent conversation / getting to know people.

Peace on Earth

[azbackpackr]

Hi, I live in Eagar, and hike and bike and backpack all the time. And I usually xc ski in winter, plus I own snowshoes--but I don't snowshoe much because cross country skiing is more fun. However, I am spending this coming winter in Yuma, because my disabled husband can't take the cold any more. We are leaving here on Nov 2.

I belong to White Mountain Conservation League and TRACKS hiking club--they do some hikes. But I almost never go on their events. Mostly old people, and maybe not too much into the spiritual/outdoor connection. Maybe some of them are, though. Would be worth a try.

I also belong to the Arizona Archaeological Society, which meets the third Monday of the month at Town Hall in Springerville. I actually do know quite a bit myself about ancient sites, having discovered 5 previously unrecorded sites in the White Mountains, and having worked at Casa Malpais Ruins as a tour guide. I especially enjoy looking for petroglyphs. I am interested in the most recent archaeological research, also, so I attend some lectures occasionally, read a few books, have taken a few classes at NPC.

Maybe on my return in April you might enjoy seeing the petroglyphs at Sipe Wildlife Area near Springerville. If you go there on your own you probably won't find very many of them. The G & F dept. wisely keeps them protected by not telling people about them. They will direct you to a few along a trail, but the best ones are not along any trail, and require a lot of scrambling to see them. They are very interesting, spooky, etc.

My son knows a lot about plants, survival, Native American ideas, and how to live off the land, but he's based elsewhere in the state now. He spends most of his life sleeping under the stars, and gets paid for it, too, lucky guy!

Elizabeth

[azbackpackr]

Sure seems like just about the last 20 people who have posted on here for the first time with questions never do check back and see that some of us have tried to answer their questions. Makes me want to stop bothering with it at all! There were a couple of them recently asking about Lake Havasu, for example, and several others asking about other areas, and these people never seem to reappear to look for their answers, or if they do, they don't seem to care about bothering with thank yous.

I know, I'm whining.

[big_load]

I know, I'm whining.

I found your response interesting, even if it hasn't reached the intended target yet. I still haven't done any significant hiking in the White Mountains because I'm usually around during the colder weather. I don't mind the cold so much, but I don't want big snow.

[azbackpackr]

Well, my Yuma plans may have changed, so I will likely spend the winter up here. We often have dry but cool weather at times. I like hiking when it's about 45 or 50 degrees, anyway, you don't get so sweaty! Depending upon the winter, hiking is a possibility any month of the year. Let me know--petroglyphs galore!

[azdesertfather]

Sure seems like just about the last 20 people who have posted on here for the first time with questions never do check back and see that some of us have tried to answer their questions. Makes me want to stop bothering with it at all! There were a couple of them recently asking about Lake Havasu, for example, and several others asking about other areas, and these people never seem to reappear to look for their answers, or if they do, they don't seem to care about bothering with thank yous.

I know, I'm whining.

agreed...and so much of it could be figured out on their own with TrailDex/TrailDex map...without personal knowledge some questions can be hard to find an answer to that way, but more of the time they aren't.

[azbackpackr]

Yeah, all of the above. And with the Lake Havasu people I offered to fax or snailmail a 4-sheet list of directions to 32 hikes. One person said for me to fax it so I did, but I never heard back if fax was received. The second person had a 1 next to their name and they probably still have a 1--he never reappeared. I don't think we have any Lake Havasu hikes on HAZ, correct me if I'm wrong. Since I haven't hiked those 32 hikes myself I haven't put them up into triplogs or regular hikes on here.

I'm whining again!