I am very surprised that there is no discussion about the terrible bark beetle situation in Arizona. Maybe you all have been there, done that, as I have not posted in a while. Anyway, the forests are dying before our eyes. Have you noticed how many more trees have bitten the dust in the last month? ...

At our cabin in Heber, there are a number of javelina. The stupid people who live in cabins near us feed them and leave out water for them. You know what that means. It is not like those annoying squirrels in Grand Canyon who jump on your head trying to steal your trail mix. These javelinas come rig...

This is an interesting topic to me. I noticed the responses seemed to be from guys, which I am not. And I do go day hiking alone rather often in the cooler months. I bring my dog with me, a fierce :) whippet. I often forget to leave a note about where I am going, sometimes heading out spontaneously....

I think it is around $27. But it is worth every dollar! The hiker's stew is absolutely amazing, but it is not just that. It is the salad, and the cornbread, and the chocolate cake too. It was all you can eat, and they were actually begging us to eat more, there was so much food. It is truly a meal t...

We did the Lynx Lake loop hike in June, and I am glad to hear you say the lake has filled somewhat. Our big shock :o was the bark beetle trees!!! The whole area was filled with them. This summer I have seen many other AZ forested areas worsen terribly. How do the trees look now around Lynx Lake afte...

Shades of Show Low and Heber...did the rain yesterday help any? Any rain up there today/tonight?

What about the bark beetles? I am more worried about them than the fires. If you go to the Tonto Creek area you will see what I mean!

I checked out that Web site. Oooo, all those...vehicles. And powerlines! I think this might be a trail I will skip. The Ballentine is just a little ways away anyway. I was just curious. Thanks for the info.

We saw a new sign on the Beeline heading north from Mesa a couple of miles before you get to the trailhead for the Ballentine. It said "Great Western Trail." Does anyone know if this is a new trail and what it is like/where it goes/how far the trailhead is?

The Forest Service is predicting a fall "fire season," which is very unusual. I think we all need to get ready for some big changes in our forests (and our lifestyles) if we don't see some significant rain soon. If the bark beetles and other blights don't get the forest first, there are go...

Once the monsoons hit this summer, the Rim Country got quite a nice bit of rain. It was not enough to end the drought, but many days of steady rain really helped. There were plenty of days we were up there at our house in Heber this summer and it rained and rained, and not a drop fell anywhere near ...

I used to prefer day packs, but then I fell ice skating and ending up with a rotator cuff tear. Uh, oh--no more shoulder to lean on (rather, hang on), so I went full time to fanny packs. I ended up preferring them. I had surgery last January, and had a Grand Canyon trip planned for June. For the fir...

Reading--now that is my topic! I just reread Seymour Fishbein's Grand Canyon Country, It's Majesty and Lore. Published in 1992 but still gets my heart going for the Canyon. I really want to read the new edition of Colin Fletcher's backpacking book, but still need to get to it. I also read A LOT of f...

Another good place to see birds is Madera Canyon south of Tucson. (Yes, also congrats on the smoking thing. I quit in 1978 and still celebrate each New Year's Day, the anniversary of my quitting.) You'll get your lungs back soon enough to be able to do Madera Canyon--it is worth it! Most of the bird...

The recommendations here for places to go are great. Now it is up to you to go and be patient! Be prepared to get up early for dawn sightings or scope things out at dusk. We have a cabin and see all sorts of wildlife at those times from there, and on trails/roads. You just have to sit still and be q...

Did you all read in the paper that Arizona "found" the funding to reopen these state parks? I think it was in the Republic last Sunday. Good news!

I got the message about the new date and time. Unfortunately, I will be unavailable that day. I would still like to stay on your list to do future hikes though! I am also interested in doing hikes during the week, especially on Fridays if anyone is available.

I am definitely interested, though I work a lot of Saturdays and some Sundays. I get some weekdays off to compensate. How about some local day hikes? The Ballentine trail is a good one once it cools off a bit. Also the Pass Mountain Loop. I can't do any backpacking for another year or so as I had ro...

We went up last week--our cabin is fine. The firefighters obviously did a great job protecting our area. It first hits you just as you get to 260 at the Young turnoff. Down in eastern Overgaard it is horrible. We drove to Show Low from there and it is a nightmare the whole way until just before Show...

I have a bum shoulder but I signed up and I'll see what I can do on those dates.

You really can find all kinds of helmets on-line these days for good prices. Bell makes some good quality ones that are not too expensive. I am a fanatic about bike helmets! Years ago, my bike slipped on gravel while riding near the Santans, and I fell right in front of my husband, who proceeded to ...