Up in the mountains

Our band of four took off for the big mountains, the Sierra Ancha mountains.  Hiking in the tall pines was a nice change from the lower elevations.  Little patches of snow were around, but the day could not be more perfect.  The drive to the trailhead was tricky.  Fortunately someone had been there before and cut a path through the felled trees on the road.  After four slow miles of tricky driving the road was block for the last three hundred feet by a tree that had fallen over the stream we had to cross with the truck.  It seemed possible we might be able to drive under the tree, but better judgement prevailed.  Turning the truck around on a narrow mountain road was no easy task, but we managed.

Ken and Kadizzle stopped frequently to just soak in the scenery.  One topic was the people who never get to see the amazing parts of this country. The United States has a remarkable landscape.  There is so much to see.  The Southwest alone has kept us hiking for twenty years.  Kadizzle has chosen Utah as the ultimate state.  Arizona has a lot, but no state can beat Utah for sheer variety.

When we got as far as one day would allow we realized by looking at the map how close we were to major Indian ruins.   This realization meant they must have come the same way we were hiking.  We were in their backyard.  Kadizzle always wonders on these paths if they are original Indian trails or more recent trails made by the white man.  This trail seemed to be an ancient pathway.  There are certain gaps in the mountains that had to be used by game, and people for centuries.