Sunset from the Mogollon Rim, Arizona

I love it up on the Rim, as we call it.

Pictures taken on a walk right from camp:

Horton Springs Trail, Arizona

Earlier in June I took the beautiful Horton Springs Trail from near Kohl's Ranch, Arizona, just below the Mogollon Rim.  I'd done it before, and loved it, but this time I was training for Mt Humphreys, so I went all the way up the Rim and back down, making a loop with the Highline and Derrick trails.

Horton Creek

My trip stats:

Total distance (including my meandering, exploring, and getting lost):  17.1 km / 10.6 miles

Total elevation gain:  1086 meters / 3563 feet

Highest elevation:  2413 meters /  7917 feet above sea level

Difficulty:  Mostly easy to Horton Springs, with a bit of a climb toward the end and a bit of rock scrambling if you explore the creek.  Past Horton Springs, the trail is steep, exposed to the sun, and sometimes difficult to follow.  Having reliable GPS with an offline map is a good idea.  At minimum, carry a good paper topo map and don't stray far from one cairn until you can see the next.  Because of the lay of the land, you probably won't get dangerously lost (unless it's hot and you don't have enough water), but you might make things long, prickly, and unpleasant for yourself.  

Pictures don't really capture the panoramic views from the trail above Horton Springs

If you just go to Horton Springs and back:

Total distance: About 11.2 km / 7 miles  (but add some distance, time, and elevation for exploring the creek and the unofficial trails along it).  If you only want to go partway, it's a great hike for that.  You start seeing the creek after about 10-15 minutes on the trail, though the really pretty stuff begins at more like 20-30 minutes in.    

Total elevation gain:  384 meters / 1260 feet

Highest elevation:  2068 meters / 6785 feet above sea level

I saw lots of these beauties flowering this trip.  Not sure what they are. Claret cup?  

Trailhead:

At Upper Tonto Creek Campground, near Kohl's Ranch, which is northeast of Payson on highway 260..  Your turnoff heads north of the highway, and also leads to Tonto Creek Hatchery and Lower Tonto campground.  Parking is available at the Derrick trailhead or past the Upper Tonto Creek Campground (across the little bridge).  

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

I read this because I'd seen it mentioned on a review of another book in which Alaska was just a flimsy and unrealistic backdrop for a love story.  The Great Alone, the review said, was an amazing depiction of life in the Alaskan bush.  The review wasn't wrong.  Whenever I read a book set in Alaska, I expect Alaska itself to be one of the characters.  And here it certainly is.  In fact, it's one of the main characters, complex and compelling.  A fascinating, beautiful, brutal place.

The human characters in The Great Alone are also interesting and multi-dimensional and imperfect.  I loved most of them—despite their flaws—and hated (yet somehow felt sorry for) one of them.  I think the book also sheds light on the struggles people go through and the dangers of certain types of relationships. 

The plot is often dark, but there are moments of light.

The details of survival on an Alaskan homestead are really interesting.

The writing is powerful and really transports you to Leni's Alaska.  At times the prose gets a bit repetitive or long, but it's a minor issue.

  

Overall, a great book.  Highly recommended, especially for those interested in how life was in an isolated part of Alaska in the 70s.  

I will certainly read more by Kristin Hannah.

4.5 stars.  Almost 5.

My article, "Night Watchman," in Hippocampus

I wrote "Night Watchman" about a strange little aspect of my time living in Mexico.  Now you can check it out in Hippocampus Magazine.

https://www.hippocampusmagazine.com/2019/05/night-watchman-by-melinda-brasher/