Your Bio

Hi! My name is Kurt. Welcome to my homepage on SmugMug's photo website. I'm originally from Green Bay Wisconsin, but have lived in and around Phoenix Arizona since October 1988. It was not until I moved to Arizona that I gained a love of hiking and the outdoors. My entire family lives back in Wisconsin so I started taking pictures of my "adventures" to show them how I spend my free time and to give them a feel for Arizona's wide variety of climate and geology.

I have since decided to put those photos on this website to make it easier for family and friends to view the pictures at their convenience. This site also allows viewers to make comments about pictures if they like. Please feel free to do so. If you have any questions about a picture or a hike or an event, let me know, leave an email address, and I'll get back to you.

Thanks for your time, and enjoy the photos! - Kurt

PS...THE FULL SCREEN SLIDESHOW FUNCTION IS AWESOME ON THIS SITE NOW. I RECOMMEND USING IT TO VIEW THE PICTURES. THE RESOLUTION IS SO MUCH BETTER. THANKS!

Galleries

Battleship Mountain Hike, 3-30-13 :

Battleship Mountain Hike, 3-30-13

Updated: Apr 18, 2013 6:47am BST

The Wave Cave Hike, 4-7-13 :

The Wave Cave Hike, 4-7-13

Updated: Apr 18, 2013 5:54am BST

Inner Basin Trail, 9-29-12 : (okay, finished pictures from my camera, still have pictures from my phone to review...more to be added :) Went to Northern Arizona to see some fall colors with friends. Decided to hike the Inner Basin Trail from Lockett Meadow to the Weatherford Trail in the San Francisco Peaks. We timed it perfectly. The colors were peaking!! (probably will be nice for a few weeks at various elevations :) The hike covered about 8 miles round trip, and we reached an elevation of 11,000 ft. The air was pleasantly cool, the skies a little cloudy, the aspens full of color...a perfect fall day!!

Inner Basin Trail, 9-29-12

(okay, finished pictures from my camera, still have pictures from my p ...

Updated: Oct 08, 2012 6:13am BST

Trip to Yosemite for E & R's Wedding : This album has pictures from my trip to California for my friends Erica and Roussi's wedding, including pictures from Sequoia National Park on the drive out and from Yosemite National Park for the wedding itself. I will eventually add captions and a more detailed gallery description here when I get a chance, but I wanted to get this out there before the event became too old, Lol!! Enjoy! (We did! ;-)

Trip to Yosemite for E & R's Wedding

This album has pictures from my trip to California for my friends Eric ...

Updated: Aug 13, 2012 7:19am BST

Mt Wrightson, 8-4-12 :

Mt Wrightson, 8-4-12

Updated: Aug 10, 2012 10:59pm BST

Trip to Wisconsin, June 2012 :

Trip to Wisconsin, June 2012

Updated: Jul 16, 2012 6:34am BST

Prescott Highland Games, 5-12-12 : A great way to spend a warm and sunny day in Prescott AZ! I hadn't seen my favorite band, the Keltic Cowboys, play in a while and I heard they were going to be performing at the Highland Games in Prescott, so I decided to go up early and hike the Groom Creek Trail on Spruce Mountain (near Prescott) in the morning, and then headed over to Watson Lake/Granite Dells to watch the games and get my Irish Rock on!!! It was an awesome day!! ps...Frank, I posted lots of pictures of you and the rest of the Keltic Cowboys. Feel free to copy and paste them if you want. The larger the picture size you choose to view from the drop down menu when you hover over the picture, the better the copy resolution will be. Thanks for a great show!!

Prescott Highland Games, 5-12-12

A great way to spend a warm and sunny day in Prescott AZ! I hadn't se ...

Updated: May 26, 2012 12:29am BST

Grand Hike, May 2012 : This was the 3rd May in a row that I headed up to the Grand Canyon with friends to do Charles Liu's "Grand Hike". I was injured last year and could only do part of the Rim Trail along the top of the canyon. This year I was healthier (although had a nagging calf problem) and decided to do a 3 segment hike. I headed down the South Kaibab Trail with Dave and Letlet, Paul and Sue. We took that about 4.6 miles to Tip-off Point. From there Dave and Letlet and I got on the Tonto Trail (on the Tonto Plateau level of the canyon) while Paul and Sue continued down to the river and Phantom Ranch. (I did that 2yrs ago :) We followed the Tonto Trail for 4.7 miles over to the Bright Angel Trail, which looks pretty flat and barren from above, but it had its ups and downs and even a few creek crossings with lush green vegetation along the way. Once at the Bright Angel Trail we took that up .3 miles to Indian Gardens (rest stop/campground) where we caught up with Gladys and Lalo, Curt and Julie...who came down the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens. It was Lalo's and Julie's first time hiking in the Grand Canyon, and they both did great!! Dave and Letlet continued on to Plateau Point from there. I hooked up with the other two couples and we headed up and out of the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail for another 4.5 miles. The weather was beautiful...maybe a little too sunny for my camera..some pictures I couldnt correct very well. Oh well, I mainly wanted to document the hike and trails. Will add pictures from Red Mtn (volcano) warmup hike and the evening sunset, both from the day before (Friday), when I get a chance.

Grand Hike, May 2012

This was the 3rd May in a row that I headed up to the Grand Canyon wit ...

Updated: May 18, 2012 7:50am BST

Big Bear Lake, CA, Sept 2011 :

Big Bear Lake, CA, Sept 2011

Updated: Mar 22, 2012 8:25am BST

Pueblo Canyon Ruins Hike, 2-27-12 : This was an exploritory hike I did with David A, Chris, and Eron. None of us had been to the Pueblo Canyon ruins before. but we had been to the Devil's Chasm ruins before, which was only two canyons over. This trail was located in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness, east of Roosevelt Lake. It was almost a 3 hour drive from Phoenix, and that was because a lot of the driving to get to it was on a dirt road that was scarily rough and narrow, with steep drop-offs, near the end. But it was all worth it! (just glad David drove ;-) The weather was nice all the way out to the ruins, but on the way back we did get some rain. Got to officially use my newish rain jacket...worked great! Over all this was an awesome trip!

Pueblo Canyon Ruins Hike, 2-27-12

This was an exploritory hike I did with David A, Chris, and Eron. Non ...

Updated: Mar 18, 2012 8:15pm BST

Prescott, 12-3-11 : Presoctt's annual Christmas Parade and Courthouse Square Lighting Ceremony, Dec 3, 2011. Ran into some friends from Meetup there that made it all the more fun! :-)

Prescott, 12-3-11

Presoctt's annual Christmas Parade and Courthouse Square Lighting Cere ...

Updated: Dec 11, 2011 7:28pm BST

Rim 2 Rim, 10-8-11 :

Rim 2 Rim, 10-8-11

Updated: Nov 28, 2011 5:04am BST

Kendall's 4th Birthday Party, 11-6-11 : I have a good friend, Jill, from back in the day (okay, the early 2000's). We worked out at the gym during the week and watched football on Sundays. I'd been to her daughter, Kendall's, first 3 birthdays, and I wasnt going to miss her 4th one either! Happy Birthday Kendall!!! The big question was: Will Kendall cry for the 4th consecutive time when the candles are lit and we sing Happy Birthday??? You'll have to check out the pictures and captions to find out!!! :D

Kendall's 4th Birthday Party, 11-6-11

I have a good friend, Jill, from back in the day (okay, the early 2000 ...

Updated: Nov 17, 2011 5:51am BST

Ramsey Canyon near Sierra Vista, 9-17-11 : Just a few pictures to start...

Ramsey Canyon near Sierra Vista, 9-17-11

Just a few pictures to start...

Updated: Oct 17, 2011 3:39am BST

Mt Wrightson, Old Baldy Trail, 8-27-11 : This was a training hike for the Rim2Rim hike coming in October. It was with the Take-a-Hike Meet-up group. The whole area was beautiful. Very green with lots of colorful wildflowers the higher we went. Last time I hiked this was a year ago in spring. There was still some snow on the trail back then, which was also neat, in a completely different way. Had a fun carpool group on this trip, that stopped at Eeggee's in Tuscon for dinner/snack after the hike by special request (Constance ;-)

Mt Wrightson, Old Baldy Trail, 8-27-11

This was a training hike for the Rim2Rim hike coming in October. It w ...

Updated: Oct 01, 2011 8:31am BST

Kendrick Peak, 8-20-11 :

Kendrick Peak, 8-20-11

Updated: Sep 01, 2011 8:51am BST

Humphreys, Weatherford, Kachina Loop, 8-13-11 :

Humphreys, Weatherford, Kachina Loop, 8-13-11

Updated: Aug 25, 2011 8:16am BST

Granite Mtn "Exploritory" Hike, 8-6-11 : Just started. Captions to follow. Note...forgot I had "picture burst" feature on (takes multiple pictures while button is pushed). Didnt seem to affect regular pictures, but when I did some self-timer group pictures it took up to 5 of each...sometimes with funny results! :-D

Granite Mtn "Exploritory" Hike, 8-6-11

Just started. Captions to follow. Note...forgot I had "picture burst" ...

Updated: Aug 08, 2011 8:02am BST

Parson Springs, 7-9-11 : Just starting this gallery. Posted some pic's for Lynn first. Will add more soon. Okay, added a few more today (7-17)

Parson Springs, 7-9-11

Just starting this gallery. Posted some pic's for Lynn first. Will a ...

Updated: Jul 20, 2011 11:15pm BST

West Fork Trail, Sedona, 7-16-11 :

West Fork Trail, Sedona, 7-16-11

Updated: Jul 18, 2011 2:42am BST

Groom Creek Hike, 6-25-11 :

Groom Creek Hike, 6-25-11

Updated: Jul 03, 2011 1:24am BST

Grand Canyon Weekend, May 13-15, 2011 : A little more than halfway done with pictures (but havent posted all of those yet). Lots of similar ones, but just wanted to load them. Will clean it all up later. Should be in chronological order.

Grand Canyon Weekend, May 13-15, 2011

A little more than halfway done with pictures (but havent posted all o ...

Updated: Jun 05, 2011 9:15pm BST

Red Mountain (Volcano) Hike, 5-15-11 : This place is located about 25 miles NW of Flagstaff AZ along Hwy 180 on the way to the Grand Canyon. I happened to read about it in either an Arizona Highways magazine or in the Exploring Arizona section of the AZ Republic newspaper one day. It sounded really neat, but was too far away and too short a hike to do by itself. Sooo, when the annual Grand Canyon hike came up this year I suggested it to some of my fellow hikers. A few of them were able to join me on Sunday, after the Grand Canyon hike, on our way back to Phoenix. It was worth it!! Once we reached the inner area of the old "volcano" we encountered some cool, almost off-worldly looking landscape...from the cinder cones at the beginning of the site, to the "flowing" and eroded lava rock further in. Would have been fun to do more scrambling among the formations, but we didnt have a lot of time, and I personally was having knee and foot problems...so we'll definitely check this out again sometime when we have more time!!

Red Mountain (Volcano) Hike, 5-15-11

This place is located about 25 miles NW of Flagstaff AZ along Hwy 180 ...

Updated: May 21, 2011 9:57pm BST

Six Shooter and Telephone Trail Loop, 5-1-11 :

Six Shooter and Telephone Trail Loop, 5-1-11

Updated: May 18, 2011 7:48am BST

Hieroglyphics Canyon to Superstition Peak, 4-16-11 :

Hieroglyphics Canyon to Superstition Peak, 4-16-11

Updated: May 07, 2011 5:18am BST

Wasson Peak Hike, 4-23-11 :

Wasson Peak Hike, 4-23-11

Updated: May 05, 2011 7:22am BST

Massacre Falls Hike, 4-9-11 :

Massacre Falls Hike, 4-9-11

Updated: Apr 13, 2011 6:55am BST

Chiricahua Nat'l Monument Hike, 3-19-11 : All the pictures are done and most captions are added.

Chiricahua Nat'l Monument Hike, 3-19-11

All the pictures are done and most captions are added.

Updated: Apr 07, 2011 6:27am BST

Picket Post Mtn Hike, 3-12-11 :

Picket Post Mtn Hike, 3-12-11

Updated: Mar 20, 2011 7:50pm BST

Window Rock Hike, 2-26-11 : Finished all the pictures. May have to wait a while for captions though, too many other hike pictures to work on!! This hike was lead by my friend Roussi through the Friends Camping/Hiking/Biking/ etc Meetup group. The hike was located in north Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mtns. The trailhead is located in a parking lot at the (Lowes?)Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson. The hike itself was in an out and back format, covering 12.8 miles roundtrip and gaining over 4050ft in elevation!!! It was a killer workout (calves were sore for 4 days after!), but the views were worth it. Would like to come back some time when things are wetter and greener, and then maybe in fall for colored leaves in the lower elevations. Everyone on the hike was great!!

Window Rock Hike, 2-26-11

Finished all the pictures. May have to wait a while for captions thou ...

Updated: Mar 10, 2011 5:44am BST

Big Loop to Tom's Thumb, 1-8-11 : Just posted a few pictures to get me started on this album....My friend Gladys lead this 3H Meetup Group on a long loop hike to the feature called "Tom's Thumb" in the McDowells Mtns of North Scottsdale.

Big Loop to Tom's Thumb, 1-8-11

Just posted a few pictures to get me started on this album....My frien ...

Updated: Mar 09, 2011 6:34am BST

Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon, 2-20-11 : On Sunday February 20th, 2011 three of my good hiking friends ran in the Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon in Apache Junction, AZ. Erica is a veteran of 16-17 half marathons. She helped train Roussi and Gladys for this, their 1st half marathon. I am a hiker, not a runner, (bad knees and all) but I wanted to cheer them on anyway! Woohoo!! Who knows, maybe it'll inspire me to try a race sometime! The weather was not ideal, especially as a spectator, but all three of them did GREAT!!

Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon, 2-20-11

On Sunday February 20th, 2011 three of my good hiking friends ran in t ...

Updated: Feb 21, 2011 5:10am BST

Robber's Roost Hike, 12-4-10 : A very cool but challenging hike to a well hidden destination in the Superstition Mountains.

Robber's Roost Hike, 12-4-10

A very cool but challenging hike to a well hidden destination in the S ...

Updated: Feb 14, 2011 1:04am BST

Thompson Peak, 10-16-10 : This trail is steep, really steep, probably the steepest in town, once it starts to climb the mountain. That's why it was challenging, just one week after doing the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! Gladys also conveniently mis-quoted the distance before we started as approx 7.5-8 miles long, instead of the actual 9.5 miles. ;-) I'm sure I would have done it anyway! The Thompson Peak Trail starts in the city of Fountain Hills, and is the highest hikable summit in the McDowell Mtns.

Thompson Peak, 10-16-10

This trail is steep, really steep, probably the steepest in town, once ...

Updated: Dec 27, 2010 5:24am BST

Multi-Trail Hike in Sedona, 10-30-10 : On this day my good friend Gladys and I decided to hike in Sedona and try to cover several trails instead of just one. We ended up doing three trails: Cathedral Rock, Bear Mountain, and Fay Canyon. We were going to try to do Doe Mountain as well but ran out of time as the Bear Mtn trail ended up being longer than we anticipated. The weather was great...a little cool and sunny. And the scenery around Sedona can't be beat!

Multi-Trail Hike in Sedona, 10-30-10

On this day my good friend Gladys and I decided to hike in Sedona and ...

Updated: Dec 19, 2010 7:36pm BST

Devil's Chasm, 11-20-10 :

Devil's Chasm, 11-20-10

Updated: Nov 25, 2010 5:08am BST

N. Rim of Grand Canyon Trip, Oct 8-10, 2010 :

N. Rim of Grand Canyon Trip, Oct 8-10, 2010

Updated: Nov 16, 2010 5:37am BST

Green Mtn to Guthrie Mtn Summit, 8-28-10 :

Green Mtn to Guthrie Mtn Summit, 8-28-10

Updated: Oct 06, 2010 7:31am BST

Wilson Mtn North Trail, 9-12-10 :

Wilson Mtn North Trail, 9-12-10

Updated: Sep 28, 2010 7:03am BST

Waterfall Trail, Fossil Springs, 9-18-10 :

Waterfall Trail, Fossil Springs, 9-18-10

Updated: Sep 22, 2010 6:54am BST

Bear Jaw/Abineau Loop, 9-4-10 : Another 3H Meetup hike, lead by David A. I've never been on the northside of the San Francisco Peaks before, very nice! My SUV managed to take the wrong turnoff onto FR151 (there are two...who knew??...okay, maybe I didnt read the directions closely...anyway...) adding almost 10 extra miles of driving on gravel roads, but it was so scenic that we didnt care. :-) Two trails (Bear Jaw and Abineau) plus a forest road made up the loop hike. The Abineau Trail was the first leg of the loop. It started out flat, going through trees and meadows, but soon enough it started uphill, and from there the climb took our breath away, as in, it was quite a workout (lots of elevation gain in a short distance). Along the way we saw where an avalanche careened down the mountain a few years ago and wiped out a swath of trees. (you'll see several pictures of this). We had lunch on some rocks at the juncture of AbineauTrail and the service road (which was not in use, so no traffic). From there we could see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon way in the distance. I took a picture of it using the maximum zoom on my camera. That picture is in here too. After lunch we hiked down the gradually descending road which was surrounded by towering aspen trees. Would love to see this trail in Fall! After a mile or so we came to the juncture with the Bear Jaw Trail, where we started a more serious downhill trek through the forest back to the parking lot. The weather was awesome, probably in the 60's in the shade , and 70's in the sun. Compared to the day before when it was 112 in Phoenix, this was perfect!!!

Bear Jaw/Abineau Loop, 9-4-10

Another 3H Meetup hike, lead by David A. I've never been on the north ...

Updated: Sep 09, 2010 7:49am BST

Trip to Wisconsin, June 2010 : Just starting this gallery. It will include pictures from my niece's graduation, a walk on the East River and Fox River Trails, the Green Bay Botanical Gardens, trip to Door County, a Packers OTA (Organized Team Activity) and Stadium Tour, my Aunt and Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversay, and a Green Bay Blizzard Indoor Football game.

Trip to Wisconsin, June 2010

Just starting this gallery. It will include pictures from my niece's ...

Updated: Aug 27, 2010 5:21am BST

Mt Humphreys, 8-8-10 :

Mt Humphreys, 8-8-10

Updated: Aug 18, 2010 7:17am BST

Kachina Trail, 8-1-10 : Photos are added, just need some captions.

Kachina Trail, 8-1-10

Photos are added, just need some captions.

Updated: Aug 07, 2010 7:29am BST

Kendrick Mtn and Lava Tube, 7-18-10 : This is a hike I did on Sunday July 18th with the group Take A Hike. Kendrick Mtn is about 21 miles NW of Flagstaff AZ and about 10 miles driving from Mt Humphreys. The hike was a little over 9 miles roundtrip and I think we gained about 2700 feet, with a summit of 10,400 feet. I had done this trail twice before and didn't want to take a lot of pictures this time, so 3 of us (Jim, Gladys, and I) decided to make this into a fitness hike for ourselves. We managed to get to the top in an hour and 44mins, and down in an hour and 20mins. We had great weather, great views, and got a great workout too! Maybe just 3 miles away there is an ancient lava tube that you can explore. There is a parking lot and an informational sign at the hole in the ground...that's it, no man made creature comforts. It's pitch black inside and cold, so you need a flashlight/headlamp and a jacket, then off you go. No worn trail or anything, just follow the uneven floor till you get to the end...about 3/4 of a mile in, 1.5 miles roundtrip. Those pictures are at the end.

Kendrick Mtn and Lava Tube, 7-18-10

This is a hike I did on Sunday July 18th with the group Take A Hike. ...

Updated: Aug 01, 2010 9:41pm BST

Mt Humphreys (and fire), 6-20-10 : Some friends invited me to hike wth them up to the summit of Mount Humphreys...the tallest peak in Arizona at approx 12636 ft. We had a great group and the weather was perfect. (except maybe the wind above the treeline =) What made this trip extra special was witnessing a small forest fire that quickly grew into a very large fire. Luckily we were far enough away so as not to be directly affected by it. By the way, the trail was about 9 miles long roundtrip, with an elevation gain of approximately 3500 feet.

Mt Humphreys (and fire), 6-20-10

Some friends invited me to hike wth them up to the summit of Mount Hum ...

Updated: Jun 28, 2010 7:05am BST

Groom Creek Hike, 5-29-10 : This is a hike I did Memorial Day weekend with Take a Hike. The Groom Creek Trail is located on Spruce Mtn about 6 miles outside of Prescott AZ. The trail was a 9 mile loop, featuring a working fire lookout tower and a scenic overlook. This was a gorgeous day and a really fun hike!

Groom Creek Hike, 5-29-10

This is a hike I did Memorial Day weekend with Take a Hike. The Groom ...

Updated: Jun 03, 2010 8:26am BST

Grand Canyon Hike, 5-8-10 : This was my first "real" hike into the Grand Canyon, with the group Take-A-Hike. It was a day hike to the Colorado River and back. We took the South Kaibab Trail down to Phantom Ranch, and then took the Bright Angel Trail back to the top. Basically 17.2 miles roundtrip, with over 4000 ft of elevation loss/gain! It was a REALLY Great trip! We camped at the Mathers campground on Friday night, hiked Saturday, had a celebratory cookout there Saturday night, camped overnight, and drove back to Phoenix Sunday morning. The training hikes that Charles led prior to this really helped, and were quite fun in their own right. My good friend Gladys hiked with me the whole way and appears in may of my pictures. My other good friends Erica, Roussi, and Travis also joined us on much of the trail. (disclaimer...I may add some pictures taken by other hikers in our group to the end of this gallery when I get a chance. :-)

Grand Canyon Hike, 5-8-10

This was my first "real" hike into the Grand Canyon, with the group Ta ...

Updated: May 28, 2010 7:11am BST

Six Shooter/Telephone Trail Loop, 4-25-10 : Grand Canyon training hike #5. This was an inverted balloon loop hike. We hiked approx 5miles up the Six Shooter Trail to a juncture. From there some of us took a 3mile roundtrip spur trail to the towers at the summit. Then we came back down the spur to the juncture, and then took the Telephone Trail back to the parking lot. The trail up will be remembered for the stream that we crossed several times along the way. I love the sound of rushing or babbling streams on a hike. Then the spur will be remembered for the snow, which all but disappeared at the summit because it was exposed to sunlight. And then the return trail will be remembered for the manzanita forest with was pretty, but also turned out to be rather overgrown and messed up at times, making it quite an adventure. Overall a good scenic workout!

Six Shooter/Telephone Trail Loop, 4-25-10

Grand Canyon training hike #5. This was an inverted balloon loop hike ...

Updated: May 02, 2010 12:31am BST

Reavis Falls Hike, 4-12-10 : I believe this was training hike #4 for Charles' Grand Canyon hike in May. Reavis Falls is in the Supersition Wilderness, off the Apache Trail. The drive to the trailhead was very scenic and an adventure in itself (20+ miles of narrow, curvy, dirt roads with big drop-offs. I was driving, so needless to say I didn't check out the scenery too much...just tried to keep the truck on the road! The hike itself was about 13 miles roundtrip with a long gradual ascent to start, then a very steep descent down to one creek, then up the ridge on the otherside, and then down to the bottom of the next valley. There we stopped hiking a trail and started boulder hopping up a stream for over a mile till we got to Reavis Falls, which is about 150 ft tall depending on what reference book you read. What a great reward!!! The rock hopping, pools of water, and the falls were awesome. The rest of the trail was a good physical challenge, whether it was the steep ascent/descent part of the trail, or looong tiring trail that never seemed to end when you're looking for the parking lot (and the cooler in Charles' jeep :-) Definitely want to do this one again!

Reavis Falls Hike, 4-12-10

I believe this was training hike #4 for Charles' Grand Canyon hike in ...

Updated: Apr 20, 2010 7:30am BST

Picacho Peak, 3-13-10 :

Picacho Peak, 3-13-10

Updated: Apr 08, 2010 8:06am BST

The Algonquin Trail, 3-6-10 :

The Algonquin Trail, 3-6-10

Updated: Mar 14, 2010 6:31am BST

Ford Canyon Trail, 2-14-10 : A loop hike combining parts of the Mesquite, Willow Spring, and Ford Canyon trails at the White Tank Mountains Regional Park, west of Phoenix. Had a fun group of people and excellent weather!

Ford Canyon Trail, 2-14-10

A loop hike combining parts of the Mesquite, Willow Spring, and Ford C ...

Updated: Feb 22, 2010 5:30am BST

Havasu Falls Backpacking Trip, Oct '09 : (USE THE SLIDESHOW FUNCTION, far right, for nice full-screen pictures.) This was such a fun backpacking trip. Havasu Falls is in the west end of the Grand Canyon, along a creek that flows into the Colorado River. The hike itself involves a steep switchbacked trail for the 1st mile or so, then a more gradual descent through layers and layers of rock. At the 8 mile mark you arrive at the Native American village of Supi where everyone checks in. From there its about another 2 miles to the campground where we stayed. The campground itself is a mile long. There are 3 main waterfalls from the Supi village to the end of the campground: "New" Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, and Mooney Falls. There are also other mini falls along the way. Now for the pictures...the first set of pictures are from Seligman AZ where we stayed the night before the hike began. All the rooms at the motel where themed, mine being the "Hollywood Room" (the one with the gold bedspread). Other rooms included the Marylin Monroe Room, the Elvis Room, the Route 66 Room, etc. At the end of the gallery are picks from The Roadkill Cafe where we ate dinner after hiking out of the canyon on Sunday. In between are tons of pictures of waterfalls, mountain sheep, and more. YES, there are lots of similar pictures, but each is a little different. (Believe it or not, there are over 125 pictures that I didn't use!!) Enjoy!

Havasu Falls Backpacking Trip, Oct '09

(USE THE SLIDESHOW FUNCTION, far right, for nice full-screen pictures. ...

Updated: Nov 14, 2009 3:35pm BST

Pictured Rocks Boat Tour, 9-13-09 : The day after Katie and Doug's wedding I got to go on a boat tour of Pictured Rocks National Shoreline, near Munising MI. (Thanks to Doug Sr!) the morning started out foggy but it burned off during the trip. The scenery was great regardless! I have finished adding all the pictures, but still need to add captions (once I find the brochure to help me remember the names of the different landmarks). One of these summers I want to come back and hike/backpack the trail that runs the length of the national shoreline park, along the top of the cliffs!

Pictured Rocks Boat Tour, 9-13-09

The day after Katie and Doug's wedding I got to go on a boat tour of P ...

Updated: Oct 25, 2009 7:00am BST

Lockett Meadow to the Inner Basin, 10-3-09 : When 3H set up a hike to Lockett Meadow and the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks to view Fall colors I just had to sign-up! Fall was my favorite season back in Wisconsin...unfortunately we don't get much of a "Fall" in Phoenix. I know, I know...there are several pictures of the same thing from different distances, etc. I wanted to post as many pictures with my fellow hikers in them as possible, plus I couldnt get enough of the yellow Fall colors! The hike leader, Kimberly, lives in Flagstaff and timed this hike perfectly. As you will see from the pictures, the aspens were nearing their peak of color the weekend we went up there. I met several new members of 3H on this hike. I think they had as good a time as I did!

Lockett Meadow to the Inner Basin, 10-3-09

When 3H set up a hike to Lockett Meadow and the Inner Basin of the San ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2009 2:52am BST

empty gallery

Waterfalls

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 4:01am BST

Katie and Doug's Wedding, 9-12-09 : Part of my late summer vacation to WI was to attend my sister's wedding in Munising MI (in the U.P. on Lake Superior). Katie and Doug decided to have a casual outdoor wedding at one of the major sites along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, called Miner's Castle. The weather turned out BEAUTIFUL!!! Near 80 degrees in Upper Michigan? In September? Incredible! I had never heard of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore before this, and now can't wait to come back and explore some more! It was also great meeting Doug's family, who all live in/near Munising. They were wonderful hosts!

Katie and Doug's Wedding, 9-12-09

Part of my late summer vacation to WI was to attend my sister's weddin ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2009 3:49am BST

AZ Trail Hike, near Flagstaff, 8-15-09 : This hike was Segment 32 of the AZ Trail from Mexico to Utah. It ran from Coscino(sp?) Rd and I-40, about 7 miles east of Flagstaff, to Schultz Pass (in the mountains NE of Flagstaff. Total distance was about 14 miles. Had a beautiful day for it. There were only 8 of us, so we managed to stay pretty close together most of the way. The trail was not difficult (except for distance) so it was a great way to spend a cool sunny day near Flagstaff.

AZ Trail Hike, near Flagstaff, 8-15-09

This hike was Segment 32 of the AZ Trail from Mexico to Utah. It ran ...

Updated: Aug 23, 2009 8:48pm BST

Mt Elden Lookout Trail, 8-8-09 : I suggested, and got to organize and lead, this hike in east Flagstaff. It was only about a 5.5 mile hike round trip, but with an elevation gain of approx 2300 fee. It was an awesome hike, nice challenge, with great people, and perfect weather! "Thanks", to all those that participated!

Mt Elden Lookout Trail, 8-8-09

I suggested, and got to organize and lead, this hike in east Flagstaff ...

Updated: Aug 13, 2009 5:53am BST

Granite Mountain Hike, 8-1-09 : Just started this one...most of these first pictures are of fellow hikers that I intended to put on the Meetup sight, along with a few scenery ones. Will add the rest of my pictures from this hike as soon as I can :-)

Granite Mountain Hike, 8-1-09

Just started this one...most of these first pictures are of fellow hik ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2009 1:24am BST

Huckaby Trail, Sedona, 6-6-09 : This was a really nice hike in Sedona with the 3H hiking group. The Huckaby Trail trailhead is about a mile up Schnebly Hill Rd from Hwy 179 and ends at Oak Creek under the big bridge (can't remember the name) that is part of hwy 89A. Usually I end up going to Sedona with a car full of people and in a hurry to get to a trailhead, and miss all the designated "scenic views" along the way. So this time I drove myself, went early, and stopped at 4 different scenic view pullouts along the way to take pictures. The first 28 pictures are from these stops. This hike was also significant because it was a fundraising hike for Breast Cancer Research. We had a picnic after the hike and proceeds from the meal went to this worthy cause. We had a great turnout. I ran into Diana, a fellow hiker I hadnt seen in a while (wearing black tank with black pants), who is also a shutterbug. So we ending up hikng together most of the time. She's quite the ham. LOL! This hike was short but a lot of fun!

Huckaby Trail, Sedona, 6-6-09

This was a really nice hike in Sedona with the 3H hiking group. The H ...

Updated: Jul 30, 2009 7:53am BST

Kendrick Peak Trail, 7-26-09 : Just started this one to get a few pictures out there. More to come...

Kendrick Peak Trail, 7-26-09

Just started this one to get a few pictures out there. More to come.. ...

Updated: Jul 28, 2009 7:58am BST

Weekend Trip with Erica, Apr 17-18, 2009 : Just starting this gallery. I have uploaded all the pictures now. Just have to crop, delete dupes, and add some captions. This was a great 2 day trip with Erica. The first day, Friday, we drove down to Kartchner Caverns SE of Tucson. That was really cool! Then we visited several of her favorite places in Tucson, such as her old house, a favorite restaurant, a favorite frozen yogurt shop, Performance Bikes, Summit Hut, and then the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum (which is really a zoo :-). Also very cool! We drove back to Phoenix that night and then went north to Prescott and Jerome on Saturday....more to come

Weekend Trip with Erica, Apr 17-18, 2009

Just starting this gallery. I have uploaded all the pictures now. Ju ...

Updated: Jun 23, 2009 7:24am BST

Woods Canyon Lake Hike, 6-13-09 : This hike was located at Woods Canyon Lake on top of the Mogollon Rim, about 25 miles east of Payson AZ. Elevation was over 7000ft and it was about 30 degrees cooler up there than in Phoenix that day! Very nice! This was not a very long hike, about 2.5 to 3 miles around the lake. The group was so large that they split it up, half going clockwise, the other counter clockwise. I was the "sweep" in our group because I was taking so many pictures. However, after Darci and Gary fell back to the end, they took over being the sweep, and then I eventually ended up on a parallel trail that followed the edge of the lake more closely. Therefore, I did not take as many pictures of people hiking as usual. After the picnic lunch, (sorry, no pictures, too busy eating :-) a few of us hiked the loop again to work off all the food we ate! Then after that I stopped at the Rim Vista Trail and hiked another 1.2 miles or so round trip. That trail is paved and runs right along the Rim. It happened to be REALLY windy on the Rim, strong enough at times to make me lose my balance a little, so I didn't get to close to the edge. Overall, a great day!

Woods Canyon Lake Hike, 6-13-09

This hike was located at Woods Canyon Lake on top of the Mogollon Rim, ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2009 10:17pm BST

Hike up Mt Humphreys w/Erica and Friends, 5-30-09 : My good friend Erica invited me to join her and her friends/co-workers on a hike to the summit of Mt Humphreys. We drove up Friday night to get acclimated to the higher elevation and hiked Saturday morning. Weather was forcasted to have a high temperature around 50 degrees on the trail at 11,000' and a 30% chance of thunderstorms. When we all woke up the sun was shining and it was rather warm in Flagstaff proper....but once we started hiking the forcast proved to be pretty accurate. We ended up having thunder and lightning as well as sleet and snow! Unfortunately we never made it to the summit or even the saddle, but from what we heard about the lightning from others coming down the mountain, it was just too dangerous. Still, the weather made it an adventure, and Erica's friends were all a lot of fun. Overall it was a great trip. (ps...unfortunately my camera was on a setting that I was not aware of and many pictures ended up being out of focus. I tried to fix those up as well as possible.)

Hike up Mt Humphreys w/Erica and Friends, 5-30-09

My good friend Erica invited me to join her and her friends/co-workers ...

Updated: Jun 11, 2009 6:33am BST

Brown's Peak Summit Hike, 3-21-09 : Still under construction...not finished with all the pictures yet....This was a fun but very challenging hike from the saddle to the summit. Browns Peak is the northern most and highest of the landmark called Four Peaks. The air temperature was warm enough for shorts, but there was still snow in the crevasses near the summit. The final assault on the peak requires a non-fear of heights (so I was lucky I made it :-) Actually, if you just take your time, and have someone to help guide your hands and feet in the steep areas, you will make it. The actual summit is rather large and wide, so once youre there it's not bad at all, and the 360 degree views are awesome.

Brown's Peak Summit Hike, 3-21-09

Still under construction...not finished with all the pictures yet....T ...

Updated: May 28, 2009 4:24am BST

Bear Mtn Hike w/Erica and Luis, 4-11-09 : Erica, Luis, and I drove to Sedona on 4-11-09 to hike Bear Mountain. Yesterday it was near 80 degrees in Phoenix. Today in Sedona at the start of the hike it was 32 degrees, raining, and later changed to snow. It was quite the adventure, and a lot of FUN! Here are a few pictures to get started. You'll meet KEL, the little snow"kid" we created on a plateau with a great view. (KEL's name is derived from the first letters of our first names...Kurt, Erica, Luis!) We enjoyed him emencely(sp?) and felt really sad leaving him behind :( More pictures to follow.

Bear Mtn Hike w/Erica and Luis, 4-11-09

Erica, Luis, and I drove to Sedona on 4-11-09 to hike Bear Mountain. ...

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 7:21am BST

3H Group, Boulder and LaBarge Canyons Loop Hike, 3-7-09 :

3H Group, Boulder and LaBarge Canyons Loop Hike, 3-7-09

Updated: Mar 29, 2009 5:41pm BST

3H Group, Bear Canyon Trail to Seven Falls, 2-28-09 : Just started this gallery. Used a few pictures from though out the hike to get an idea of the trail and scenery. Will add the other nearly 150 filler pictures as I get through them. This is the Bear Canyon Trail that parallels the more famous Sabino Canyon, near Tuscon AZ. I had done this hike with a few friends 2 years ago and suggested it to 3H Group organizer. He okayed it and suggested I lead or co-lead it, which I did. It was a great hike on a really nice day. The water flow also turned out to be better than last time so the waterfalls seemed even more impressive this time.

3H Group, Bear Canyon Trail to Seven Falls, 2-28-09

Just started this gallery. Used a few pictures from though out the hi ...

Updated: Mar 08, 2009 9:58pm BST

Trip to Wisconsin, Summer 2008 : I'm way behind in getting the pictures from my summer trip to Wisconsin done. But better late than never! I've decided to work and add pictures by event, not necessarily in chronological order like I usually do. The first 57 pictures are from "Art in the Park" that I went to in Appleton WI with my sister Katie, her friend Rebecca, and my Mom. The weather was perfect. Everything was so GREEN! Lots of cool stuff. I even liked the huge old houses that ringed the park where the event was held. Pictures of some of those homes start, and end, this first group of pictures.

Trip to Wisconsin, Summer 2008

I'm way behind in getting the pictures from my summer trip to Wisconsi ...

Updated: Feb 28, 2009 3:05am BST

Elephant Mtn Plus Hike, 1-24-09 : The pictures are all added now. Just need to add a description and captions. Thanks for stopping by!

Elephant Mtn Plus Hike, 1-24-09

The pictures are all added now. Just need to add a description and ca ...

Updated: Feb 05, 2009 5:23am BST

3H Group, Peralta and Cave Trail Loop, 1-17-09 : Just finished adding all the pictures. Will add description and captions when I can.

3H Group, Peralta and Cave Trail Loop, 1-17-09

Just finished adding all the pictures. Will add description and capti ...

Updated: Jan 31, 2009 11:55pm BST

Christmas Eve Day Sunrise Hike, 12-24-08 : I heard through some friends in my 3HG hiking group about a hike on North Mountain on Christmas Eve Day at sunrise. Apparently what started as two couples (strangers till then) sharing a thermas of coffee at the top of North Mountain on Christmas Eve Day 27 years ago has into an annual tradition. Now days a ranger sets up a couple tables and creates a fire ring near the summit of the mountain, and hikers bring breakfast drinks or treats to share, and watch the sunrise together. As you can tell from my pictures I got there early (still quite dark) but there were already several people up there, with more arriving by the minute. Unforunately in the low light my camera did have a slightly longer exposure and therefore the pictures did not come out real clear, but they are okay. It was a really fun experience which I'm sure I'll do again next year.

Christmas Eve Day Sunrise Hike, 12-24-08

I heard through some friends in my 3HG hiking group about a hike on No ...

Updated: Jan 20, 2009 12:18am BST

3HG, Alta Trail Hike, 1-3-09 : This hike on South Mountain in Phoenix was a loop combining parts of 3 trails: the Alta Trail (the longest and most challenging section), the National Trail (the low level trail starting at the end of the Alta Trail), and then the Bajda(sp?) Trail (the last section which led back to the parking lot). The Bajda Trail weaves along the desert in the valley, roughly paralleling the road. By the time we reached this trail many were tired and hungry and elected to take the road back to the parking lot(s). Five of us elected to take the Bajda Trail back to the cars. I don't get to this park often so I wanted to hike the trails as much as possible. It was a great hike, especially the Alta Trail section....ps, you might notice it was quite chilly early in the morning, especially in the shade, but once we got our heartrates up ascending the Alta Trail and got into the sunlight more, it warmed up nicely.

3HG, Alta Trail Hike, 1-3-09

This hike on South Mountain in Phoenix was a loop combining parts of 3 ...

Updated: Jan 15, 2009 5:31am BST

3H Group, Kendrick Mountain Hike, 9-27-08 : Just starting this one. I took a lot of photos, so it will take a while. Will add pictures as I go rather than all of them at once when finished. Feel free to check back.

3H Group, Kendrick Mountain Hike, 9-27-08

Just starting this one. I took a lot of photos, so it will take a whi ...

Updated: Dec 02, 2008 6:40am BST

3H Group, Bell Rock/Courthouse Loop, 9-6-08 : Okay, this one is done except for a description and captions. All the pictures are loaded.

3H Group, Bell Rock/Courthouse Loop, 9-6-08

Okay, this one is done except for a description and captions. All the ...

Updated: Oct 20, 2008 7:34am BST

3H Group, Siphon Draw to Flat Iron Trail Hike, 10-11-08 : This was on of the most physically challenging hikes I'd been on to date. Lots of elevation gain in a short distance, combined with rock scrambling. But the views were worth the effort! This trail starts out at Lost Dutchman State Park, a few miles east of Apache Junction AZ, on the western edge of the Superstition Mountains. As I was driving over to our carpool spot in Mesa in the morning it was dark, but you could see lots of lightning over the mountains. Started wondering if the hike was would be cancelled. But by the time we got there the storminess had moved on. It was still cloudy and windy, but apparently it had not rained in our hiking area so that was good! You'll see that by the time we headed back down the sun came out so those pictures will be much brighter. I'm adding pictures as I work them, so feel free to keep checking back. Thanks.

3H Group, Siphon Draw to Flat Iron Trail Hike, 10-11-08

This was on of the most physically challenging hikes I'd been on to da ...

Updated: Oct 14, 2008 7:48am BST

3H Group, Kachina Trail Hike, 10-4-08 : This was an 8 mile hike near Flagstaff AZ in the San Francisco Peaks. It was supposed to be a Fall Color hike but it may have been a little early. Even at 9000 feet elevation the aspens were just starting to change. The weather on the other hand definitely felt like Fall. It was cloudy and grey, cool to cold, and after about 20 mins it started drizzling and raining. That lasted pretty much the whole trip. We even had some snow showers for a little while. The foggy weather did help add some mystique to the pictures. The trail itself was nice. We'll have to do it again another time. ps...due to the inclement weather I did not take nearly as many pictures. Tried to protect the camera from too much moisture.

3H Group, Kachina Trail Hike, 10-4-08

This was an 8 mile hike near Flagstaff AZ in the San Francisco Peaks. ...

Updated: Oct 09, 2008 6:58am BST

3H Group, North Mingus Mountain Loop Hike, 9-13-08 : This time was the third time I hiked this trail, but the first time with the 3H Group. This trail is located on Mingus Mountain near the old mining town of Jerome AZ. The loop consists of three trails: Trail 106 that leads down the southside of the mountain, Trail 105A that cuts across the ridge at the low end of the trail, and then Trail 105 that takes you back up the northside of the mountain. (these compass directions are approx, not true) Anyway, the loop itself is only about 4.5 miles long but the scenery and the steepness of the grade (both downhill and uphill) made it seem like a longer, more challenging hike. I'll let the captions describe the hike itself. Afterwards we drove down to Jerome for lunch and some exploring of the town. A glassblower was giving a demonstration of his art and let us watch. Those pictures are at the end of the gallery. My memory of what the glassblower was doing is a little fuzzy since it was a few weeks ago, so don't take everything I wrote as fact! :-)

3H Group, North Mingus Mountain Loop Hike, 9-13-08

This time was the third time I hiked this trail, but the first time wi ...

Updated: Sep 28, 2008 11:13pm BST

3H Group, Marshall Lake to Fisher Point Hike, 8-23-08 : This was an 11.4 mile roundtrip hike SE of Flagstaff AZ. It started out as a sunny cool day up in the high country. As the day and hike wore on the weather got warmer and muggier. When the clouds came they brought with them thunder, lightning, and cooler temperatures. Luckily the rain stayed mainly to our north but we did get a few sprinkles. This hike took us to the edge of Walnut Canyon, down the side to the bottom of it. Then we hooked up with another trail that was lined with wildflowers that took us to Fischer Point which is like a cave or large rock overhang. After the hike we headed into Flagstaff for dinner at Beaver Street Brewery (always a favorite of mine), and then back down to Phoenix. While driving by Sedona on the interstate there was a beautiful sunset with rain and rainclouds in front of it. Those will be the last pictures in this gallery.

3H Group, Marshall Lake to Fisher Point Hike, 8-23-08

This was an 11.4 mile roundtrip hike SE of Flagstaff AZ. It started o ...

Updated: Sep 15, 2008 5:44am BST

3H Group, Woods Canyon Lake Hike and Picnic, 7-12-08 : Okay, the pictures are all added, now just need to caption them. Had used old camera. many picturs are bright but dark, and a little grainy. Great hike though! You'll also notice that for some reason I took a lot of pictures of dead trees, tree stumps, and tree roots on this one. WE had a group picnic after the hike, with great food from everyone.

3H Group, Woods Canyon Lake Hike and Picnic, 7-12-08

Okay, the pictures are all added, now just need to caption them. Had ...

Updated: Sep 04, 2008 7:36am BST

3H Group, AZ Trail, Blue Ridge Rez Segment, Aug 8-10, 2008 : Updated...finished getting the pictures uploaded 8-31-08. Now just need to add captions and finish the description...This was the 3rd leg of our attempt to hike the whole AZ Trail from Mexico to Utah, one segment at a time (not in any particular order). This segment was about 16.1 miles long, plus we added a side trail on Saturday to try to find a historical marker commemorating some famous battle. We managed to get rain each day of our trip, but that just made it more adventuresome.

3H Group, AZ Trail, Blue Ridge Rez Segment, Aug 8-10, 2008

Updated...finished getting the pictures uploaded 8-31-08. Now just ne ...

Updated: Sep 01, 2008 6:17am BST

3H Group, Schnebly Hill/Munds Mtn Hike, 8-16-08 : The Schnebly Hill Trail starts about halfway up Schnebly Hill Rd which is located near the city of Sedona when traveling up Hwy 179. Sedona is known for it's unique and beautiful red rocks, which will be evident in these pictures. Quite honestly, many of the pictures will be of the same basic view, just from different elevations, angles, and with different foregrounds. I'll let the captions explain the rest.

3H Group, Schnebly Hill/Munds Mtn Hike, 8-16-08

The Schnebly Hill Trail starts about halfway up Schnebly Hill Rd which ...

Updated: Aug 31, 2008 2:01am BST

Mingus Mtn Loop Hike, 7-4-08 : This trail is located about 6 miles outside of Jerome AZ, near the top of Mingus Mountain. I hiked it with my good friend and fellow hiker Darci. It was the Fourth of July. This trail is not very long but is very steep going down, and later back up. The day started sunny and hazy (partly due to a forest fire about 40 miles to the south. At the top of the mountain are two hang glider launch sites. It must have been a good day for flying because we counted as many as 5 in the air at one time. You'll see lots of pictures of them. Had to use maximum zoom, and then cropped them closer, so the quality is not real sharp. Later in the hike you'll notice it got darker and started raining on other parts of the mountain. After the hike we headed to the former ghost town-turned-artist colony called Jerome for lunch at the Haunted Hamburger and a walking tour of the town. Overall it was a great trip!

Mingus Mtn Loop Hike, 7-4-08

This trail is located about 6 miles outside of Jerome AZ, near the top ...

Updated: Aug 03, 2008 1:53am BST

3H Group, Green Mountain Trail Hike, 6-28-08 :

3H Group, Green Mountain Trail Hike, 6-28-08

Updated: Jul 07, 2008 12:45am BST

AZ Trail, Highline Trail Segment, June 13-15, 2008 : All done except for the gallery description.

AZ Trail, Highline Trail Segment, June 13-15, 2008

All done except for the gallery description.

Updated: Jul 06, 2008 1:42am BST

3H Group, See Canyon Trail Hike, 6-7-08 : Done adding pictures, just way behind on gallery descriptions and photo captions.

3H Group, See Canyon Trail Hike, 6-7-08

Done adding pictures, just way behind on gallery descriptions and phot ...

Updated: Jun 19, 2008 6:02am BST

3H Group, Aspen Trail/Marshall Gulch Loop, 5-31-08 : Pictures are done, just need captions and gallery description.

3H Group, Aspen Trail/Marshall Gulch Loop, 5-31-08

Pictures are done, just need captions and gallery description.

Updated: Jun 08, 2008 7:51pm BST

3H Group, Groom Creek Trail, 5-24-08 : The pictures are all uploaded now. Will add captions when I get a chance.

3H Group, Groom Creek Trail, 5-24-08

The pictures are all uploaded now. Will add captions when I get a cha ...

Updated: Jun 03, 2008 6:20am BST

AZ Trail, Canelo Hills to Patagonia Backpack Trip, May 9-11 2008 : This was my first backpacking adventure with the 3H Group, and their first attempt at hiking the AZ Trail. The AZ Trail is a hiking trail that runs all the way across Arizona from Mexico to Utah. The section we hiked, Canelo Hills West to the town of Patagonia, is technically the 3rd segment of the trail starting from Mexico, and is 17.4 miles long. We did it as a two day trip, roughly 10.5 miles the first day and 7 miles the second day. We camped at an old abandoned ranch that provided shade and a good area for eating and socializing. The other hikers on this trip were Michael, Phelecia, Brian, and newcomer Neal. The scenery was ruggedly beautiful. It had an Old West feel to it since most of it was also open cattle grazing land. We all had a great time. I look forward to doing another leg of the AZ Trail in the future.

AZ Trail, Canelo Hills to Patagonia Backpack Trip, May 9-11 2008

This was my first backpacking adventure with the 3H Group, and their f ...

Updated: May 26, 2008 9:37am BST

3H Group, Picacho Peak, Hunter Trail, 4-19-08 : I've wanted to hike this peak for a long time and finally got my chance, with the Hiking Hikers Hiking (3H) Group. Picacho Peak is located about half way between Phoenix and Tucson, right along the interstate. The peak is rather intimidating from the road. There were a lot of steep areas requiring some scrambling and cable assistance, but that just made reaching the summit all the more rewarding. The overcast skies and breezes were a blessing on the way up. Didn't have to worry about the heat until the way down. Altogether there were seven of us that participated on this hike. They were all a lot of fun to hike with...and we ALL made it to the top and back in one piece!

3H Group, Picacho Peak, Hunter Trail, 4-19-08

I've wanted to hike this peak for a long time and finally got my chanc ...

Updated: May 26, 2008 7:37am BST

3H Group, Bell Trail at Wet Beaver Creek, 5-3-08 : This galleryo contains pictures from a Saturday hike with the 3H Group. The trailhead and Wet Beaver Creek are located about 2 hrs north of Phoenix. At the same exit that you take to Sedona, you go right (east) instead of left. Since the trail is located near the Sedona area, it too had redrock walls along the way. The trail itself is exposed and runs above the creek, but there were several spur trails that took you down to the creek. We stopped at 2 or 3 places along the creek to rest and have snacks/lunch. The day was beautiful, although the bright sun did play havoc with many of my pictures. I tried to "clean-up" the washed-out pictures. For the most part they turned out. I met a lot of new people from the hiking group on this trip. They were all very nice, and I had a great time!

3H Group, Bell Trail at Wet Beaver Creek, 5-3-08

This galleryo contains pictures from a Saturday hike with the 3H Group ...

Updated: May 18, 2008 8:52pm BST

3H Group, Fossil Springs Hike, 5-4-08 : The 3H Group usually does it's weekend hikes on Saturdays, but this was a special Sunday hike in honor of Michael's birthday. He is one of the group's assistant organizers. We had a fairly large group of about 15 people. As mentioned in previous galleries, Fossil Springs is located about 15 miles north of Payson AZ, near the town of Strawberry. Fossile Springs is a canyon hike with an elevation loss of about 1600 feet. The round trip hike was 8 miles, although (ah-hem) some of us (Darci) got a little extra mileage out of it :-) We stopped and got into the water at two watering holes: one near the old dam where there was some cliff jumping and a water cave, and the other where there was a handy rope swing. Nancy brought some party favors, while Kevin (or Paul) brought squirt guns, to help celebrate Michael's birthday. After the hike we all stopped at the Strawberry Lodge for some dinner (and birthday pie for Michael). The overwhelming favorite dinner entree' was the Pot Roast Special! This was a very fun and scenic hike!

3H Group, Fossil Springs Hike, 5-4-08

The 3H Group usually does it's weekend hikes on Saturdays, but this wa ...

Updated: May 17, 2008 5:05am BST

3H Group, Butcher Jones Trail, 4-26-08 : Done adding pictures, just need to add a description...

3H Group, Butcher Jones Trail, 4-26-08

Done adding pictures, just need to add a description...

Updated: May 08, 2008 7:08am BST

3H Group, Pine Creek Loop/Ballentine Trail Hike, 4-12-08 : I finally finished adding all the pictures. This was another hike I did with the Hiking Hikers Hiking (3H) Group. The trail was located about 41 miles from north central Phoenix, about 15 miles from Fountain Hills. I had often seen the trailhead sign from the highway on my way to Payson, but had never hiked it before. It turned out to be a great hike. We went all the way Camp Creek, which made the total hiking distance just under 9 miles roundtrip. Some wildflowers were still blooming and the cacti blossoms were going strong. The coolest thing about the scenery along the trail were all the boulders and their unique formations. We even got to experience a little wildlife, including a hissing gila monster and a couple of mule deer. The 3H Group has great members and is a real pleasure to hike with.

3H Group, Pine Creek Loop/Ballentine Trail Hike, 4-12-08

I finally finished adding all the pictures. This was another hike I d ...

Updated: Apr 17, 2008 8:20am BST

Peralta Trail Hike, 3-29-08 : The Peralta Trail is located east of Apache Junction in the Superstition Wilderness. The day was warm and sunny, and the landscape was still green (and covered with colorful wildflowers) due to winter rains. The trail was so popular that day that I had to drive back to the overflow lot to find a parking spot. The first seven pictures are views from the overflow lot to the trailhead parking lot. You notice right from the trailhead that there are going to be a lot of interesting rock formations along the way. The reward and turnaround point of the hike is Fremont Saddle from which you get an awesome view of Weaver's Needle, a well known geographic feature. For more pictures of this trail, look for the gallery dated 9-23-06.

Peralta Trail Hike, 3-29-08

The Peralta Trail is located east of Apache Junction in the Superstiti ...

Updated: Apr 09, 2008 6:33am BST

3H Group, Palo Verde Trail, 4-5-08 : This was my 2nd hike with the Hiking Hikers Hiking Group (3H Group)since I joined them about 10 days ago. My first hike was a 1 hour fitness hike at Dreamy Draw Park last week (no pictures). The hike was on the Palo Verde Trail that lies in the Bartlett Lake/Reservoir Recreation Area, about 17 miles from Carefree AZ. It was a great day, on a great trail, with great people. Lots of fun!

3H Group, Palo Verde Trail, 4-5-08

This was my 2nd hike with the Hiking Hikers Hiking Group (3H Group)sin ...

Updated: Apr 07, 2008 1:54am BST

Pass Mountain Trail Hike, 3-22-08 : This gallery contains pictures from a hike I took on the Pass Mountain Trail at Usery Mountain Park on 3-22-08. The weather was great and the wildflowers were still in full bloom. I also noticed that some of the cacti were getting ready to bloom as well. The pictures don't do justice to the brilliance of the flowers, but I tried anyway. This time I hiked it counter-clockwise and encountered the majority of the flowers in the 1st half of the hike. Unfortunately I didn't pace myself very well (and didn't bring a spare memory card for my camera) so I didn't get many pictures of the western side of the mountain, which was scenic as well with all the cacti. I of course had to stop at The Monastery (bar and grill) for a nice refreshing beer after the long but very enjoyable hike.

Pass Mountain Trail Hike, 3-22-08

This gallery contains pictures from a hike I took on the Pass Mountain ...

Updated: Mar 27, 2008 2:51am BST

Boulder Canyon Trail Hike, 3-2-08 : On March 2nd, my friend Sharon and I hiked the Boulder Canyon Trail at Canyon Lake, which is about 60 miles from my house in Phoenix and about 15 miles from Apache Junction. The winter rains transformed the normally dry brown landscape into a lush green landscape. It also brought out a lot of wildflowers. There are many similar photos (for instance a tight and then a wide shot) as well as the fact that this was an out and back hike, so I was bound to take similar pictures going in both directions. Luckily the scenery was so beautiful that I didn't care! At the end of the gallery you'll see that we stopped at a recreated old western mining town for a refreshing beer after the hike.

Boulder Canyon Trail Hike, 3-2-08

On March 2nd, my friend Sharon and I hiked the Boulder Canyon Trail at ...

Updated: Mar 18, 2008 5:55am BST

Wildflower Hike at Dreamy Draw Park, Mar '08 : Dreamy Draw Park is in the North Phoenix Mountain Preserve, about 5 minutes from my house. Once you are in the middle of the preserve it is sometimes hard to believe that you are still in the middle of a city. A freeway wraps around two sides of the park which you will notice in the last few pictures. This winter we had a lot of rain, which made for an unusually green desert landscape. Too bad it can't always look like this. All the rain also resulted in a very good wildflower season. I hope to get in a few more hikes before the wildflower season is over.

Wildflower Hike at Dreamy Draw Park, Mar '08

Dreamy Draw Park is in the North Phoenix Mountain Preserve, about 5 mi ...

Updated: Mar 10, 2008 1:35am BST

Palo Verde Trail Hike, 2-10-08 : This gallery contains photos from a hike I took on Palo Verde Trail at Bartlett Lake, about 20 miles east of the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree AZ. It was only Feb 10th, but with all the winter rains we've had it looked more like spring. The desert was very green and the even some spring wildflowers had started blooming. After the hike I stopped at Big Earl's Greasy Eats in Cave Creek (the last 3 pictures) . I had never been there before but it's supposed to have really good burgers so I had to try one. It really was good!

Palo Verde Trail Hike, 2-10-08

This gallery contains photos from a hike I took on Palo Verde Trail at ...

Updated: Feb 17, 2008 9:44pm BST

Winter Trip to Green Bay, Jan 2008 : This was only my 2nd trip to Wisconsin in winter since I moved to Arizona in the fall of '88. It was a chance to visit my family close to the holidays and a chance to experience snow and REAL COLD temperatures! There may be too many pictures of snow covered landscapes for some people, but since I don't get to see it very often I took lots of pictures.

Winter Trip to Green Bay, Jan 2008

This was only my 2nd trip to Wisconsin in winter since I moved to Ariz ...

Updated: Feb 11, 2008 4:13am BST

Sister's Trip to AZ, Nov 2007 (including pics from the Phx Zoo, Jerome, and Prescott) : My sister Katie and her boyfriend Doug came out to visit me in Phoenix from Green Bay WI for a couple days at the beginning of December. They were only here for a short period of time and the weather tried not to cooperate, but we were able to do a few things and visit a few places, and had a great time! The first place we went to (and I took pictures at) was the Phoenix Zoo. The next set of pictures are from the following day when we went to the old mining-turned-artist town of Jerome. It poured rain on the way up, but by the time we got to Jerome the skies cleared enought to produce a nice (and long, long, long lasting) rainbow. After Jerome we headed up over Mingus Mountain down the other side to the city of Prescott, Arizona's Christmas City, where we watched their annual Courthouse Lighting Ceremony and checked out a few bars along the famous/infamous Whiskey Row....At the end of the gallery I included pictures of and from the airport that they flew into. It's called Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and used to be Williams Air Force Base. Allegiant Airlines is the first regularly scheduled air carrier to use the airport.

Sister's Trip to AZ, Nov 2007 (including pics from the Phx Zoo, Jerome, and Prescott)

My sister Katie and her boyfriend Doug came out to visit me in Phoenix ...

Updated: Dec 21, 2007 3:36am BST

AVP Tour, Glendale AZ, 2007 : Under construction...lots of pictures to add.

AVP Tour, Glendale AZ, 2007

Under construction...lots of pictures to add.

Updated: Nov 23, 2007 12:17am BST

Trip to Green Bay WI, June 2007 : This gallery contains pictures taken on my annual trip to Green Bay WI, in June 2007. I used captions a little more than usual on this one, and instead of breaking down the pictures into a lot of little galleries I kept them all in one. To help navigate this gallery I have broken down the pictures into several catagories (all chronological) and have created the following list with page numbers: Flight to Green Bay (pages 1-2), Green Bay Blizzard arena football game (pages 2-3), Pictures of my parent's home and neighborhood where I grew up (pages 3-4), Pictures of the demolition at the Marc Cinema (my first job) (pages 4-5), Walk through Green Isle Park and East River Trail (pages 5-8), Pasquale's Restaurant (page 8), Dick and Annagay's 50th Wedding Anniversary at The Sports Corner (page 9), Walk to and through Kellogg's Woods (pages 9-10), "Whitey" the albino squirrel (pages 10-11), Walk along part of the Fox River Trail (pages 11-16), Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball game (pages16-17), Kayaking trip at Peninsula State Park including pictures in Egg Harbor and the Bay Shore Blufflands Preserve (pages 18-20), and pictures from a Jimmy Buffet themed house party (pages 21-22).

Trip to Green Bay WI, June 2007

This gallery contains pictures taken on my annual trip to Green Bay WI ...

Updated: Nov 19, 2007 12:25am BST

Mingus Rim Loop Hike, Oct 2007 : I hiked this trail by myself the day after attending the Arizona Skyfest in Prescott AZ. The trailhead is located near the top of Mingus Mountain, just a few miles from the historic town of Jerome and about 30 miles from Prescott. The loop is a combination of trail numbers 106, 105A, and 105, and is only about 4 miles long. It loses and regains approximately 1200 feet, like a canyon hike, but starts at an elevation of 7800 feet. The trail had great views of layers of mountain ridges to the south; city of Cottonwood, the Verde Valley, and Red Rocks of Sedona to the east/northeast; and more views of the Rim, the San Franciso Peaks near Flagstaff, and the tiny historic mining town of Jerome to the north.

Mingus Rim Loop Hike, Oct 2007

I hiked this trail by myself the day after attending the Arizona Skyfe ...

Updated: Nov 07, 2007 7:12am BST

Arizona Skyfest, Prescott AZ, Oct. 2007 : This was the 3rd time in the last 4 years that I attended Arizona Skyfest (aka Prescott Air Fair) at Ernest A. Love Field in Prescott Arizona. The weather was great if not a little chilly in the morning. In previous years I think I focused more on the static display of airplanes, and there may have been more in the past, but the aerobatic flying and military formation flying was great this year! Hopefully the pictures will show the variety of planes that were present as well as some of the precision flying that occurred during the show.

Arizona Skyfest, Prescott AZ, Oct. 2007

This was the 3rd time in the last 4 years that I attended Arizona Skyf ...

Updated: Oct 26, 2007 6:48am BST

West Fork Trail, October 2007 : My hiking friends Sharon, Dante, and Nancy, along with a co-worker Tina, and her sister Nicole, joined me on a hike on the West Fork Trail of Oak Creek Canyon, just a little north of Sedona Arizona. The weather was great and we timed it pretty well to catch the beginning of the Fall colors in the canyon. You will notice that on several pictures I took the standard wide shot to get a feeling for the depth of the canyon, but then I also cropped out a smaller picture from the large one for a more intimate or detailed view. (I also have another gallery of pictures from the West Fork Trail that I took while hiking with some other friends in September of 2006,if you're interested, although many of the views will be similar to these.) We had a great time and I would recommend this hike to anyone!

West Fork Trail, October 2007

My hiking friends Sharon, Dante, and Nancy, along with a co-worker Tin ...

Updated: Oct 23, 2007 6:34am BST

Wet Beaver Creek Hike, June 2004 :

Wet Beaver Creek Hike, June 2004

Updated: Oct 05, 2007 5:49am BST

Fossil Springs Hike, Sept 2007 :

Fossil Springs Hike, Sept 2007

Updated: Oct 02, 2007 5:51am BST

Arizona Skyfest 2006, Prescott AZ : Prescott AZ started holding an airshow a few years ago, and every year it keeps getting bigger and better.

Arizona Skyfest 2006, Prescott AZ

Prescott AZ started holding an airshow a few years ago, and every year ...

Updated: Sep 16, 2007 1:00am BST

CHIEF, behind the scenes of a short movie : I was fortunate to be a part of the making of a short film in the Spring of 2006. A film school student (and co-worker of mine), Doug Howard, was producing, directing, and editing a short film called "Chief", and he asked me if I'd like to be a still photographer for the project. I said YES, of course. As you can see I like to take photos, but during high school and college I worked a 2nd part-time job as a theater usher and projectionist, so I love movies too. I also had a couple classes in college called "Elements in Electronic Media" and "Television Production Techniques". Here was a chance to see how it really works...behind the scenes. In addition to still photography for continuity and documentation purposes, I got to do some grip work like operating the boom-mike and the bounce-lighting.

CHIEF, behind the scenes of a short movie

I was fortunate to be a part of the making of a short film in the Spri ...

Updated: Sep 02, 2007 8:46pm BST

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 1) : During my trip to Green Bay in June of 2007 I set aside 3 days/2 nights to do a power tour of Door County. During that time I covered 4 state parks, 2 county parks, and 3 lighthouses. Plus I checked out several of Door County's charming small towns and enjoyed their coastal views. This is just the first of 5 galleries from this trip. It starts with my first destination on the first day, Potawatomi State Park, which is located just to the south of the city of Sturgeon Bay WI. It sits on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Green Bay and the channel that divides the city into northern and southern halves. It was quite warm and humid on the bay side of the Door Peninsula. After exploring that park I headed over to Sherwood Point Lighthouse (still operated by the US Coast Guard) which was just a couple miles away. After that I headed over to the Lake Michigan side of Door County and went to Whitefish Dunes State Park as well as Cave Point County Park (just a mile or two apart). The lake side of the county was quite foggy and much cooler than the bay side even though the peninsula is only about 7-10 miles wide. This gallery ends with the start of the hike from Whitefish Dunes to Cave Point.

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 1)

During my trip to Green Bay in June of 2007 I set aside 3 days/2 night ...

Updated: Aug 17, 2007 3:08am BST

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 2) : This gallery starts off with continuing pictures along the trail between Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point County Park. As before, the fog is pretty heavy, but it added some "mystique" to the pictures. There are also a lot of "green" pictures...something I like since you don't get to see much of that in Arizona, or at least in the Phoenix area. After the Cave Point County Park pictures there are a few pictures taken at a beach park with a small peninsula where I got to watch someone "kite-surf". (I don't know if that's the right term for it, see the pictures for yourself). It was still foggy here and quite windy. From there I continued up the Lake Michigan side of the peninsula to the Cana Island Lighthouse which is just a few miles north and east of Bailey's Harbor. It's not actually on an island. There is a narrow strip of land that connects the mainland to the "island". There is no parking lot for the lighthouse. You just park along the end of a dead end street, then walk the quarter of a mile from the mainland to the lighthouse. Here too there was fog, so sometimes the lower trees and building are sharply visible, but the tower itself is hard to see. After the lighthouse I headed back to the bay side of the peninsula to check into my motel and take a much needed shower and nap. That evening I headed into Fish Creek for a mini walking tour and dinner. Those pictures will be in the next gallery, for disc 3...I will add captions for more detail later...

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 2)

This gallery starts off with continuing pictures along the trail betwe ...

Updated: Jul 15, 2007 11:54pm BST

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 3) : This gallery starts with the early evening on the first day of my trip to Door County WI. I walked around the village/town of Fish Creek and took pictures of some of the motels, shops, restaurants, and the marina area. At the end of the evening I went to Sunset Beach Park to watch the sun set. It was cloudy enough in the distance that I never did get to see the sun dip below the horizon at the water line, but it was still pretty cool. The next set of pictures in this gallery start during the late morning of the second day of my trip. I drove to the village of Ephraim and did a lot of walking along the road the follows the shoreline, taking pictures of its scenic bay as well as some of its hotel/motel/resorts. I stayed in a nice little motel on this trip, away from the crowds, but next year I may try to stay closer to the water and within walking distance of shops and restaurants. These pictures will remind me of some of the places to check out...I will add captions later with more detail...

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 3)

This gallery starts with the early evening on the first day of my trip ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2007 11:29pm BST

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 4) : This gallery continues with the second day of my trip to Door County. It starts out where disc 3 left off, with a walking tour of the town/village of Ephraim. You'll see several pictures of a former boathouse/tackle shop (I'll have to get my facts straight), that is now an art gallery. What is so unique about the place is that the boating customers were encouraged to write their name and their boat's name on the building (and/or a brief -clean- message). There are names and dates going back over 50 years. I think they call it Grafitti Barn. I then took a few pictures of the motel that I stayed in, the Peninsula Park-View Resort and Motel. It was small but clean, with recent upgrades, and best of all it had a photo shop, Peninsula Photo Imaging, right on the premises. That was great for me. From there I went to Peninsula State Park. Those photos include a small park/beach that looks on the bay and town of Fish Creek, along with pictures of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Nicolet Bay Beach (really nice, hadn't been there before), and views of and from the Eagle Bluff Tower (that can be seen in some photos from Ephraim)...I'll be adding captions for more detail later...

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 4)

This gallery continues with the second day of my trip to Door County. ...

Updated: Jul 12, 2007 9:07am BST

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 5) : This gallery starts in the late afternoon of Wednesday June 27th, the second day of my trip to Door County. It includes pictures from the town of Sister Bay where I went for Happy Hour and dinner and walked a few piers. Then I headed back to Fish Creek where I watched the sun set...at Sunset Beach Park, of course. There are many sunset pictures, but I included them all so you could watch the progression of the sun through the clouds...I will add captions for more detail later... The next set of pictures follow the entire day of Thursday June 28, the last day of my trip to Door County. These include pictures of the drive from the town of Gills Rock (at the tip of the peninsula) to Door Bluff Headlands County Park, pictures from Door Bluff County Park itself, pictures from Newport State Park, and then a few pictures from an Overlook Tower near the campus of UWGB (where I graduated from college).

Door County Trip, June 2007 (disc 5)

This gallery starts in the late afternoon of Wednesday June 27th, the ...

Updated: Jul 09, 2007 7:50am BST

Granite Mountain Hike, June '07 : Three years ago, in May 2004, I went on a hike through the town of Gilbert Park and Rec to Granite Mountain, near Prescott AZ. While on that hike I met 3 really great people, Sharon, Nancy, and Dante. A couple months later Sharon and I went on another Gilbert Park and Rec hike (Fossil Springs north of Payson AZ, see other gallery) where we met another great person, Sylvia. Since those hikes we've gone on many other hikes together. With the temperatures in Phoenix heating up, we decided to do an anniversary hike, back up Granite Mountain, to commemorate our friendship. I'll leave the details of the hike itself in the captions. I tried to include as many of the pictures that had us hikers in them as possible (although I was taking so many pictures that I was alway last, so most of the pictures are of people's backsides. (sorry Sharon and Nancy, who were nearest to me in most of those pictures :) I think we all had a great time. I know I did.

Granite Mountain Hike, June '07

Three years ago, in May 2004, I went on a hike through the town of Gil ...

Updated: Jul 07, 2007 4:19pm BST

Mount Humphrey's Summit Hike, 6-16-07 : I'd been wanting to do this hike for a while, and I found a fellow hiking friend Dante who was willing and able to go along. Mount Humphreys, in the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff, is the highest point in Arizona. The trail starts at the base of the Snow Bowl ski resort (at about 8,800 feet) and climbs for about 4.5 miles to the summit at 12,633 feet. So an elevation gain of approximately 3,800 feet. The length (round trip of 9 miles) and elevation gain makes the trail challenging enough, but at that altitude the air is also thinner making it even more challenging. I'll admit it was harder than I thought it was going to be (at least from the saddle to the top), but we did it! I'll let the pictures and captions speak for themselves.

Mount Humphrey's Summit Hike, 6-16-07

I'd been wanting to do this hike for a while, and I found a fellow hik ...

Updated: Jul 05, 2007 3:05am BST

Flowers - Blossoms : This will be a continuously updated gallery. I like to take pictures of wildflowers and blooming cacti when I hike, so many of these photos will be found in my other galleries as well. However, I also wanted to set up a separate gallery where people could just look at the flowers if they wanted. At this time, all the pictures represent flowers found in Arizona. Over time I'm sure there will be pictures of flowers from Wisconsin as well as other states that I hope to hike in.

Flowers - Blossoms

This will be a continuously updated gallery. I like to take pictures ...

Updated: Jun 13, 2007 8:00am BST

Spur Cross Trail, June '07 : This is a hike I did on June 3rd 2007 in the Spur Cross Conservation Area a little north of Cave Creek AZ. The are several trails in this area, but this was the first time I hiked the namesake Spur Cross Trail. Unfortunately there were so many flying bugs pestering me that I didn't hike very far, maybe 2 miles out and 2 miles back. There was a parallel trail called the Metate Trail which I took back for a little variety. Just outside the Conservation Area there was a place called Harmony Hollow Ranch which had some rustic metal artwork in front of it (see the first 4 pictures). The landscape was surprisingly green considering the drought we were having. (You'll notice all the creeks and washes are dry.) In addition to the greenness it was good to see the saguaros blossoming.

Spur Cross Trail, June '07

This is a hike I did on June 3rd 2007 in the Spur Cross Conservation A ...

Updated: Jun 10, 2007 10:29pm BST

Hackberry-Garden Valley Loop Hike, May '07 : A work in progress...This was a hike taken in the Superstition wilderness area, east of Mesa AZ, with my friend Sharon and her retired co-worker friend Jim. We took this hike very early in the morning, on May 20th, 2007. Even still, it was in the 90's before we finished. I'd like to give this hike a trail name, but it was a combination of several interconnecting trails (that I had never been on before) that we made into a loop. Luckily, Jim and Sharon had hiked these trails before so they knew where they were going.

Hackberry-Garden Valley Loop Hike, May '07

A work in progress...This was a hike taken in the Superstition wildern ...

Updated: May 31, 2007 7:28am BST

Fossil Springs Hike, Oct 2004 : This was another Gilbert Park and Rec hike. Fossil Springs is located near the towns of Pine and Strawberry, a little north of Payson AZ. The trail was about 8 miles long, one-way, into a canyon. We used a shuttle system, leaving 2 vehicles at the end of the trail, and taking those drivers back to the top of the trail in another vehicle. That was a very steep, narrow, and scary drive. The hike itself featured a long hike into a canyon, a great watering hole about halfway to swim and eat lunch at, a dam, and a very long flume that carried water to a historic powerplant. In fact, it turned out to be a special day to take this hike. The state of Arizona and a power company were decommissioning the old historic powerplant (built in the early 1900's) and were going to "remove" the dam that diverted water via the flume to the powerplant. Apparently it's a pretty rare thing to do, so PBS-TV sent a film crew to document the whole eco environment from the springs to the powerplant. They were going to do a before and after piece and study how the environment both upstream and down stream of the dam were affected after the stream was allowed to go back to it's wild/natural state. This was the 2nd group hike with Sharon and the first time we met Sylvia, who became one of our regular hiking buddies.

Fossil Springs Hike, Oct 2004

This was another Gilbert Park and Rec hike. Fossil Springs is located ...

Updated: May 19, 2007 7:06pm BST

Parson's Trail, April 2007 : The pictures are done now, just need an intro.

Parson's Trail, April 2007

The pictures are done now, just need an intro.

Updated: May 13, 2007 4:18am BST

Heritage Hill State Park, Green Bay WI : This gallery is dedicated to Heritage Hill State Park, and currently consists of pictures taken on two trips: August 2000 and June 2005. You'll be able to tell the difference. The August 2000 pictures were taken on a sunny day (with a disposable camera) and the June 2005 pictures were taken on a cloudy day (with a regular 35mm camera). Here's the link to the Heritage Hill website: http://www.heritagehillgb.org/ As a kid growing up in Green Bay, I visited many of these places in their original locations. But then a state park was created and many of those historic buildings were moved to this one site. The park is broken up into several areas: the old Belgium farm and homestead, the old town square, the old fort square, and the old wooded furtrader's area. Each representing a different era in the history of Green Bay and of Northeastern Wisconsin. What's amazing to me is that this wonderful park is located just a mile from my parent's house (in fact I walked there on my 2nd visit), yet I never visited the park until I was 38 years old...twelve years after I moved away to Arizona. It has grown and improved over the years. I can't wait to visit it again. By the way, my most favorite building in the park is the East Side Moravian Church. You'll see several pictures of it at the end of the gallery. A picture of the plaque outside the church will give the history of it. The church is still used on special occasions and last I heard it could be rented for weddings.

Heritage Hill State Park, Green Bay WI

This gallery is dedicated to Heritage Hill State Park, and currently c ...

Updated: May 01, 2007 7:17am BST

Palo Verde Trail, December '04 : The Palo Verde Trail is located in the Bartlett Lake Recreation Area northeast of Phoenix and Scottsdale. The trail starts on the beach at Rattlesnake Cove and traverses the desert overlooking the lake. Lots of rolling hills, washes, coves, and peninsulas. It had been a rainy fall and winter so the water level was much higher than it had been in recent years. My hiking buddy Sharon joined me on this hike.

Palo Verde Trail, December '04

The Palo Verde Trail is located in the Bartlett Lake Recreation Area n ...

Updated: Apr 28, 2007 3:39am BST

Inner Basin Trail, August '03 : This gallery contains pictures from a hike on the Inner Basin Trail which is located in the San Francisco Peaks, just north of Flagstaff AZ. The trail sign in the first picture lets you know the trail elevation is about 9,400 feet with the surrounding peaks of the basin between 11,000 and 12,500 feet. These pictures are honestly not that good, although the views in person were great. What made this hike important to me was that it was the first hike I had taken with Gilbert Park and Rec, which also meant that it was the first hike I'd done that was not by myself. My family and friends did not like me hiking by myself, especially in areas out of town that I was not familiar with. It can also get a little boring by yourself. So I started looking in the newspaper for organized hikes and found the Gilbert Park and Rec Outdoors Program. The hike was so good that I continued to hike with this program until is closed down in May of 2006. A little side note about this hike...it was sunny all the way up from Phoenix to Flagstaff, but one single cloud right over the San Francisco Peaks and the Inner Basin Trail ended up growing into a monsoon storm with thunder and lightening. But instead of ruining the experience, it made it more unique and exciting!

Inner Basin Trail, August '03

This gallery contains pictures from a hike on the Inner Basin Trail wh ...

Updated: Apr 27, 2007 6:57am BST

Granite Mountain Hike, May '04 : This was the third hike I had taken with Gilbert Park and Rec. It was the Granite Mountain Trail, which is located a little outside Prescott Az. It is fairly large and is easy to spot with all its granite boulders and rock faces (hence the name). I drove myself and arrived a little early, so the first five pictures are of the mountain as seen from the trailhead parking lot. Below the mountain and about a quarter mile from the parking lot is a small lake that I believe is called Granite Basin Lake. After those pictures the hike itself starts. It was a rather strenuous hike but we had great weather and the exercise felt good. Unfortunately I'm missing the second disc that had the rest of the pictures from higher up on the mountain, with views looking back over the forest below. I am especially disappointed because it contained group pictures of three fellow hikers that I met for the first time (Dante, Nancy, and Sharon) that I would become good friends with and we would eventually form our own little hiking group. I will keep looking for that disc, and will add those pictures if I find them.

Granite Mountain Hike, May '04

This was the third hike I had taken with Gilbert Park and Rec. It was ...

Updated: Apr 25, 2007 6:55am BST

Horton Creek Hike, Aug'05 : Three hiking friends of mine, Dante, Nancy, and Sylvia, were able to join me on a hike a little east of Payson AZ called the Horton Creek Trail. Normally it's a pretty popular trail, but we happened to take the hike on a rainy day in August, during the monsoon season, so there weren't many people out. The air was still cooler than in Phoenix so it wasn't too bad. It made for a nice day trip, which concluded with a late afternoon meal and some refreshing beverages at Macky's Grill on the outskirts of Payson.

Horton Creek Hike, Aug'05

Three hiking friends of mine, Dante, Nancy, and Sylvia, were able to j ...

Updated: Apr 23, 2007 6:56am BST

Tortuga Trail Mar '05 : This is another hike I had taken in the spring of 2005 after a wet winter. In fact, I had to wait out a thundershower in the trailhead parking lot before beginning this hike. The desert was so green and after the rain the air smelled so fresh. All the colors seemed to be energized. I think this is the best time to take a hike. This particular trail is called the Tortuga Trail and is located in the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area a few miles north of the town of Cave Creek AZ. Probably the most prominent landmark near this trail is Elephant Mountain which you will see in most of the pictures.

Tortuga Trail Mar '05

This is another hike I had taken in the spring of 2005 after a wet win ...

Updated: Apr 19, 2007 6:37am BST

West Weber Trail, June '05 : The West Weber Trail was a little north of Payson AZ. It probably would have been more scenic, but damage due to bark beetles and a fairly recent fire left a lot of dead trees and bare spots. Therefore I got some good hiking exercise on this trip rather than a lot of pictures. The pictures I did get were some panoramic shots as well as pictures of interestingly shaped and textured trees and plants.

West Weber Trail, June '05

The West Weber Trail was a little north of Payson AZ. It probably wou ...

Updated: Apr 17, 2007 5:55am BST

Scenic Trail at McDowell Mtn Recreation Area, Feb '05 : This was another hike taken after a lot of winter rain. This trail is called, simply enough, the Scenic Trail, and is located in the McDowell Mountain Recreation Area near Fountain Hills AZ. It is normally a desert hike, but the rains caused a carpet of green grass to grow making the landscape look lush. A large fire had burned through this area many years before, and you'll notice that I used the dead trees and cacti as well as the incoming storm clouds as the focal point in many of these photos.

Scenic Trail at McDowell Mtn Recreation Area, Feb '05

This was another hike taken after a lot of winter rain. This trail is ...

Updated: Apr 16, 2007 6:35am BST

Butcher Jones Trail, Jan '05 : These pictures were taken during a hike on the Butcher Jones Trail with my friends Dante, Sharon, and Sharon's sister Vicki. The trail meanders around the Saguaro Lake area and features Four Peaks (a mountain landmark) in the distance. We had a particulary wet fall and winter which created a rather green desert, and made for some more colorful pictures.

Butcher Jones Trail, Jan '05

These pictures were taken during a hike on the Butcher Jones Trail wit ...

Updated: Apr 15, 2007 7:13am BST

Cave Creek Trail, March '05 : I hiked this trail with my fellow hiking friend Sharon. The Cave Creek Trail is located north of Carefree AZ near the Seven Springs Recreation Area. It was a long hike, over 10 miles. It also felt like an Escher sketch in that it seemed we were always going "uphill" but some how managed to get back "down" to the trailhead. (ps..these photos were taken with my old 35mm camera, PD (pre-digital), so are not as "sharp" as my more recent photos)

Cave Creek Trail, March '05

I hiked this trail with my fellow hiking friend Sharon. The Cave Cree ...

Updated: Apr 15, 2007 12:56am BST

Ellison Creek Hike near Payson, 3-31-07 : These pictures were taken on a hike along Ellison Creek near Payson AZ. This was the first hike I'd taken with the Glendale Parks and Rec Outdoor Program. It was a lot of fun. Big group, about 17 people in all. There were many small waterfalls and interesting rock formations along the way. Afterwards some of us went to Macky's Grill for lunch. The last couple of pictures involve an inside joke between the people who ate at Macky's. Will definitely do another hike with Glendale Parks and Rec.

Ellison Creek Hike near Payson, 3-31-07

These pictures were taken on a hike along Ellison Creek near Payson AZ ...

Updated: Apr 13, 2007 7:22pm BST

Pass Mountain Hike 3-24-07 : These pictures were taken while hiking the Pass Mountain Trail in the Usery Mountains in NE Mesa AZ. I got fairly good color and clouds by hiking in the late afternoon, after it had rained earlier in the day. This area has a lot of saguaro cacti. I will have to return in May when the saguaros start blooming with their big white flowers. In photos near the end of this gallery you will see the fountain at Fountain Hills AZ shooting its water in the distance(it was 5:00pm). It's supposed to be one of the world's largest fountains and can be seen for miles when it's running.

Pass Mountain Hike 3-24-07

These pictures were taken while hiking the Pass Mountain Trail in the ...

Updated: Apr 04, 2007 6:29pm BST

St Patrick's Day '07 : What happens when you get to a St Patty's Day event too early? Why, you volunteer to help them finish setting up of course! We unloaded and set up all the tables and chairs you see in the first several pictures. Once that was done we started on the bar stations. Lots of BEER and BOOZE! When we were done setting up, they let me go back to being a patron, and "paid" me with a BIG free glass of Beer and free bottles of water. Here at the Skeptical Chymist's Outdoor St Patty's Day Event, I mainly came to see the opening band, The Keltic Cowboys. The next several pictures are of the band performing. When they were done I headed over to the Dubliner Irish Pub where the last pictures were taken. By that time the crowds were getting bigger. I guess I was too busy drinking and talking to take pictures of all the people!

St Patrick's Day '07

What happens when you get to a St Patty's Day event too early? Why, y ...

Updated: Mar 23, 2007 6:38pm BST

Bear Canyon Hike (featuring Seven Falls) Feb'07 : Pictures from our trip to Tucson to hike the Bear Canyon Trail, featuring Seven Falls, which were running due to recent rains and snowmelt from Mt Lemmon. I couldn't believe how many saguaro cacti there were in the canyon. The striped and layered walls of the canyon were also attention getters.

Bear Canyon Hike (featuring Seven Falls) Feb'07

Pictures from our trip to Tucson to hike the Bear Canyon Trail, featur ...

Updated: Mar 02, 2007 2:29am BST

Door County Trip, July 2006 : Once a year I go back to Green Bay for a vacation (usually in summer). I usually reserve one day during that trip to go to Door County WI. The whole county is a vacation/tourist paradise, with hiking, biking, fishing, boating, shopping, art galleries, theatre, and more. If Wisconsin were a "hand", Door County would be the thumb. It is a peninusula bounded by the bay of Green Bay on the west and Lake Michigan on the east. It is made up of many small towns that line both coasts, each with it's own unique history. Door County is also rather historic and has many old inns, homes, and businesses. This count alone has 5 state parks, and 9 historic lighthouses, more than any other county in the United States. I had just gotten my first digital camera before this trip, so I took alot of pictures! I think the quality is obviously superior to my 35mm pictures. (see Door County Trip, 2004) The pictures in this gallery were taken going from the city of Sturgeon Bay at the south end of the county, as well as the towns of Egg Harbor, Ephraim, and Sister Bay. The trip also included a stop at Peninsula State Park, just north of Fish Creek. I'll add additional information in the captions of the pictures.

Door County Trip, July 2006

Once a year I go back to Green Bay for a vacation (usually in summer). ...

Updated: Feb 08, 2007 6:24am BST

Walnut Canyon, Oct 2006 :

Walnut Canyon, Oct 2006

Updated: Jan 22, 2007 4:50am BST

Door County WI Summer '05 :

Door County WI Summer '05

Updated: Jan 21, 2007 3:04am BST

Peralta Trail (featuring Weavers Needle) 9-23-06 :

Peralta Trail (featuring Weavers Needle) 9-23-06

Updated: Jan 21, 2007 2:46am BST

Lynx Lake, April '05 :

Lynx Lake, April '05

Updated: Jan 21, 2007 2:05am BST

Havasu Falls Hike, Oct 2005 :

Havasu Falls Hike, Oct 2005

Updated: Jan 21, 2007 1:24am BST

Tall Ship Festival July 2006 : I took the following pictures during the Tall Ship Festival that took place in downtown Green Bay WI in July 2006. The first 26 photos were taken during the Parade of Ships which took place on a Thursday evening as the ships first came into port. (These pictures can be recognized by the fairly cloudy skies.) The rest of the photos take place on the following day as my sister and I were able to walk upto and onto the ships. I tried to capture both the ships and the crowd during this wonderful event.

Tall Ship Festival July 2006

I took the following pictures during the Tall Ship Festival that took ...

Updated: Jan 13, 2007 9:12pm BST

West Fork Trail at Oak Creek Canyon, Sept 2006 :

West Fork Trail at Oak Creek Canyon, Sept 2006

Updated: Jan 09, 2007 5:28am BST

Jerome AZ Sep'06 : I took the following photos in the old mining town of Jerome Arizona in September 2006. Jerome, situated on the side of Cleopatra Hill, was a thriving mining town in the early 1900's. When the mining stopped the small city nearly became a ghost town. It later turned around as a hippie and artist colony, and is now home to many art galleries, museums, restaurants, historic hotels, charming B&B's, and a state park.

Jerome AZ Sep'06

I took the following photos in the old mining town of Jerome Arizona i ...

Updated: Jan 09, 2007 5:08am BST

EAA Airshow 2006 : I took the following photos at EAA's AirVenture 2006. This is one of the World's largest general aviation events, and once a year Oshkosh Wisconsin's Wittman Field becomes the World's busiest airport. This airshow and convention features people and planes from around the globe. Aircraft of all kinds are represented here including: antique/classics, warbirds, aerobatics, experimental homebuilts, ultralights, rotarywings, and many many more. I tried to capture examples of as many of these types of aircraft as possible. (Be sure to check out this great annual event in person if you get the chance!)

EAA Airshow 2006

I took the following photos at EAA's AirVenture 2006. This is one of t ...

Updated: Jan 08, 2007 1:58am BST