My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY.....nope, no air compressor installed in this rig. I had one in my Chevy truck plus a portable one, but I've never bothered to install one in this truck.....

Sierra Valley.....yep, it's felt good to help her out. We were in no hurry.....

Ace.....I remember that story.....



Next up for us was a couple of easy climbs in the Penaleno Mountains. This island range has over 7,000 feet of vertical relief, more than any other range in the state of  Arizona. I parked the rig along the side of Highway 366.....maybe a thousand feet above the valley.....and that's where we camped for the first night.....traffic was light and the site was fairly flat.....it certainly wasn't a bad spot to spend the night.....



The following morning I unhitched the Jeep, left the camper behind, due to the size limitations on this narrow, winding road.....



That drive up to our trailhead was fantastic.....truly sensational.....




Several times we crossed small streams that actually had water flowing.....they reminded me of how much I miss the flowing water.....such a common sight up north yet so rare in the southwest.....



The Jeep did most of the work that day.....our trailhead came shortly after passing this sign.....



I wished that our goal for the day was Mount Graham (10,720').....the highest peak in the Penaleno Mountains, but that was not to be the case since they close Highway 366 for the winter long before one gets to its trailhead. The consolidation prize for us was Heliograph Peak (10,022').....



There are two ways to climb this peak.....one is by trail and the other is by Forest Service road. With the knee still bothering me, I unfortunately thought it best to use the Forest Service road for our hike up.....



A good bit of the Forest Service road ran along a northern slope and that's where we encountered snow.....unfortunately not much of it but I guess it's better than nothing.....it's just so, so dry.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It felt good.....maybe I would even say enlightening.....to hike through the towering pines that covered the higher elevations.....much like the flowing water, these trees too have been greatly missed.....



From the Forest Service website.....

"The Pinaleno Mountains are the highest of Arizona’s Sky Island mountain ranges and are the only range with peaks higher than 10,000 feet in elevation. While other Sky Island mountain ranges may have a few sharp peaks that project well above the general elevation of the range, the summit of the Pinaleno Mountains is relatively level with extensive areas above 9,000 feet in elevation."



It continues.....

The elevations above 10,000 feet support the southernmost Engelmann spruce-corkbark fir old growth forest in the United States. Extensive Douglas-fir–mixed conifer forests are found throughout the mountaintop above about 8,500 feet and lower in canyons and on north-facing slopes. Subalpine meadows are found in many of the areas identified as “flats” on topographic maps; Hospital Flat and Chesley Flat are two examples."



On the summit we found an old log cabin.....constructed in 1933.....



And nearby.....



.....the 99 foot tall lookout tower.....which I did not climb (it's off limits).....



Other than this guy sitting in his chair with a computer in his lap and headphones on his head, we saw not another soul on the mountain.....it was difficult not to wonder what he was up to.....he didn't care to speak.....



As you might imagine, we had some of the most incredible views from the summit.....to the valley.....it was at least 7,000 feet down to that valley floor.....




The 2 mile hike back to the Jeep seemed to take a toll on that sore knee.....I suppose it was the added pressure of hiking downhill that caused the ever increasing pain.....

 

[ocdiver]

The gentleman on the peak was likely a HAM radio operator participating in something called "Summits on the Air". It involves hiking to the peak of a mountain, setting up your radio gear and making contacts with other radio operators. You get "points" for "activating" a peak that has not previously been activated. Here is a link https://www.sota.org.uk/ if anyone wants more info.

Great reports and pictures as always.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ocdiver.....there's another hobby that I know nothing about. That thing in his lap didn't actually look like a computer but it was the only guess that I could come up with. And thank you.....



The drive down the mountain was just as great as the drive up the mountain. This time I made it a point to drive slower, to breathe slower, to live slower.....and that was good.....



Slow driving caused me to see a sign for the trailhead to Ladybug Peak (8,783').....



Well, we still had plenty of daylight left and other than the fact that my knee was killing me, I thought that there was no reason not to hike up to the summit of yet one more mountain.....




It was such a beautiful hike on a nicely well worn trail and it wasn't particularly steep either.....and maybe the best thing about this hike, for me anyhow, was that it was a short hike to its summit.....




Once again I found a summit register in a flat tin box.....hidden beneath a small rock cairn.....



On this one we spent a bit more time on the summit relaxing and enjoying life in the wilderness.....



These summits.....these are my happy places.....these are all that I seem to live for anymore. I can't think of anywhere else that I'd prefer to be.....looking out over the valleys.....just taking it all in.....

 

[Arjan]

I totally get what makes them your happy place.

Need to see what I can do to get more at mine these days, life seems just too full..

Thanks - needed this.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Arjan.....there's really nothing like it.....



After a great day of hiking, I decided to head down the mountain and to drive into the nearest town which happened to be Safford, Arizona to grab a warm meal. Afterwards we drove to the nearby Walmart to spend the night.....one of the worst nights ever experienced on the road.....

It almost seemed like I was being watched cause as soon as my head hit the pillow (it was approximately 8 p.m.), a guy with a bull horn began to give a sermon on the goodness of God and the evilness of man. At 9 p.m. I finally asked him to quit and he said to me "you want me to quit preaching the word of God so that you can sleep ?". I said "yes". Well, he wasn't having it and he said "I can't. I'll never quit preaching the word of God". At 10 p.m., thank God, he finally quit (he lied).....I suspect that the threat of a disturbing the peace ticket / arrest (not from me) was enough to finally shut the guy up.....



I awoke the following morning with an intense pain in my right knee.....so intense that I could barely make it into the Walmart to grab some groceries. It only got worse from there cause I realized that putting any pressure on the gas pedal caused me to have even more intense pain. So, yeah.....we didn't go far that day.....actually for the next 5 days.....



This spot in the high desert.....just a few miles north of town.....became our new home as I tried to rid myself of that intense knee pain.....




Nobody was here and nothing was here.....in some ways it was the perfect place to be.....



It was maybe the first.....or maybe the second time (I actually don't remember any longer) of the trip that I actually took out my Cabelas canvas lawn chair and sat for awhile.....




Unfortunately for me, and actually the dogs as well, this would become the theme for the remainder of this trip. Me.....well, I tried to extend my range each day without causing further pain (or damage ?).....



We went stir crazy.....



Reading & YouTube were my saving grace.....the poor dogs had none.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

One thing that I didn't lose sight of while camped here was the sensational weather.....every day we had beautiful skies and temps that required nothing more than the wearing of a tee shirt.....there's always something to be thankful for.....



And the sunsets......I remember each day ended with a beautiful sky.....



And while we couldn't take long walks under the night skies.....a favorite time for me.....we still went out and enjoyed them as best we could.....



Next to our campsite was this interesting plant.....

(I'm still trying to figure out what type of animal this looks like.....maybe a llama I think ?).....



Finally.....after 5 days of rest.....we hit the road.....we drove north.....the road took us past Theodore Roosevelt Lake.....




First it was Highway 70 that took us further north.....and then just north of Globe, Arizona.....we took Highway 188.....slowly headed home.....




We passed over the Roosevelt Lake Bridge and made a brief stop here.....I still regret not letting the dogs go for a swim.....they certainly deserved it.....



That night was spent at a random spot found on ioverlander.....just another high desert campsite.....nothing really special about it.....

 

[ITTOG]

It is so hard to rest when you are on the road and seeing new places while you hike. Even if you are injured. I am glad to see you are going home and hopefully to rest that knee.

 

[halseyt]

maybe a standard poodle

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....the hardest part is restricting the dogs' movement. That absolutely kills me. I'm posting from home today and just yesterday I went to get x-rays and consult with the doctor. I told her that I'd been resting it but she doesn't consider going from 12 miles per day to 6 miles as resting. She says one mile at most. I have an appointment with the sports medicine physician at Montana State University (MSU) next week. The good news is that I definitely don't need surgery.....possibly a shot combined with real rest is my ticket back to normalcy.....

halseyt.....I can see that. Hey, I was wondering, did you get the hip repaired ? Are you back home ? Will I be welcomed if I return to the true north ?



We continued driving north.....passing through numerous northern Arizona mountain towns.....Payson, Pine, & Strawberry.....just to name a few. We took Highway 260 to Highway 87 and somewhere along that highway, we turned off and we drove down a Forest Service road and found ourselves a wonderful spot for the night high up on the Mongollon Rim.....



I was loving the towering pines that surrounded our campsite and I can remember feeling a certain excitement brewing in me knowing that it wouldn't be long before we'd be back home.....



.....and also, I knew that soon enough that camping under towering pine trees would no longer be the exception to the rule.....it would soon be the norm.....



I tried not to walk too much while camped here but honestly I think that I probably failed with that endeavor.....




It was especially beautiful getting out at night in these woods.....the silhouettes of those towering trees with the dark sky filled with the stars in the background was absolutely amazing.....



I've spoken about mountain summits being my happy place.....just how much I love to spend time looking out across the valley. The sky, too, has more and more become a happy place for me. Just staring at the stars at night seems to bring the same inner peace.....




The dogs.....I don't think they see it the same way that I do.....



The dogs.....they just seem to be happy being along for the ride.....and maybe.....chewing on a strip of rawhide.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We continued north along Highway 87 and when we came to the turn off for Lake Mary  Road, we took it and continued driving north. That road is incredibly scenic and before I knew it, we had pulled onto yet another Forest Service road and spent one more night on the Mongollon Rim.....



We arrived early.....maybe it was around lunch since we really hadn't driven that far.....



And again, I couldn't help myself.....and here too.....we explored the incredible pine forests on the Mongollon Rim.....



Some of these trees.....they almost seemed to be old growth.....but certainly I could be wrong about that.....



We stayed only one night.....




It would turn out to be our last night spent in Arizona on this winters' trip.....




The following morning we got an early start.....we continued north.....home was calling my name.....

(A lake along our route.....south of Flagstaff, Arizona.....is pictured below)



A sign that hung on the wall of Richard Proennekes' (Alone in the Wilderness) mountain cabin.....I couldn't wait to get home to mine.....

 

[ITTOG]

Steroid injections in the knee are usually pretty successful. I have had several in each and every injection helped. Only problem is they don't last forever. I am glad they work because soft tissue injuries usually require 100% no activity to heal... and well, I just don't have that kind of time. Life is too short to be cooped up that long. Good luck with getting it addressed.

 

[halseyt]

I am in Port townsend at the moment and returning to Canada in a day or two. Waiting for a big snow to pass my route. I have a teaching day scheduled at the hip clinic Apr 9 and surgery after that. 1-3 months possibly..

I'm certain you will be welcome.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....since seeing the doctor, my mileage has gone like this.....

Day 1.....11.02 miles (what was I thinking ?)

Day 2.....7.25 miles (at least it's an improvement)

Day 3.....4.23 miles (getting closer)


halseyt.....I sure hope so. I'm often thinking of heading north.....I can't make any major decisions until I get the 2 year check up on my heart.....



It's not that often that I link someone's YouTube video here, but honestly, this one is so different and so well done, I can't help myself. It's only 9 minutes and 27 seconds. Make sure to check out the videographers' name.....

It won't take you long to see why I relate to this video. I feel like this guy and I climbed in the same boots.....I hope you enjoy.....

 

[Ace Brown]

ITTOG.....since seeing the doctor, my mileage has gone like this.....

Day 1.....11.02 miles (what was I thinking ?)

Day 2.....7.25 miles (at least it's an improvement)

Day 3.....4.23 miles (getting closer)


halseyt.....I sure hope so. I'm often thinking of heading north.....I can't make any major decisions until I get the 2 year check up on my heart.....



It's not that often that I link someone's YouTube video here, but honestly, this one is so different and so well done, I can't help myself. It's only 9 minutes and 27 seconds. Make sure to check out the videographers' name.....

It won't take you long to see why I relate to this video. I feel like this guy and I climbed in the same boots.....I hope you enjoy.....

I liked his video and attitude. Recognized many spots they visited.


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