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June 2012

Table of Contents

Editor's Letter | Contributors | Letters to the Editor | Where Is This?

THE JOURNAL 
People, places and things from around the state, including the inspirational story of Mike Armstrong and his trek along the Arizona Trail; an introduction to the red-backed vole, one of nature's great high-jumpers; and Payson, our hometown of the month.

SUMMER HIKING GUIDE
Arizona is a dream state for hikers. There's a trail for everyone, and the weather allows for year-round hiking. Summer, however, is when most people hit the trail. Thus, our fifth-annual Summer Hiking Guide, which spotlights our top 10 trails and how to hike them.
By Robert Stieve

MOTHER NATURE LIVES HERE
It's hard to stand out in a state that's home to the Grand Canyon. Just ask the Chiricahuas, Monument Valley, Hannagan Meadow and Sedona. Despite what Vince Lombardi might have said about finishing second, the runners-up in Arizona are something special. In fact, we're pretty sure that Mother Nature spends her summers in either Sedona or Oak Creek Canyon.
A portfolio edited by Jeff Kida

A BURNING ISSUE
It's been 10 years since the Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned 468,000 acres along the Mogollon Rim, and just a year since the Wallow Fire became the largest in Arizona history, scorching 538,000 acres of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Although wildfires are to be expected in a place as arid as Arizona, "megafires" are out of the norm — the result, some say, of a flawed fire-management policy.
By Kelly Kramer

THE FIRES OF MY LIFE
Rattlesnake, Aspen, Rodeo-Chediski, Horseshoe Two, Wallow … there have been so many "megafires" in Arizona over the past two decades that the names begin to blur.
By Charles Bowden
Photographs by Jack Dykinga

SCENIC DRIVE
Cottonwood to Clarkdale: The potholes can be a little jarring, but don't let that deter you. The wide-angle views of Sedona and the lack of car bumpers and brake lights make this scenic drive well worth a few bumps in the road.

HIKE OF THE MONTH
Red Mountain Trail: This short hike offers panoramic views of the San Francisco Peaks, a great lesson in geology and a rare look inside an ancient volcano.