EDITOR'S LETTER

JOHN MUIR WAS THE CONSUMMATE hiker. He was born in Scotland, studied geology and botany at the University of Wisconsin, and then he bought a backpack. Like George Bailey, he wanted to see the world. Wisconsin was nice, and places like Tulsa and Topeka were relatively close, but he was looking for magnificence. So, he headed west to Yosemite-on foot-where he later became famous as a writer and a founding father of conservation.

Because of what he started, many of the beautiful landscapes you see in this magazine were preserved so we could follow in his footsteps. Needless to say, we owe him a debt of gratitude. His efforts, however, were at least somewhat self-motivated. Again, he was the consummate hiker.

It's impossible to know how many miles John Muir logged in his lifetime, but in that first trip alone-from his home in Wisconsin to the Sierra Nevada-he walked more than a thousand miles. That's the equivalent of hiking round-trip from Page to Bisbee. Twice.

In this month's cover story, we offer something a little more manageable-10 hikes that add up to about a hundred miles. They're not your average hikes, however; these are the most scenic hiking miles in Arizona. In this state, that's saying something, which is why we gave our list a lot of thought. Of course, John Muir wasn't around to help us put it together, so we asked Roger Naylor instead. He's another writer who hikes a lot about a thousand miles a year and we figured he'd have a leg up on most of our other contributors. Turns out, we were right.

As you'll see in "Hikes to Write Home About," Roger covers nearly every corner of the state, from the Chiricahuas in the south to the Grand Canyon in the north. Although some of the hikes are easy or moderate, most of them require some effort-the best things in life usually do. Secret Canyon near Sedona is one of the easier hikes, while the Kaibab is a hike that'll take your breath away. Literally. In all, the Kaibab Trail covers 21 miles through the Canyon, from the South Rim to the North Rim. If you've got the lung capacity, this is one of the best ways to experience this natural wonder. The sense of accomplishment is second-to-none, the scenery is out of this world, and you won't get arrested along the way. Not like you would if you took John Findley's route.

You don't know John Findley, but back in 1968, he was doing his best to make a name for himself. At the time, he was 43, bored, and in need of a challenge. That's when he decided to swim the length of the Grand Canyon. All 277 miles. As he writes in "In Over His Head?": "After 10 years [of adventure], even skydiving wasn't enough. Then I read that Georgie White Clark ran 277-mile float trips through the Grand Canyon from Lee's Ferry to Lake Mead. That's when it hit me-I would swim through the Grand Canyon. This would be the granddaddy of all my adventures."

You'll have to read his story to find out how it went, but before you get any ideas of your own, consider this: It's illegal and dangerous to swim any length of the Colorado River. Don't even think about it. Rules exist for a reason, whether it's the Grand Canyon or Aravaipa Canyon.

In Aravaipa, the rules range from "don't pollute" to "don't feed the bird." No, the latter is not a reference to Charlie Parker, but rather a short-tailed black hawk, a rare bird that nests in this neck of the woods. At last count, there were only 250 pairs left in the U.S., with most living in Arizona and New Mexico. In "Bird of Paradise," writer Sam Negri will tell you about a particular hawk as he recounts a recent trip through Aravaipa Canyon.

It's an interesting story, and even if you're not a birdwatcher, you might want to add Aravaipa to your to-do list. The 10-mile trip through the canyon is magnificent. It's not as arduous as John Muir's trek across America, but mile for mile, this lush riparian habitat is one of the most beautiful places in Arizona-so beautiful it could have easily been included in our cover story. Maybe next year.

Robert Stieve [email protected]