Summer Hiking Guide

It was a good winter in Arizona — snowboarders and skiers were on top of the world. But the snow's all gone now, and it's time to swap the ski boots for a pair of hiking boots. In this neck of the woods, that's a pretty good trade. Whether you're looking for a leisurely stroll in the White Mountains or a grueling hike into the Seventh Natural Wonder, Arizona has a trail for everyone. What follows are 25 of our favorites. BY ROBERT STIEVE

Widforss Trail

NORTH RIM, GRAND CANYON One of the best trails in the state also happens to be one of the easiest. Maybe that's why artist Gunnar Widforss chose this spectacular neck of the woods to set up his easel in the 1920s and '30s. The trail follows the edge of the Canyon for a couple of miles, heads into the forest, and eventually emerges at Widforss Point. As you make this hike, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, especially the Kaibab squirrel, a shy, dark animal with tufted ears and a bushy white tail. There are plenty of deer on the North Rim, too, as well as aspens, white fir and blue spruce. And then, of course, there's the Canyon itself, which seems to change color with every step.

Directions: Drive 4 miles north of Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim, and turn left onto the gravel road marked with a sign for the trailhead.

Elevation: 8,200 to 7,811 feet

Distance: 10 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Easy

Information: 928-638-7888 or nps.gov/grca

Tuckup Trail

Although we're including this trail in our “summer” hiking guide, it's better suited for late summer or early fall, when the weather cools down. In addition, this trail isn't for beginners. Extreme caution is required when attempting this hike. Among other things, “The Tuckup Trail is often a trail in name only,” according to the late George Steck, author of the books Grand Canyon Loop Hikes Part I and Part II. “The route unfolds as you go.” Like most Grand Canyon trails, the Tuckup Trail was forged by Native Americans, and then cattlemen and miners used it for their respective purposes. Unlike other trails in the Canyon, however, this one never grew into a popular hiking route. Nor has it ever received any formal maintenance outside of the work cattlemen put into it. That's why this hike is for experienced backcountry hikers only. However, those who can handle the technical portions of the trail and the hard-to-follow nature of it all will be treated to some of the most scenic side canyons in the world — a pristine wilderness that rarely sees human beings. Contact the National Park Service before attempting this hike. Directions: Five miles south of the Tuweep area ranger station, turn left at the first road. Drive or park and walk part of the 3 miles on this rough road; the trail begins at road's end.

Elevation: 4,600 to 8,000 feet

Distance: Up to 60 miles one way

Difficulty: Difficult Information: 928-638-7875 or nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/tuweep.htm

Grandview Trail

SOUTH RIM, GRAND CANYON You could spend a lifetime hiking the Canyon and never see it all. Most people don't have that kind of time, so they tackle the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trails. Another doable option is the South Rim's unmaintained Grandview Trail, which connects with other routes that lead all the way to the Colorado River. Most hikers, however, go only as far as Horseshoe Mesa. The trail features several switchbacks at the top, and a few rough places below the saddle. Otherwise, the short but steep trail is easy to follow. There's no water, though, so pack at least a gallon, especially if you hike out in the afternoon, when the shade disappears and the uphill climb takes your breath away.

Directions: From Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim, drive 12 miles east on East Rim Drive to Grandview Point; the trailhead is well-marked. Elevation: 7,406 to 4,932 feet Distance: 6 miles round-trip (to Horseshoe Mesa) Difficulty: Moderate Information: 928-638-7888 or nps.gov/grca

Havasu Canyon to the Colorado River HAVASU CANYON, GRAND CANYON

When it comes to trailheads, few are more beautiful than the one that kicks off this trail. From the campground on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, home to two of Arizona's most celebrated waterfalls (Havasu and Mooney), the 8-mile trek (one way) to the Colorado River is a demanding route full of creek crossings, daring scrambles up and down canyon slopes, and a short technical maneuver up a 16-foot cliff. Of course, for your efforts, you'll be rewarded with some of the most gorgeous scenery anywhere. Really, even the brilliant photography in this magazine can't do it justice. Two things to keep in mind: 1) You have to do this route as a day hike, because the Havasupai Indians and the National Park Service don't allow camping outside of the Havasu campground, and 2) there's a 10-mile trek just to get to the campground.

Directions: Hualapai Hilltop trailhead is at the end of Indian Route 18, 68 miles north of Route 66. The campground at the bottom of Havasu Canyon is 10 miles from Hualapai trailhead (or 2 miles beyond Supai Village, which is 8 miles from the trailhead and can be reached by helicopter, horseback or hiking). Reservations and permits are required.

Elevation: 3,000 to 1,800 feet

Distance: 16 miles round-trip (from campground)

Difficulty: Moderate

Information: 928-448-2121, 928-448-2141 or havasupaitribe.com

South Canyon Trail GRAND CANYON

The best part of this hike is the climax, a place so captivating that even the Colorado River's steel-willed explorer, Major John Wesley Powell, melted with poetic prose when he saw it. Powell named the engaging waterfall at the end of the hike Vaseys Paradise, after botanist George W. Vasey, who traveled with Powell on his Rocky Mountain expedition the previous year. Because of a steep descent and loose rocks, getting to the bottom isn't easy. Once you're there, though, you'll be greeted by a string of beaches that makes South Canyon an amazing place to hang out, whether you arrive on foot or by raft. Vaseys Paradise is the featured attraction on Colorado River trips through the Canyon.

Directions: From the Marble Canyon Bridge near Lee's Ferry, drive west on U.S. Route 89A to House Rock Valley Road (Forest Service Road 445), turn left (south) and continue 23 miles to Forest Service Road 211. Turn right (southwest) and drive 2 miles to the end of the road and the trailhead.

Elevation: 8,800 to 6,500 feet

Distance: 13 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Difficult

Information: 928-643-7395 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai

JAW-DROPPING VIEWS

If you're not intimidated by the history of avalanches or the toothy name, the Abineau-Bear Jaw Trails (left) offer a patchwork of meadow and forest, plus vistas stretching to the Grand Canyon. Photograph by Les David Manevitz

Abineau-Bear Jaw Trails

NEAR FLAGSTAFF Despite an avalanche that caused extensive damage to these trails in 2005, they still offer a great way to explore the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area near Flagstaff. The one-two punch provides a scenic loop hike through some of the state's most picturesque forested canyons. At the high point of the loop, the Grand Canyon some 90 miles away - appears as a wide gap in a broad plateau that stretches from the foot of the mountain to the horizon. The views are dramatic, but keep a close watch in front of you, too. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a black bear. Mule deer and elk are even more likely.

Directions: From Flagstaff, go north on U.S. Route 89 for 12 miles to Forest Service Road 420, which is directly across from the turnoff for Sunset Crater. Continue on FR 420 for about a half-mile and then turn right onto Forest Service Road 552. Follow FR 552 to Forest Service Road 418 and turn right. Continue on FR 418 for about 7 miles to Forest Service Road 9123J. Turn left onto FR 9123J and drive another 1.2 miles to the trailhead.

Elevation: 8,500 to 10,400 feet

Distance: 6-mile loop

Difficulty: Difficult Information: 928-526-0866 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Humphreys Trail

NEAR FLAGSTAFF Humphreys Peak is the king of the hills in Arizona. This is the highest point in the state, and hiking up and down is something to be proud of. After a short climb through a lush meadow of grasses and wildflowers, you'll start to smell the evergreens as the trail winds into a thick forest. The tree line (and oxygen level) thins at around 11,000 feet, at which point you'll enter Arizona's sole tundra region only bristlecone pines survive around 11,300 feet, and even those disappear above the Agassiz Saddle, which is the turnaround point for many hikers. If you've got the lung capacity, head to the top, but watch the weather lightning strikes can be deadly. Literally.

Directions: From Flagstaff, drive north on U.S. Route 180 for 7 miles to Forest Service Road 516 (Snowbowl Road), turn right and continue another 7.4 miles to the lower parking lot. The trailhead is at the north end of the lot.

Elevation: 8,800 to 12,633 feet

Distance: 9 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Difficult Information: 928-526-0866 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Inner Basin Trail

NEAR FLAGSTAFF Can't make it to Switzerland this summer? No worries. Arizona has its own little version of the Alps nestled in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area just north of Flagstaff. If you're looking for an idyllic mountain experience, this is it. The trail, which begins at Lockett Meadow (a great place to camp or have a picnic), climbs gradually through the pines and aspens to the Inner Basin of the San Francisco Peaks. Along the way you'll pass two pump houses, from which Flagstaff gets most of its water, and hikers of all skill levels and body types. If you can't make it this summer, the aspens are absolutely incredible in the fall.

Directions: From Flagstaff, go north on U.S. Route 89 for 12 miles and turn left at the Sunset Crater entrance onto Forest Service Road 420. Continue on the dirt road and follow the signs to Lockett Meadow Campground; the trailhead is well-marked.

Elevation: 8,600 to 10,000 feet

Distance: 4 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 928-526-0866 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Horton Creek Trail MOGOLLON RIM

Although Horton Creek is an ideal hike in the summer, it's impressive during the other three seasons as well - peaceful in the winter, lush in the spring, and bursting with color in the fall. The trail, which is named for settler L.J. Horton, begins about 150 feet from the Upper Tonto Creek Campground and follows an old logging road that parallels Horton Creek. For most of the trip, you'll be within 300 yards of the water. The trail ends where Horton Springs pours out of the Mogollon Rim amid horse-tails, mosses and maples. Directions: From Payson, drive 17 miles east on State Route 260 to Tonto Creek Road (near Kohl's Ranch), turn left and drive 1 mile to the Upper Tonto Creek Campground; the trailhead is at the campground.

Elevation: 5,360 to 6,700 feet

Distance: 9.4 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 928-474-7900 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto

Houston Brothers Trail MOGOLLON RIM

Gifford Pinchot, considered by many to be the father of the U.S. Forest Service, singled out a cabin on this trail for its “peaceful beauty.” Fortunately, things haven't changed over the years. This high-country trail is the epitome of beauty as it meanders along the bottom of Houston Draw, a picturesque valley through which a spring-fed perennial stream flows. The scenery along this route is mostly pastoral, with a few rock outcroppings and aspens. Over the years, this trail has served as a route for moving cattle, and a passage for fireguards to access their isolated cabins. These days, it's one of the best places to get away from it all.

Directions: From Flagstaff, go south on Forest Highway 3 (Lake Mary Road) for 55 miles. Go north on State Route 87 for 9 miles to graveled Forest Service Road 95. Turn south (right), go about 9 miles and turn left onto Forest Service Road 139. Continue 9 more miles on FR 139 and turn right (west) onto Forest Service Road 300. Go one-tenth of a mile to Houston Brothers trailhead sign.

Elevation: 6,800 to 7,700 feet

Distance: 14 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 928-477-2255 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Fay Canyon Trail

Short but incredibly sweet, Fay Canyon provides a crash course in the entire roster of wonders of Red Rock Country. Verdant forests? Check. Sandstone panoramas? Check. Startling rock formations? Check. Of course, the star attraction in this canyon is an elegant natural arch. Large but discreet, the shy beauty hugs the cliff face. Seen from the main trail, it appears as just another rock overhang. For a closer peek, watch for a spur trail that veers to the right about a half-mile into the hike. Usually marked by rock cairns, the trail scrambles up the slope in a steep zigzag depositing you at the base of the span, 200 feet above the canyon floor. Loose rocks and a sharp pitch make this route challenging for even the sure-footed, so proceed with caution.

Directions: From Sedona, go west on State Route 89A to Dry Creek Road (Forest Service Road 152C), and go north for 3 miles to the Boynton Canyon intersection. From there, go left for a half-mile to the Fay Canyon parking area on the left; the trailhead is on the right.

Loy Canyon Trail

If you're looking for a great introductory hike to Red Rock Country, the Loy Canyon Trail is one of the best. It's never too crowded, Steller's jays are everywhere the contrast of the blue birds against the red rocks is better than Matisse and then there's the trail itself. The hike follows a dry creek bed for about 4 miles. That's the easy part. The fifth mile, however, climbs steeply (1,500 feet) to a saddle that connects Secret Mountain and the Mogollon Rim. The carrot at the end of the 1,500-foot stick is a refreshing forest of evergreens and oaks, and views that are out of this world.

Directions: From Sedona, drive 10 miles west on State Route 89A to Red Canyon Road (Forest Service Road 525) and turn north, following the signs toward Loy Butte for 9.3 miles to the trailhead parking area on the left.

West Fork Trail

If you haven't done this trail, you're in the minority. Hands down, this is the most popular hike in the Coconino National Forest, and for good reason. From the rippling of the creek below to the incredible cliffs above, this easy stroll has more than its fair share of natural beauty. On the hike, you'll have to cross Oak Creek's West Fork tributary in a number of places. Usually, that involves negotiating a few strategically placed stones or taking a couple of steps in shallow water, but it's no big deal. The trail is marked for the first 3 miles, but hikers can continue beyond that point. Either way, it's best to hit this trail on mornings or weekdays, when the crowds are much thinner.

Directions: From the "Y" junction of State Route 89A and State Route 179 in Sedona, drive about 9.5 miles north on State 89A up Oak Creek Canyon to the Call of the Canyon parking area. The trailhead is on the west side of 89A, down a paved lane.

Elevation: 5,400 to 5,500 feet

Distance: 6 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Easy Information: 928-282-4119 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino

Woodchute Trail

Jerome is best known for its mining history, its artists and its winding streets, but there are some great hikes in the area, too. This hike is better suited to spring and fall, but it can be done in the summer. And because it's virtually human-free and easy to get to, you should consider it. The hike kicks off with a stroll along an old bulldozer road that was used to create cattle-watering tanks, and then veers off through a mixed-pine forest to a ridge that runs north toward the Woodchute Mountains. The top of the mountain is an open stand of second-growth ponderosa pines - the original forest was completely cleared years ago, when loggers cut shoring timbers for the surrounding mines. The panoramic views from the top are worth seeing with your own eyes.

Directions: From Jerome, go 8 miles southwest on State Route 89A, turn right onto Forest Service Road 106, a dirt road, at the Potato Patch Campground, and follow the signs to the trailhead.

Elevation: 7,100 to 5,500 feet

Distance: 12 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 928-777-2200 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott

Granite Mountain Wilderness Trail 261

NEAR PRESCOTT The historic town of Prescott has plenty of allure - Whiskey Row, the Hassayampa Inn, a handful of good restaurants - but it also has its share of the great outdoors. One of the best hiking options is the Granite Mountain Wilderness Trail 261, where the main feature is a blanket of pinkish boulders covering the area. Beginning at the Metate Trailhead, the trail is pretty easy, and climbs through stands of piñons, junipers and ponderosas, past Blair Pass, and up to the Granite Mountain Saddle. From there, a 1.5-mile trek leads to the summit, where you might catch a glimpse of the rare peregrine falcon. The Forest Service closes the cliff areas during breeding season from February through July, but the main trail remains open.

Directions: From downtown Prescott, drive 4.6 miles on Montezuma Street (which becomes Iron Springs Road) to Forest Service Road 374 and continue 3.6 miles to the Metate Trailhead.

Elevation: 5,600 to 7,185 feet

Distance: 8.2 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Easy Information: 928-443-8000 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott

Escudilla National Recreation Trail

ESCUDILLA WILDERNESS This is where Aldo Leopold, one the nation's most respected natural-ists, described the killing of the last grizzly in Arizona. However, you won't encounter anything that dangerous on this 3-mile hike to the top of the state's third-highest mountain range. The scenery is magnificent and the climbing is relatively moderate, considering the heights to which you're headed. The climb begins in an area that was burned by a huge wildfire in 1951. An incredible grove of aspens has sprung up in the aftermath, and it's the highlight of the hike, with the possible exception of the awe-inspiring views at the summit. From the fire tower on the top, you can see all the way to the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff.

Directions: From Alpine, go north on U.S. Route 191 for 5.5 miles to Forest Service Road 56, turn right, and continue 3.6 miles to Terry Flat. Take the left fork past Tool Box Draw for a half-mile to the trailhead.

Elevation: 9,480 to 10,876 feet

Distance: 6 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate

Information: 928-339-5000 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf

Steeple Trail HANNAGAN MEADOW

This is a long trail, but you don't have to make the entire trek — you can turn around at any point. If you have the stamina, go for the long haul. The Steeple Trail is an amazing route that begins in the high country and winds through stands of mixed conifers and aspens that open into beautiful, boggy meadows called cienegas, which are abundant with wildflowers. These are great places to surprise a grazing elk or maybe even one of the forest's most reclusive inhabitants, the black bear. The trail eventually drops down to Steeple Creek, where the habitat changes to a riparian community of ponderosas, canyon hardwoods and scattered junipers. Conditions become progressively drier and warmer as the trail continues on to the cottonwoods of Blue River Canyon.

Directions: The trailhead is off Forest Service Road 29A at the south end of Hannagan Meadow, off U.S. Route 191, 23 miles south of Alpine.

Elevation: 9,200 to 5,280 feet

Distance: 26.4 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Strenuous

Information: 928-339-5000 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf

Bear Wallow Trail APACHE-SITGREAVES NATIONAL FORESTS

Named for the large number of bear wallows in the area, this hike, which is located in the Bear Wallow Wilderness, is one of the best in Eastern Arizona. Although it winds through some of the most remote and wild terrain in the state, this route makes the area relatively easy to explore. Starting out as an old logging road that soon becomes a footpath, the trail follows the north fork of Bear Wallow Creek all the way to the San Carlos Apache Reservation. Along the way you'll cross the creek several times and drop about 2,000 feet in elevation, which means hiking out will be a workout. Still, the stands of Douglas fir, ponderosas, Englemann spruce and quaking aspens will make it one of the most scenic workouts you'll ever get. By the way, this wilderness area boasts one of the last remaining virgin conifer forests in the state. As for the bears, they're still roaming the wilderness.

Directions: From Hannagan Meadow, go 6 miles south on U.S. Route 191, turn right onto Forest Service Road 25, and continue 4 miles to the trailhead.

Elevation: 8,700 to 6,700 feet

Distance: 15.2 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate

Information: 928-339-5000 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf

Bog Springs/Kent Springs Trail Loop CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST

Wilderness areas are something special, and the Mount Wright-son Wilderness Area is no exception. There are only a few hikes to choose from, but they're well worth exploring. The Bog Springs/ Kent Springs Loop begins at Bog Springs Campground and heads into a forest of silver leaf oaks and ponderosa pines that shade the trail as it meanders between springs sheltered by stands of gnarled Arizona sycamores. In addition to these silverand green-barked old-timers, communities of other moisture-loving plants cluster around the reliable water sources, including Arizona bamboo, Arizona walnut and colorful clumps of wildflowers. What's more, these riparian areas attract a variety of birds and other wildlife.

Directions: From Tucson, take Interstate 19 south to the Continental Road/Madera Canyon Exit. Go east and follow the signs to Bog Springs Campground in Madera Canyon Recreation Area. Turn left into the campground and drive around the loop to the trailhead.

Elevation: 4,820 to 6,620 feet

Distance: 10 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 520-281-2296 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado

Miller Canyon Trail CORONADO NATIONAL FOREST

At nearly 9,500 feet, Miller Peak rules the skyline south of Sierra Vista. The Crest Trail will take you to the top, but another good option is the Miller Canyon Trail. Along the lower stretches of the trail, old sycamores shade the streambed, and sunlight filters down through the limbs of tall Douglas firs. There are a number of bigtooth maples in the area, too, making it a colorful place to visit in October. After crossing the stream several times, the trail switchbacks up the north side of the canyon into an area that was burned by a large forest fire in 1977. Here, you'll find good views of the San Pedro Valley and the Mule Mountains around Bisbee, while Miller Peak stands sentinel above the canyon rim to the southwest. Directions: From Sierra Vista, go south on State Route 92 for 9 miles to Miller Canyon Road (Forest Service Road 56). Drive west on FR 56 for 2 miles to the trailhead. Elevation: 5,800 to 8,600 feet

Distance: 7 miles round-trip

Difficulty: Moderate Information: 520-378-0311 or www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado

The High Point of his life

For 30 years, our writer tried to reach the summit of Mount Baldy, but lightning, bears and bad juju kept him from the top. And then he made one more ascent.

By Gregory McNamee

ON A TATTERED 19th-century military map of East-Central Arizona, the highest peak in the White Mountains bears a name that appears on no other chart: "Home of the Winds." This is probably the cartographer's poetic invention, because Apaches call the peak Dzil Ligai, "mountain of white rock," a description of the same exposed granite peak that prompted Anglos to call the place Mount Baldy.

It's bald, indeed. It's also windy, the abode of howling gales. For all that, I've given other names to 11,403-foot-tall Baldy over the years, names more suited to a pro wrestler than a stately mountain: The Berserker. The Unforgiver of Black River. Geronimo's Revenge. Mount Psycho.

Those are hard names, I know, but they're fair, because almost every time I've tried to ascend it, Mount Baldy has tried to end my time on Earth.

I first saw it in 1975, not long after moving to mountainous Arizona from hilly Virginia. At first glance, Baldy seemed ... well, unchallenging. For one thing, it doesn't look like much of a mountain from most of its approaches, rising gently above an 8,000-foot plateau, with no eye-popping precipices or fearsome crags to arrest the viewer. It sports well-maintained trails that wind pleasantly through pine forests and alpine meadows gushing with springs - all very inviting. There's no need for ropes or pitons on this scenic and seemingly straightforward mountain, scarcely even a need to take along a topographic map. And, plenty of people of all ages hike up Baldy every year without incident.

Only a few of them make it to the top, though. Within the borders of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the summit is closed to non-Apaches access to it is blocked by a cattle fence. In Apache belief, mountaintops are the sacred dwellings of spirits called gan, who protect wild animals and bedevil most other mortals. Few Apaches go to the top of Dzil Ligai, except for religious purposes. None, at least of my acquaintance, speak openly of the gan, who are dangerous and volatile, and who visit disease and madness on anyone who angers them.

The ascent of Baldy is easy, but the gan work hard to keep nosy foreigners away, hard enough to change my opinion of the mountain. It definitely impresses me now.

That first trek up Baldy began pleasantly enough. The trail was easy, the sky deep blue, the air warm but not hot. The closer I got to the summit, however, the faster omens came. At about 9,500 feet, I had to throw myself to the ground to avoid a collision with a golden eagle, nearly earthbound by the weight of a fat jackrabbit it clutched in its talons. An ancient Greek would have erected an impromptu shrine to the gods on the spot and turned tail, but I blithely proceeded. A mile up the trail I met another visitation from the heavens: a literal bolt from the blue that sent an 80-foot-tall ponderosa pine flying apart in countless toothpicks. The explosion was immediately followed by a phenomenon unique, I believe, to the desert: drenching rain falling without a cloud in sight.

I kept right on going for another half-mile, soaked but not broken, as the mountain began to deliver views extending a hundred miles in every direction. Rounding a bend, I came within sniffing distance of an adult black bear - which is to say, I smelled it, and I'm sure it smelled me. Whether male or female I never knew, and I call it an adult only because of what then seemed to me to be its monumental size. We stood there, bear and I, perhaps 75 feet apart, for perhaps five minutes, until the bear, evidently bored with the proceedings, turned and lumbered off down a nearby draw.

And at that, the cloudless rain pouring off my shoulders, I turned and ran down Baldy without stopping, thankful that I'd had the chance to see lightning up close and a black bear in the wild, thankful that the lightning and the black bear had had the chance to kill me and did not. It was enough for one day.

A few years later, I returned to Baldy for another try. As before, the day began beautifully. As before, a couple of thousand feet below the summit, a fierce rain began to fall. Inasmuch as it was late October, normally a dry time in Arizona, I hadn't packed rain gear, a fact the rain didn't overlook. The rain and hail came crashing down so hard on stones in the narrow draw that little bits of mica blew off and filled the air with a brilliant shrapnel - not enough to kill a person, but enough to put an eye out. It was impossible to proceed under the circumstances, and all too easy to die of exposure.

I took shelter under a chaos of boulders that shielded a cave entrance. The over-hang seemed a fine place to wait out the storm, and I sat there eating bread and salami as lightning crashed down until I heard snuffles coming from somewhere within the cave - noises that seemed to grow louder with each pass-ing moment. I weighed my options and called out to unknown beast and rain alike: "You've got the wrong guy!"

This was craven and abject behavior, I know. But I had a legitimate point: While the Apaches - and Arizona's wildlife, for that matter - were suffer-ing the harshest of the many injustices done to them, my ancestors were in Virginia fighting desperate battles of their own. Whatever evils had happened in Baldy's shadow were not my bloodline's fault.

Still, the snuffling didn't stop. Neither did the cold rain, and once again I found myself running down the mountain, this time so quickly and furiously that my battered ankles swelled up for weeks afterward to remind me of my misad-venture.

For the next several years I confined myself to Baldy's lower slopes, following the tracery of the Little Colorado River's sources, content to collect rivers instead of summits. Every now and again, in all seasons, I ventured closer to the top, and each time the story was the same: rain, snow, hail and always those great bolts of lightning.

I'd begun to take the mountain's behavior personally. But I still kept at it, mindful of British explorer Neville Shulman's remark, in his book Zen in the Art of Climbing Mountains, that "nothing is possible without three essential elements: a great root of faith, a great ball of doubt and fierce tenacity of purpose."

I had little faith that I would ever make it to Baldy's summit. I had much doubt, but also a deep well of tenacity, Irish mulishness that the gan rewarded by finally allowing me to ascend Baldy 22 years after my first attempt.

When I climbed past the stump of that lightning-shattered ponderosa, no eagles or bears or bolts from heaven challenged me. I even came within sight of the fence marking the Apache nation and the abode of the gan, the home of the winds. A few drops of rain fell, but softly.

Not wanting to push my luck, I left a hawk feather on a rock beside the trail, promised the mountain to speak of it by more kindly names, and turned back, walking along under a clear blue sky.

Information: White Mountain Apache Tribe Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Division, 928-338-4385 or wmatoutdoors.org. All