Autumn

In the fall of the year, when the aspens and the oaks, the cottonwoods and the maples, begin to change their attire from various shades of green, to a tapestry of gold, silver, orange, red and brown-when the frosty tang is in the air to make the transition from summer to autumn complete Arizona takes on her gayest mood, and is gloriously beautiful. In the high country, blending with the perennial green of the pines and the spruce, the firs and the juniper, against a backdrop of lofty heights and a turquoise sky, the unsurpassed grandeur of the scenery is overpowering.

This myriad of gay-colored leaves, some dropping to form a carpet over the trails and paths leading through isles of great trees, and into the virgin wilderness areas of our eight national forests of over eleven million acres. lend a new sense of freedom and mental and physical relaxation to the individual. Unfortunately, most people seek the coolness of the mountains only, during the summer, thus missing nature in her autumn splendor.

As stated in the Forest Service publication, "Forest Outings": "They (the national forests) remove man from the dominance of artificial patterns and schedules and bring relaxation and leisure. There he need encounter no time clocks to punch, no trains to catch, no jostling, no elbowing, no narrow walls and fetid air, no split-second dashing from one pressure task to the next. Forest outings offer full play for a while to any choice of occupation. Humans may seek adventure in their own way and on their own terms-hunt, shin up a mountain, or loaf and thereby capture a sense of freedom personally. They are removed from the necessity to meet business engagements, to keep books, to write letters, to tend a machine, to keep house. They can wear the clothes of their choice, eat when they please, loaf or work, go exploring, or go to sleep undisturbed. They may catch the largest fish, build the best campfire, bake the tastiest Dutch-oven bread, climb the highest mountain, or discover the most breath-taking view. They have the chance to regain physical and mental tone; to achieve satisfying, wholly personal proof of their abilities and prowess; to recapture a sense of their own personal significance, and to rest."

There are few areas in Arizona where lofty mountains, with their great cloak of beautiful trees, cannot be reached within a few hours drive from the cities and towns along the principal highways. From Phoenix, the capital city, a three hours drive takes you to the Prescott National Forest, and, within two more hours, the Williams and Flagstaff area in the Coconino National Forest. Another hour's drive north, in the Grand Canyon country, is the famed Kaibab National Forest. In the Clifton to Springerville region are the White Mountains and the Blue Range, in the Apache National Forest. Tucson has her colorful Santa Catalinas, in the Coronado National Forest, tipped by lofty Mt. Lemon, at her very door step. Douglas likewise has the Chiricahuas, and Safford, the Graham Mountains, in the Crook National Forest. A short distance from Globe and Miami are the Pinals, also in the Crook; and up Pine-Payson way is the great escarpment, the Mogollon Rim, in the Tonto and Sitgreaves national forests.

Truly, Arizona is a wonderland, unsurpassed in scenic grandeur, and predominantly so in the high country when the first frosts perform their magic in this land of colorful and beautiful trees.