Rising Above

IN MY CHILDHOOD, ONE ELEMENT OF THE STORY OF JACK AND THE BEANSTALK fascinated me. Not the part about the man-eating giant, the gold egg-laying goose or the singing harp. The fact that Jack could climb a giant beanstalk and reach an unseen kingdom hidden in the clouds spurred my imagination. Mount Graham and the Pinaleno Mountains represent my unseen kingdom. Often shrouded in clouds, this sky-island range rises abruptly from the desert floor to nearly 11,000 feet. High on the mountains, old-growth forests tower, lush meadows beckon and a dozen permanent streams course into dusky ravines all invisible from below. Since my first visit to Mount Graham nearly two decades ago, I've returned time and again, first to explore, then to photograph. I've hiked overgrown trails through vine-choked valleys, climbed past a fog-cloaked waterfall searching in vain for its source and camped the loneliest night of my life in a spooky canyon below Deadman Peak. I've been lost, fallen victim to poison ivy and have taken some epic tumbles, but after each visit to the Pinalenos, returned home with a smile on my face. I WILL NEVER LOOK AT CLOUDS THE SAME WAY AGAIN.

[LEFT] The Pinaleno Mountains nurture great biological diversity. Here, false hellebore thrives in Peters Flat, named for Gila Valley settler Peter McBride, who grew potatoes in the wet meadow environment. [ABOVE] Viewed from the Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area southwest of Thatcher, southeastern Arizona's tallest sky island, Mount Graham, seems to exert a magnetic force on approaching storm clouds.

THE PINALENOS

[PRECEDING PANEL, PAGES 28 AND 29] A 72-mile round-trip drive along the Swift Trail affords motorists spectacular views from Mount Graham. At the Grant Creek overlook, gnarled pines frame Aravaipa Valley below.

[ABOVE RIGHT] Legions of western sneezeweed flowers brighten the meadow at Snow Flat.

[BELOW RIGHT] In Marijilda Canyon, coral bells poke from a crevice between lichen-covered boulders.

[OPPOSITE PAGE] Following a storm the previous day, runoff creates a small stream near Wet Canyon.

THE PINALENOS A PORTFOLIO

[OPPOSITE PAGE] Shrouded in heavy fog, a desolate section of forest stands pillaged by fire.

[LEFT] Hikers following 8.2-milelong Ash Creek Trail pass Ash Creek Falls and experience the full range of life zones in the Pinalenos.