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Pale light began to seep through the morning sky, throwing the Mazatzal mountains into sharp relief in the distance. It wouldn't take long for my route, sitting far to the west and blocked from the sunrise by those mountains, to be in full sunlight. [read more]
Six weeks had passed since Charlotte was born. More than six weeks without a solo hike and the only adventures being short jaunts with the boys. I was ready for a challenge, ready to get started on the ambitious Mazatzal project, ready for sweat in… [read more]
While a newborn girl has been a pretty big event for our household, the largest adjustment is dealing with three little ones. Even relatively simple things like grocery shopping is next to impossible to do with only one parent. I can't even imagine… [read more]
The weekend before Charlotte was scheduled to show up was a restless affair. Katie and I had spent months working our way through massive todo lists, checking and cleaning and buying and assembling and sorting, getting ready for the new baby and for… [read more]
Eating lunch with a waterfall splashing a mere arm's distance away brought back fond memories of Michigan hiking. High cliffs overhead kept the sun off me, keeping the desert temperatures reasonable, and as long as I didn't let my foot dangle too far… [read more]
Light quickly flooded into the western Superstitions, changing the rock formations from a dull red to bright yellow as the sky woke above. From my perch on the summit of Bluff Springs Mountain I watched the scene unfold as I shivered and ate a hasty… [read more]
There is a valley on top of Bluff Spring Mountain. It is a long valley, carved by a seasonal creek that starts near the peak, runs between towering ridges, and then pours down an impressive waterfall. The mountain and the valley are within a few… [read more]
Our third child, Charlotte Emerick, was born early on February 13, 2017. She's our first daughter and the first granddaughter on either side of the family, which is evident by the amount of pink that has recently invaded our house. The pregnancy was… [read more]
The idea of conquering the Mazatzal Wilderness has slowly taken over my daydreams and random internet browsing. And why shouldn't it? Hiking in Arizona has not been as free-ranging as my Michigan adventures, thanks to hostile terrain and… [read more]
Legs singing in a cacophony of joy, I trotted down from the top of Superstition Mountain on a most welcome descent. This was the first downhill grade that I've been on for quite some time, plus the trail was wide and easy. Ahead of me the dark clouds… [read more]
The gray clouds hung oppressively low overhead, muting the sunrise colors and darkening the usually-bright rock formations of Superstition Peak. I ignored the clouds and continued marching forward along Lost Goldmine Trail. Behind me, in my pack, my… [read more]
Hard pellets of water smacked into my windshield and tumbled down onto the dry dirt tracks on Peralta Road. My foot quickly alternated between the gas and brake pedal, pushing the van forward as far as my headlights could see around the many bends… [read more]
Coming down the north side of Tortilla Peak was a hundred times easier than my climb up. A few simple hops over jagged rocks and then a long, clear chunk of bedrock sloped gently away. Man, this approach would have been a breeze. I looked back a few… [read more]
Yellow rock on Tortilla Peak shone in the early morning light. I stood and panted in the valley below, cold air rushing in and out of my mouth, already out of breath from the quick mile of rocky hiking in from the trailhead. With some guesswork I… [read more]
There was one thing that I wanted to do on New Year's weekend - go on an epic adventure to end a rough year of hiking. The weather was perfect, even a bit wet with some overnight storms, and overnight plans for Tortilla Peak and Reavis Ranch and the… [read more]
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