I camped last night on a forest service road a few miles west of Forest Lakes. It was a beautiful area, surrounded by a stately grove of Ponderosa Pine, nestled deep within the Apache-Sitgreaves NF. The campground even had toilets.
I was feeling pretty good so I decided to go on a short hike. Earlier, I had stopped at a Ranger Station and obtained literature on places to camp and one of the brochures showed a trail that looped down to Willow Spring Lake. It looked to be about 7 miles. The temperature was perfect for a hike – low 60’s I would guess – and with the coming storm a day away, implored that I shouldn’t wait any longer.
I’m used to hiking on trails that are well marked. I came to several Y’s and had to guess which way to go. Apparently, I chose the wrong trail because I never did find the lake. After hiking a little over an hour, I turned around and came back, probably covering a distance of six miles. I’m glad to report that I feel good and apparently my knee and foot are continuing to improve.
Today, I’ve been hanging out in Payson and will head down to lower altitude for tonight.
I’ve gotten so I feel naked without my GPS when I am hiking. Strange, huh? One advantage is that it has built in topo’s with most trails in it, so it sure makes finding my way easier.
We Westerners don’t cotton to those fancy blazed trees you Easterners depend on to follow the trail. When expect a real hiker to use his forest sense (or a GPS) to find the trail.