Trailblazers on Willow Springs Lake. [photo by Eva]

Barbara, Eva, and Chuck pose for a selfie..

On a picture-perfect early fall morning in late September three Arizona Trailblazers meet at the launch ramp on Willow Springs Lake, one of the seven Rim Lakes on Arizona’s lofty Mogollon Rim, for a day of kayaking adventures. The skies are a clear sapphire blue with nary a wisp of a cloud in sight, the lake water is sparkling and crystal clear, and at 7,500 feet the temperature is hovering at 74 degrees. Does it get any better than this? By 9:30 we’re on the water and paddling toward the dam at the lake’s north end.

The launch ramp at Willow Springs Lake. [photo by Eva]

On our last Willow Springs Lake kayaking trip on June 18 of this year, the lake was at 100% capacity. After three months of draw down and evaporation I fully expected the water level to be down at least 3 to 5 five feet, but the lake looks almost as full today as it did back in June. So, this is certainly a pleasant surprise for us. We soon reach the dam and then start paddling south and southeast down the eastern arm of the lake. Willow Springs Lake is an oddly shaped body of water, with a major peninsula penetrating the main body of the lake from the southeast and essentially dividing the lake into a long eastern arm and a western arm, with the main body of water between the north end of the peninsula and the dam (see map).

Barbara and Chuck paddle close to the shore. [photo by Eva]

We paddle clockwise all the way through the eastern arm of the lake, staying relatively close to the shoreline and moving further out from time to time to give wide berth to people fishing from shore. And, just as in June, a cool and refreshing breeze keeps us cool and comfortable much of the time, making for ideal kayaking conditions today. But when Barbara and I first arrived at the lake earlier this morning a stiff wind was blowing southeast across the lake creating choppy water, and conditions were not looking good at all. However, by the time we launch, the winds have calmed down considerably and things begin to look much more promising. When it comes to the weather, it’s often simply the luck of the draw and we’ve been pretty darned lucky on our recent kayaking trips.

Barbara is enjoying her time on the lake today. [photo by Eva]

And just as on almost all our past kayaking trips on this lake, we spot several osprey circling high overhead riding the thermals in search of fish swimming just beneath the water’s surface, expecting to see one initiate a steep dive pattern into the water at any moment and snatch up a fat rainbow trout within its razor-sharp talons. But that’s something you just don’t see every day. We don’t see any bald eagles today but do accidently spook one hapless Great Blue Heron from its observation point along the lakeshore and watch it take flight in search of a more secluded location to fish from, free of human interference. When it comes to the larger birds on this lake, like ospreys, eagles, herons, and cranes, their day is all about searching for and catching enough fish to eat.

Chuck is paddling into the reed bed. [photo by Eva]

And then we see it. Close to the shore is yet another of several makeshift lean-to type of shelters we’ve always seen on these kayaking trips to Willow Springs Lake. Crudely constructed from bleached white driftwood logs, with some threatening to totally collapse at any moment. But this one is different. It’s better constructed and much larger than all the others we’ve seen so far and looks safe and solid enough to seek refuge from the weather and perhaps to even sleep in for a few hours. But…wait. Has someone actually been living here before? There’s something a little strange and even a bit spooky about this place. Should we go in and check it out? But what if there’s a bear or some other wild animal inside? Yeah--probably too risky. But could it be…??

This is the home of Bigfoot, or the Mogollon Monster. We knocked, but nobody was home today. [photo by Barbara]

Then we see a large dark brown wooden sign hanging over the entrance to this particular shelter that reads Home of Bigfoot. What?? Is this some sort of a joke, or what? A Bigfoot lean-to right here on the shore of Willow Springs Lake? With all these people around? Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately for us) Bigfoot, more commonly referred to as the Mogollon Monster here in Arizona, is nowhere in sight today. He could be roaming around anywhere in the forest nearby, foraging for food or scaring the bejabbers out of some hapless campers or hikers. Several years ago, one boater allegedly sighted the monster standing at the edge of the lake trying to snatch rainbow trout right out of the water with his big, hairy hands. Over the years there have been hundreds of reported sightings of the Mogollon Monster throughout central and eastern Arizona, primarily in the vicinity of the Mogollon Rim. Fact or fiction? You be the judge, but keep an open mind. What about Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest?

Not familiar with the Mogollon Monster? Actually (and this ain’t no bull folks, as Tex Earnhardt was always fond of saying), sightings of a Sasquatch-like creature have been reported in Arizona as far back as 1903 near the Grand Canyon, according to an old article in The Arizona Republican (predecessor to today’s Arizona Republic). Some years later, when additional sightings of a similar creature near the Mogollon Rim were being reported with increasing frequency, this creature eventually came to be known as the Mogollon Monster, the Arizona Bigfoot. Stories abound about Bigfoot encounters and the origins of Bigfoot. One of the more interesting and colorful ones describes the creature as the phantom of a white man who, as punishment for murdering a Native American woman, was hung from a tree by his hands until he eventually stretched to a height of eight feet. Then he was skinned alive and left to die. Damned by the spirits, his ghost continues to roam these woods to this day. (From Wikipedia)

Good Grief, Charlie Brown! That’s enough excitement for one day, so let’s just keep on paddling and try to remain calm. We soon find ourselves in the long western arm of the lake and start looking for a good place to get out for a lunch and rest break, far away from the Home of Bigfoot and any potential encounters. After lunch, we paddle to the end of this long arm of the lake as far as we can before reaching thick reed beds and the water becomes too shallow to go any further. Then we start paddling up the long west side of the lake and back toward the launch ramp. We haven’t seen a single cloud in the sky all day long. By about 2:15 we’re all back on shore and preparing to break down and pack away all our gear and kayaks and then head for home. What a day this has been!

Looks like we're about to run out of lake, Barbara. [photo by Eva]