We’re not getting stonewalled.

Boy, were we surprised!!! The weekend was filled with incredible weather, great company, excitement, music, exploration, history, wonder, and apples, apples, and more apples. The adventurers that set out on this memorable trip were Craig “Music Man” Baker (for the act of heroism he performed in carrying his full-sized guitar 18.6 miles for our enjoyment), Dan “Poppins” Leonard (for the shade umbrella attached to his pack), Jeanne “Green Monster” MacLaughlin (for the HUGE backpack she carried, covered with an even larger green tarp, which made her look like a huge green monster barreling down the trail), Tim “Tarzan” Reiling (for the hours spent up in trees searching for “the perfect apple”), Tom “Crazy Man” Squire (for his compulsion to fly out from Maryland to spend this wild weekend in the Superstitions with this motley crew), and me, Barbara “Lucy” Brackett (for Lucille Ball-style grace).

When we arrived at the trailhead, we were prepared to wait as long as we needed for the rain to stop. From our perch far above Apache Lake, we waited patiently for over an hour while heavy rain and winds pummeled our vehicles. Craig strummed his guitar in the warmth of the truck, almost as if to sooth the angry sky and our somewhat worried souls. The rain stopped as the rays of the sun exploded from behind thick, black clouds, and we finally stepped out of the truck to stretch our legs. After a quick vote and sanity check, six brave souls set out to explore the depths of the great Superstition Mountains in the shadow of the great thunderstorm ...

Those apples look mighty tempting ...

We made it to the ranch all well and good, and within a hundred yards of the camp site, making sure we were all aware of the bear droppings on the trail, some thing happened we were all unprepared for. Buckets of water came crashing down. Gusts of wind pushing it sideways. We all crouched beside trees, no time to take our packs off, totally helpless as lighting struck all around us. The thunder alone was enough to turn a person religious. Parts of the trail turned to small streams. With the flow of water on bare skin, extremities started to go numb. Some of us braved the torrent to look for a campsite with some wind protection in the apple grove but we were turned back by waste-high, waterlogged grass. We didn’t know if this was going to last for hours. Lucky for us it didn’t. After it let up we shook it off and looked for a campsite with not good but great drainage. Expecting it to come crashing down again any minute we set up our tents and broke out our stoves for a hot meal. Luckily everybody had a change of dry clothes in the bottom of their soaked packs.

Craig got out his guitar and started picking. Barb and Craig took turns singing. Jeannie joined in. It all was a real treat then the rain came again.

Chomp!

The apples where ripe and juicy. There must have been a million of them! Watch out for the organic worms! And don’t eat the “ornamental” cherry size apples! I think that old man Reavis did find gold in the Superstitions – in his golden apples!

On the sweaty outbound trail the sun baked. I wished, ironically, for rain.

From Jeanne MacLaughlin:

You should see the view up here!

The loud thunder and lightening was not quite what I had in mind for this trip, but now that it is over, I’m glad that I experienced and endured God’s awesome powers from the front row. We were all very brave, and to be able to say that is wonderful! Craig Baker brought his guitar and between his picking and Barbara Brackett’s singing, and the marshmallows roasting, the evening’s activities couldn’t have been better.

The hike out of the canyon was extremely long and hot! My mind began to weaken, and I could have easily talked myself into quitting! Thank God for good hearted friends and good conversation, which saved me from self destruction! Thanks to Tim Reiling for bringing a cold cooler of water and Pepsi for all of us to indulge in after the hike was over! I needed that! And thanks to all for a great weekend!

One of my most memorable trips, EVER! Seeing the white-tailed deer, evidence of bear and coyote, and two tarantula sightings were among the exciting high points of this trip, but I think Sunday’s day trip to Circlestone Ruin topped all. Creeping up a 6000' peak to glimpse this 750-year-old ruin, we numbly entered the rough rock outline of the center room to find it literally packed with ladybugs! Large twisted juniper punctuated the 360° views of the world around us. From this perch, one could see Four Peaks, the front of the Superstitions, and even the open pit mines of Miami/Globe far below. The question tugging at all our minds was, “What was the significance of this place?”

The one thing that truly set this trip apart from all others was the awesome company, and the adventurous spirit of the group! Thanks to all of you for the memories.

Most of all, being out with all of you made the trip what it was. The amazing singing trio, Craig, Barb, and Jeanne added so much to the experience. We’ll all have those shared memories of Craig carrying his guitar and Barb’s resonating voice. All I have to is mention those things and let your memories fill all the wonderful details. Dan-Poppins! Need I say more? Jeanne and Tim who always seemed to be up a tree. Finally a big thanks goes to Barb for putting up with us.

The thing I remember most about the Reavis Ranch hike was the thunderstorm we got caught in, just as we were getting to the ranch. I have never been out in the weather like that before. I was worried about getting hit by lightning, and that the storm was going to last all night. Almost setting the woods on fire with my whisper light stove was another tense moment for me. I really liked the hike in and out, because it was a combination of up, down, and flat. Not just up all the way. We had a great campsite. I was amazed that a place like that exists so close to Phoenix. I thought it was a great hike, and I would definitely do it again.