An Amazing Start: Our Weekend in Tonto National Forest

(originally published: 3-28-16)

It’s not that I hate my job, I just love my weekends. So here I sit on a Sunday night feeling like I am just starting to wake up from the dream of another great weekend, for the reality of the work world.

And what a great weekend this one was! The highlights of the weekend only got better since the last post. Jenn and I hiked Tonto Natural Bridge Park on Saturday morning. What an amazing sight it was! After a short trip down to the creek bed, the hike reminded me of a seemingly generic scene from a movie where kids jump carefree from rock to rock to cross a river. Truly it did kind of make me feel like a kid again. Even after managing to miss a rock and put a foot in the creek, I just shook it off and kept enjoying the hike.

Jenn wore a pair of running shoes without much grip, so we did have to stay pretty cautious at times. Though I loved being able to be her support with a hand, pull, push, or catch along the way, I would recommend having a good pair of hiking shoes if you’re going to do this hike. The bridge was amazing! I’ll post a pic, but this is certainly a sight that pics cannot do justice. It is a hard to fathom the the time and natural forces that go into making something this gorgeous in nature. A quick read from one of the park plaques outlines the five different natural occurrences which combined to create the world’s largest known natural bridge. I won’t bore with the details of the natural phenomena here, mostly because I don’t remember any of them.

After viewing the Bridge from every angle possible, we were off to find another adventure before the weekend was over. The next hike would not be nearly as scenic. We headed to a random trail near the campground, Houston Mesa Horse Camp Trail. It was rated high on the hiking app I use, but I think there was only one vote and no photos which probably should have been a sign. We were pretty tired and didn’t do the whole thing before turning back, so I guess I can’t rule out that it might have been a 5-star hike. Judging from the empty trailhead parking lot and backwoods horror movie feel I don’t think it lived up to the previous review. We got some fresh air, exercise, and a few nice views into tree covered valleys. One of the things I’ve come to love about hiking in Arizona is even a bad hike is usually pretty good.

We wrapped up the day by checking out the Bear Talk presentation back at the campground. One rule I think I’ll set for these trips is if we see a sign about a free presentation during our stay we must go. Here are a  few of the facts I bored my relatives with at Easter dinner:

• We stayed in the world’s largest known Ponderosa Pine forest.
• Ponderosa Pines have bark that smells like vanilla.
• Black bears lose fat during hibernation, but not muscle.
• If you see a black bear you’re pretty much screwed if they attack because they are faster, stronger, better climbers, and better swimmers than you.
• If attacked your only real defense is to try punching them in the nose.
• Bears, like lions, are the king of their domain because they have no natural predators.

We wrapped up the night with another campfire and bundled up to endure the subfreezing temps in our tent. Jenn claims it was cold, but I’m far to manly to admit that I felt even a little chilly. Most importantly, we survived a completely spontaneous trip. None of the bad things I feared came to fruition. The Payson area wasn’t out of campsites so we would have to turn back. The tent didn’t blow away. We weren’t attacked by a bear, mountain lion, or rabid squirrel.

I am as guilty in my normal life as anyone else – or I’m sure some who know me would say more guilty – of imaging the worst case scenario will be the result of a wrong choice. The truth is, this is rarely the case. More often than not even when we make the worst decisions imaginable things work out better than expected. Sometimes a choice may result in a cold night’s sleep, but it usually doesn’t result in freezing to death.

I don’t remember where I read it, or who said it, or if I’m paraphrasing, but a key mantra for unplanned travel should be:

A bad decision is not the worst decision. Not making a choice is the worst possible decision. 

When fear paralyzes you from making a decision, you’ll always be nagged by the “what if…” thoughts.