KP Creek

After backpacking over 30 miles up and down mountains, Tahoe often had to wait for me to catch up with him.

This appears to be a jaw bone from a horse or elk.

Tahoe romping through the creek.

The monsoon rains have begun, and it poured the last two nights. The lightning was crashing within 3 miles of us, and I could feel the thunder rumbling the ground.

P Bar Lake

This large horned lizard or "horny toad" stood really still and tried to blend in with the surroundings.

We were sitting in the tent at dusk, and all of the sudden Tahoe sat up and looked out the window. There were two male elk standing about 30 yards away, staring at us. They didn't seem convinced that we were harmless, so they strolled on.

KP Rim Trail

We hiked along the eastern portion of the Mogollan Rim for about about 4 miles. The trail was extremely overgrown, and I could have used a machete.

A lizard sunning itself on a tree.

Paradise Park

A two-tailed swallowtail on a bull thistle.

Tahoe had a great time exploring the wilderness. At one point, he ran up a hill, and his backpack came unzipped. When he returned, I saw all his food was gone! I frantically searched the trail, and luckily found it all.

This fungus was as big as my head.

This rattlesnake was hiding in a log next to the trail. He showed his displeasure by shaking his rattle and sticking out his tongue.

Backpacking Blue Ridge

We started our trek at Upper Grant Creek which runs through a deep canyon and is surrounded by spruce and ponderosa. It was warm during the day, and rainy at night.

These butterflies were mating.

There were numerous beaver dams along the creek.

Anderson's thornbush.

Hot dog

Even when it is 112 outside, the dogs like to sit on the concrete for about ten minutes every day.

Then, it's time for their afternoon naps.

Our Zoo

Boulder is the most vocal of all the animals. She starts meowing an hour before meal time, just to remind us that feeding time is approaching.

You can tell two things by this picture. 1. Tahoe loves bones. 2. He hates getting his toe nails trimmed.

Greta often hangs out in the tiny space between the microwave and the cabinet.

Do you have any food? Anything at all. I could really go for a snack.

South Fork Trail

Dragonflies have the coolest wings of the insect world.

Water strider.

Nodding thistles are quite fragrant, and they have a ton of pollen on their brush-like heads.

Unusual log.

Tahoe

This is Tahoe's serious pose.

This is his silly one. Look at those ears!

Elk

We camped on a hill overlooking Mexican Hay Lake.

I looked up from reading a book and was surprised to see this huge herd of elk.

Luckily, Tahoe didn't notice them, so I put him on a leash and watched the majestic animals play in the water.

West Fork Trail

This trail led to down the canyon to a pretty meadow and the black river.

Western sneezeweed.

The canyon was filled with old-growth douglas fir, ponderosa, and spruce trees.

If Tahoe had one wish, I think he would want the ability to climb trees.

Thompson Trail

This was one of my favorite trails in the White Mountains. It followed the river for a few miles. The haze in the distance is smoke from the wildfire. Every afternoon, the wind changed, and sent smoke in our direction.

The black river snakes its way through the valleys.

Snapdragons.

There were lots of songbirds as well as a a pair of herons. This one was in the river until Tahoe saw it.

Indian Springs

Tahoe and I hiked this 7.5 mile trail near Big Lake.

Daisies.

Lush ferns grew around the springs.

Escudilla Wilderness

After Aldo Leopold visited Escudilla Mountain, he was so inspired that he wrote an essay called "Escudilla." He discussed the importance of protecting wildlife and maintaining biodiversity.

I unzipped my tent slightly in order to view the evening lightning & thunderstorm.

The reddish glow is the Chitty Fire burning about 40 miles to the south.

This is Tahoe's spot in the tent. He curls up on his rug and uses my feet as a pillow.

Escudilla Trail

Tahoe and I hiked this steep three mile long trail up the mountain.

These are the thickest aspen groves I have ever seen. It is virgin forest, so some of the aspen trunks are huge. When I tried to put my arms around a particularly large one, I couldn't make my fingers touch on the other side.

This is Profanity Ridge.

The trail was so beautiful, and we were rewarded with outstanding views of the White Mountains from the top. Tahoe didn't want to go up in the lookout tower with me, so he waited patiently below.