I fell down after losing my footing, tore my pants, tore my knee, but didn't tear my silk long undies! Unbelievable! Buy silk! :)

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Kiel Campground to General Springs Cabin on the Rim Road...the Mogollon Rim

We rated this trip an 8! We drove to Kehr campground and arrived at night. The place was full so we drove back to gravel turn off and backcountry camped (our first)over looking the twinkling stars and the twinkling lights of Payson. It was on the top of a hill with lots of wind but we were snug as bugs in a rug in our new Big Agnes tent! (We all agree that is the best spent money we have ever made!) the next morning we parked at the campground and marched out. We planned to walk about 5 miles to General Springs Cabin. Steven says, "Don't do it if you can't stand wind, cold, and hills!" it took us all day and we arrived about 3:00. All anyone wanted to do was rest, so we put up the tent and fell asleep. After an hour we ate freeze dried food (that is a discussion for another day), played some cards and fell asleep. We did tie our food up, but nothing bothered it. Overall, a beautiful walk, windy and cold!

Roper State Park, no wait! Mt. Graham at Hospital Flat!

We took off on Saturday morning headed for Roper State Park Park, but when we got there it was a dud for us. We don't want to be on top of other people to camp, or in a dusty desert with no shade. Did I mention the lake was a pile of rocks with water in it? Not for us! So, ....
We went to Mt. Graham instead. This was a 25 mile trip up a mountain with switchbacks...leave 50 minutes minnimum for this part of the trip! But, it was totally worth it! The campground is in a meadow that the army used to use for their soldiers to recover from the Indian wars! All spots are about 50 yds. from the parking lot, and look out on the meadow. We tried to hike, but there were big trees that were laying across the trail. It got down to about 32 degrees at night, but we had fun! The boys rated this a 7.5 for overall beauty. There was a creek that ran through the site. We played lots of cards. Overall, it was a good shake out camp to prepare us for a real backcountry trip! Absolutely beautiful!

Afterward, we stopped at Boyce-Thompson Arboretum. Wow! What a pretty place. This beats the Desert Botanical Gardens hand down! What makes it really special is the backdrop. The area is set in a canyon with vertical cliffs all around. It also has a high trail that takes you above the arboretum so you can look down on it...a unique and very interesting view. I thought of Indians walking along the trail years ago. Take sunscreen and water, and be sure to walk all the little side trails...they are some of the best parts of the walk!