Lazarow World-Hike-About

Views of the bridge from various positions of height has proved to be a highlight for us. Heading to the peak beyond those in view.       The hike from below the cemetery, along Thompson trail, followed by our rough scramble to a peak proved to be a reasonable test until our return. We struggled to find a way down to the trail below which we had left to reach the top. On the last occasion we were in Tonto (love that name), the grass and other plants had taken a beating because of fire damage. This time, they had ‘fattened’ up and were giving as good as we gave.    Most of our views have been on the other side of the mountain. This provides a unique sight partly as it's off-trail. I tried to align Jenni with the bridge but do you think she would listen? The hiking is the easy part of our life. Getting higher.     Nature handles fires and other disasters much more efficiently than humans anticipate. As sad as destruction is, it amo...

The sculptor captures the harsh life of a Voortrekker woman, reflected in her face. The previous blog mentioned Cathkin Peak frequently...here it comes again. Hardly a day passes on the trails when I don’t think of the pioneers, the men, women and children that crossed the land in wagons as they opened new frontiers. In South Africa it was the Boers, the Voortrekkers fleeing from the British; the United States had pioneers fulfilling a similar role although for different reasons. Political implications should be ignored; it’s not the purpose of these few thoughts. Rather, it’s about the incredible bravery, the strength, the fortitude and will of these people.  We struggle along and up trails, admittedly, we often cover ground without formal paths (see next blog). However, the pioneers carried their worldly possessions together with families, in wagons drawn by animals. They crossed raw land, mountains and rivers with few resources. It’s unimaginable. Such suffering, hardshi...