Lazarow World-Hike-About

It was another opportunity to ignore formal trails and wonder in the Mojave Desert; find our way up mountains, over boulders and other challenging obstacles. There's something both refreshing and honest about not relying upon official trails...at times. Don't get us wrong. Trails are essential but one appreciates them even more after wandering in the great outdoors over what appears virgin land. Should I want to live dangerously, I might term this picture, "The Prickly Pair". I may be dumb but not completely stupid so I would never consider a caption of that nature. Jenni would vouch for me. Our favorite times: Boulder hopping. We found this minor peak as we wandered on our own trails. Our car has become quite possessive so we don't remain out of sight for long periods. This is in the Lake Mead National area off Christmas Tree Pass, outside Laughlin. Jen begins boulder number one of many. A close up of the river and two hotels in Laughl...

Introductory pictures only; we probably have 150 comparable images. Jen goes 'walk-about' along the Golden Canyon. Over the years, we have spent an increasing amount of time in deserts. We remember when ‘desert’, never dessert’, had a negative connotation. Today, the roles are reversed because desserts are mostly unhealthy but still delicious while deserts do wonders for one’s condition. We do qualify our statement by recognizing we choose periods outside the summer months, whenever possible, to visit the supposedly barren wastelands. Of course, they are neither barren nor wastelands. This is our third visit to Death Valley but our first to the full trail of the Golden Canyon with all its additions, basically, the ‘bells and whistles’. Truth be told, the rugged beauty in forms of mountains, valleys, arroyos, canyons, mounds in hues of orange, brown, red, yellow, gold supported with gray, white, pink and black created a day in which we hiked in awe. It was a period w...

We continue to explore and enjoy adventures that bring revelations one cannot even dream about and most of the time, imagine. During a visit some years ago, in Grand Escalante, Utah, we came across a petrified forest. However, the national park just outside Holbrook, Arizona is truly spectacular. We would have spent even more time there but for the cold weather and extremely high winds—the latter, the more challenging issue. It was a struggle to remain upright in certain places because of the gusts. Notwithstanding less than ideal weather, we visited the park on two occasions and were enthralled. We undertook a couple of hikes, one on a regular path and the other in the wilds, off-track. The colors, shapes and sizes of the desert scenes fascinated us while the petrified rocks were a constant source of wonder. As we notice each day, there’s an awful lot happening about us; sometimes, we fail to look up and absorb it. Of course, most of the occasions, the changes are slight but over th...

Before posting detailed blogs covering these hikes, as we usually do, this one records some of the routes followed by the editor over a couple of hikes. Although Jenni did not know about this particular idea, she was obviously complicit in 'running' around these incredible mountains. Frankly, we are not qualified to make qualitative judgments about the Grand Canyon; it's way beyond our understanding and ability to capture its magnificence in words. Suffice to say, our eyes and senses feasted once more and our cameras recorded many multiples of the photographs we'll publish. Truth be told, the ultimate selection will be a lesser representation of the photographs we have available. In and of itself, it can be frustrating to sort out the set as objective criteria become subjective quite easily and quickly. Over time and with more 'eyes' available, we think we could publish a superior catalog of pictures. Nice idea! Step into Jenni's boots and see this Gra...

End of line: In the early stages, one of us makes a wrong turn but nevertheless, enjoys the magnificence of the region. A tough hike for a girl not yet recovered from illness. Should we be appointed travel advertisers for Sedona's hiking club, we might select this hike as an example of a solid challenge with incredible beauty viewable throughout the hike. At no stage on the trail is there anything but great visible offerings—truly remarkable. It's over 2,000 feet in elevation gain but we would argue the vertical gain is greater or all our previous hikes were overstated. Unlikely. Nearly seven years ago, we undertook the hike and a couple of times before then, too. Although Jen remembered most parts of it and in detail too, my memory proved disappointing. My new attitude to compensate for memory deficiency is to follow the designer's trail and let the path take me to the top...well, 'take' me might be the incorrect verb. It's a little sobering and m...