Attaining different outcomes: how to navigate crossroads

Since moving to Northern Arizona, my husband and I regularly explore a series of forest trails bordering our neighborhood—several of which are marked, as well as noted on our mobile apps. Others, however, reveal only worn-out grooves in the dirt, common at many of the forks we stumble across. This becomes an exercise in trial…

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Getaway of a lifetime: Day 1 (or dancing in the rain)

In my latest post, “Sticking to the plan…,” I mention a surprise twist my husband and I discovered 10 days before a weeklong getaway in Arizona’s White Mountains: the removal of previously enacted hiking restrictions by the forest preserve. Although we planned to stay the course in spite of these closures, once again the chance…

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Rerouting course: weighing the options

Earlier this year, my husband booked a weeklong summer trip for two at a cabin nestled in the Northern Arizona mountains. With a forest preserve just yards from our front porch, we intended to take advantage of the cooler temperatures by hiking as much as possible. However, with the wild fires raging across the state…

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