HOTSHOTS and JOURNEY TRAILS
HOTSHOTS and JOURNEY TRAILS Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park, Yarnell Journey Trail I�m not a fan of writing trail descriptions in the first person. Hiking trails are not about me. The staring characters of Arizona trails are the terrain, waterways, scenery, wildlife and plants. That I happened to hike a particular trail is incidental and not part of its theme or the influence it will have on other trekkers. When approaching a trail, I plan for the worst and hope for the best while in anticipation of foul ups, the mantra �suck it up, buttercup� bounces around in my skull. Normally, I subdue my voice so my personal biases won�t dilute a trail�s character or unwittingly seed expectations. Why rob hikers of the joy of discovery? But occasionally, there�s a trail that�s so steeped in emotion that all I can muster is a stammering, first person account. The Hotshots and Journey Trails at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park near Yarnell embody that spirit. Hot...