Aravaipai-Jake & Peterrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

My son Jake and I along with my friend Peter the sheep enjoyed a specialshortbackpack this weekend. (after a week of tense budget meetinings inMinneapolis.)We drove 4 hours, that included 40 miles of backroads to enter the Eastendof Aravaipai ("little running water-Apache name) canyon. We walked most ofthelength of this 11 mile high walled canyon in the creek to keep cool as thetemperatures exceeded 100 F. Aravaiai creek is one of the few perennialstreams in the Southwest. Aravaipai is a fragile ecology with primativenature. There is a tremendous amount of flora and fauna in this lushcanyon.We met Todd & friends at Horse camp and stayed there for the evening. Onlysaw 2 other hikers the entire weekend.We didn't see any Ash throated fly catchers or tiger rattlesnakes but didseemany loach minnows. After dark we sat on a rock in the middle of the streamand were treated to a show of flickering firefflies illuminating the creekwalls and diving bats.This was truly awesome.My cowboy poetry readings were very popular with the group and I do believethat the applause after each reading was more than polite-perhaps simply anappreciation for the fun of it.