Greetings from the trail to Mount Baldy…wish you were here!

Photo above taken this morning during a hike along the trail to Mount Baldy in the White Mountains of Arizona.

The drive along the White Mountains Scenic Byway towards the sacred Mount Baldy, the highest point in this area reaching 11,400 feet, is quite spectacular. The drive leads you through the largest Ponderosa Pine Grove in the world with some of these amazing trees aging over 700 years old. There are meadows, pastures, lakes and streams along the drive as well as lovely Arizona wildflowers.

However, what is most impressive of all is the gorgeous pine-filled forests quilting the hike to Mount Baldy. The above photo is taken looking up at one of the 300-year-old Douglas Firs that grow along the trail to Mount Baldy (a tiring, 16-mile roundtrip hike). The fragrance and peace of these mighty trees are overwhelming. It is amazing that they still survive and thrive in this part of the forest and thankfully missed the most recent Wallow Fire in May that ended up being the largest fire in the state of Arizona burning over 500,000 acres of beautiful trees such as this one.
What a tragedy for to see and breathe in the fresh fragrance of these majestic trees is quite a treat.