Okay, so I missed April..

But only because I was out enjoying the FANTASTIC weather we've been having! Not only was April a wonderful month for temps, wildflowers and flowing streams, it was also a time to see and explore whole new worlds!

From Tim, another attempt at a "Flying Wendy" - I believe this one is a "Half-Flying Wendy"

All the way from Egypt, I bring you Shannon and her Wendy for Three!

The Arizona Backpacking Club at Rainbow Bridge...

Carmen was with the ABC group - and she held the bridge up while they made it under!

Tom Summits Battleship Mountain, and celebrates his victory!

Sirena said that it was wild-flower induced spring fever that made her pop a Wendy on top of Wasson Peak!

Shannon makes this entry to the "design your own pose" competition from atop Flatiron in the Superstitions. It's bold, it's daring, it's a Shannon. Yeah baby!

Tiffani's entry...hmmmm. Well, it might have been a combo between a mermaid pose and a Wendy, or she might have just fallen off the rock and been caught by the camera, we couldn't quite decide which...

Rob, our Really Northern Arizona Correspondent, at Alstrom Point in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area...

Tiffani and Mike spent spring break in Joshua Tree NP and Anza Borego State Park, in CA. Here they found incredible mountains, beautiful waterfalls, and Joshua Trees that do the Wendy!

Andy hiking in the Sierra Ancha Mountains in central Arizona. Such an amazing year for snow - it was still everywhere even in late April!

Vaporman Brian has spent the spring exploring some of Arizona's wildest technical canyon - including Seven Cataracts/Willow Canyon in the Santa Catalinas... Have ropes, will rappel!

Berk gets a double this month, or maybe a triple?! Top is his 'bitin' your fingernails' Wendy on the Royal Arch loop at the Grand Canyon. I'm told it wasn't as bad as it looks, but I'm not sure I believe it... Second is atop Flatiron. Don't you think that rock formation is doing a negative-space Wendy???

Angela and I enjoy the riparian beauty of Romero Canyon in the Santa Catalinas

April saw me all over the place, hiking every chance I got. But nothing that month was grander than 3 days in Grand Gulch in southern Utah. Anasazi Dwellings, pictographs, slickrock canyons and monster trees. It just makes me wanna...

A Wet Winter full of Wendys...

So the predicted "El Nino" finally showed up, and we've been getting lots of rain here in the Old Pueblo. In the high country, though, that means SNOW, and lots of it!!! What a time to be outside!

Someone got a little cold at Hart Prairie, perhaps there's a Mr. Redfield under there somewhere, and a little chicken soup will bring him out???

Tiffani and Mike tried to climb Mt. Elden the first day after the epic snow storms came through Flagstaff. Note I said "tried". Nothing like 5' of fresh powder to slow you up a bit!

For me, it was off to Madera Canyon and Mt. Wrightson with a crazy bunch of show shoeing maniacs. I'm getting to love the white stuff more and more, as my desert brain begins to cast off the notion that frozen water is just plain unnatural!

(Carla, Steve, Sara, Sue, Liz and me!)

My fellow hanging-hiker Fan, enjoying the Superstitions mountains instead of the deep snow in the Rincons at the end of January. Hooray for sunshine!

Angela, Kat, Ambika, Bruce and John did a great hike on the Rough Eye Javelina Loop in early February - a the best way to escape the cold snow! They were throwin' Wendy's everywhere!

Yup, it was quite the Wendy-on-a-Rock festival!

Nice triptych - good composition. I give it an A for form!

Brilliant saturation! Angela captures yet another joyous desert moment with Linda, Robert and Jim on the victory point of "Little Four Peaks". The big daddy may be in the background, but it doesn't sour the moment!

More shots of the January Quartz Peak hike Angela, Ambika, Linda and John recorded in last month's blog entry... The Wendy-on-a-rock, brought to new heights!

Somewhere in here, I got a new hiking/traveling partner. Lil' Bit is a perfect helper for getting the Wendy out into the wilds!

The Grand Canyon is just as spectacular and exciting in January, with a robe of snow all over the upper cliffs! Mike, Tiffani, Sarae and Heidi even stopped to celebrate crossing the mighty Colorado on the elegant Silver Bridge.

On the same trip, Steve and some others headed up to Ribbon Falls, which was flowing strong with all the recent precipitation. Peace out, Steve.

And Heidi - bless that fearless woman! Her first Grand Canyon backpack trip, and no amount of cold or discomfort could wipe the smile off her face!

Just to catch up with some out of date stuff that I've missed, I made a HUGE mistake by not including my dear Hippiepunkpirate (HPP)'s Wendy from October in Sedona. His personalization is priceless!

Where will YOU take the Wendy???

Wendys continue to fall in place!

More examples of why fall is my favorite season here in the southwest. Mom nature has pulled out all the stops!

Joe Bartels and Berk Forbes doing the Four Peaks "Mother Load". Again. These guys are NUTS!

Lucky was out of his depth in the Zion Canyon Narrows!

Shannon does a double...at Zion on Angels' Landing and in the narrows!

Rick tosses the leaves to celebrate fall in Icehouse Canyon in the Pinal Mountains...

The Grandview Trail at the Grand Canyon - incredible hiking!

Kerri and Matt on the Tonto plateau. It feels great to be embraced by the canyon!

Shannon models the latest in home fashions - ala 14th century America at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

Ahhh...The warm and theraputic waters of Jordan Hot Springs in the Gila Wilderness of New Mexico. Sarae, myself, Shannon, Jason, Jamie and Sean (the ABC!)

Angela and Kat on the road into Sedona. Redrocks and hot women! Great!

And the prize for the "furthest away Wendy" goes to Drew and Taube in Japan! Sugoi!