The ways that summer inspires us...

It should come as no surprise that my email box is full of photos of people celebrating life out in the wild places of America... It's high summer, which means play time to millions! Even though the heat index in Arizona is reaching "unbearable", there're still dozens of folks out there on the trail and in the mountains, enjoying the best the season has to offer!

This is a "Wendy before we knew what a Wendy was" from Switchflare on the HikeArizona website. This photo is proof that the pose has little to do with personal preference and much more to do with spontaneous exhibitions of joy...

Sirena was lucky enough to have multiple visits to Aravaipa Canyon this season - surrounded by lush trees, fresh water and amazing cliff walls. Yup. It's rough out there!

Rob in Page spends much of his time wandering about the sheer, majestic red cliffs near his home. There's something just so humbling about our own scale compared to that of nature...

There's simply no way I could improve upon Jake's own description: "Half-hippy, half-Richard Nixon"... All Pirate!

And here's my friendly local Hippypunkpirate up on Humphreys Peak near Flagstaff. His second successful summit was not thwarted by wind as his first had been... Of course he had to show his thanks to the weather gods!

Hikergirl and Juliachaos were climbing about the Enchanted Tower...is it me, or is that strikingly like the beginning of a fairy tale??? Rescue thyselves, fair maidens, from the monotony and boredom of castle life!

The Wendy continues to spread beyond the arid dust of the southwest...here, Crystal at the Famous and Historic Ma Deeter's in Luzerne Michigan shows the world how she feels about life in Oscoda County! Thanks to my buddy Coanbru for continuing to share the joy...

Jim Lyding shared this one from Mount Spokane State Park in Washington: "Bernhard is my aunt & uncle's neighbor in Coeur d'Alene. He's from Switzerland, and loves hiking as much as any of us". Ya think? Sign 'im up!

The always active and dedicated Angela took Anne out to the Spur Cross area for some exploration of Elephant Mountain. Neither sun, nor heat nor blazing light will keep these ladies from their hike!

Taking the ABC Group to the Channel Islands National Park for two years in a row is AWESOME!

Coming down the Montanon Ridge

Hiking and Camping and Kayaking, oh my!

That was a great ferry ride. Yay for the continent!

This image brought to you care of the letters W and R (for Rincon), as well as the Adobe Photoshop Program!

Shannon does a TRIPLE this month!!! Here on Humpherys, nearly catching flight in the gale force winds as the Schultz fire blazes in her wake!

Here she is in front of Charlotte's Dome in Kings Canyon National Park, doing her "Running Man" - she is a woman of many wonderful poses!

And perhaps our current front runner for Hottie Doin' a Wendy (I'll let you decide which!)

The ABC in Kings Canyon National Park, lovin' the flawless weather and great company - not to mention that it was lunch time!

On the way out of the Sierras, we picked up a through-hiker... No, that's not really like a hitch-hiker, it's more like a regular hiker, only more dedicated, determined and...well...dirty.

And to my brother, who braved the barren wastes to bring you this moment of unfettered joy... Or is he wondering where he left his hat??? ;)

Finally, David teaching a tree in to throw a Wendy in Oak Creek Canyon. This movement cannot be stopped!

The most current map of the Wendy as tracked on hikearizona.com (international version coming soon!)

Get out there!

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???