#OptOutside: Needle Rock Beach

Needle Rock Beach

 I had four helpings of Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was so moist and golden brown that I couldn't help myself. The sweet potato casserole was delicious. Friday I felt flat. I was ready to spend the day on the couch, watching old Christmas movies, and eating leftover pumpkin pie. Sarah got the family motivated, despite my reluctance to move, and soon we were packed in the car headed for the Verde River.

Hiking along the river

 I couldn't figure out why it was called Needle Rock beach. There were no big rocks shaped like needles, though I could see Weaver's Needle from the road, stabbing upward from the rugged Superstitions. It reminded me of my backpacking trip there last December, and suddenly I wished I was back, camping in the shadow of the needle under a billion stars. The kids don't know it, but I am buying both of them backpacks for Christmas. It's all part of my plan to spark in them a love for backpacking and the outdoors. My hope is that nature is creating impressions on their brains that will forever connect being outside to fun and happiness. 

Fishing at the beach didn't go well, so we followed a faint trail on the river's edge. Riparian areas like this are so unique because the ecology on the river is so different than the surrounding desert. One minute you're walking under the shade of cottonwoods, and the next your surrounded by cacti on a sunswept hillside. 

My family.

 We found a secluded little spot about a half mile from the beach that looked suitable for camping. There was already a firepit and an area for a tent. The best part was that it was located at a spot on the river that was really deep and heavily wooded. I think I'll take the kids there on their first backpacking trip.

Although I've never shopped on Black Friday before, I think I'll make #optoutside an annual family tradition. It's important to teach our kids what is really important in life. Nature has real value. Family has lasting meaning.

Until next time....

Tom's Thumb

Jordy is staying hydrated.

 Ever since I moved to Phoenix I've wanted to hike in the beautiful McDowell Mountains. which are visible to the east just about anywhere in the Paradise Valley/Scottsdale area. The McDowell Mountains are a nice change of pace from the Phoenix Mountains, as they boast humongous granite boulders and lots of interesting rock formations. The desert here is also higher than the Phoenix Mountains, and definitely has more of a "high desert" feel minus the creosote scrub-lands so common in low desert locales.

Climbing in the McDowell Mountains

Tom's Thumb Trail is a popular one that I've heard many people talk about, and for good reason. The area is absolutely beautiful. The trail rises gradually at first as it winds up the mountains, and eventually opens up to some expansive views after some steep sections. I'm not sure how long this trail is because every website I visited to find that information gave me a different answer, but I can say that it certainly feels short, but steep. From the high points on this trail you can see the rugged Superstitions, the mysterious Mazatzal's and the fabled Four Peaks. 

Tom's Thumb

The mountains are extremely rocky, much more so than the Granite Mountain Wilderness that I visited a couple months back. The boulders are spectacularly gigantic. When I made it to the top and saw Tom's Thumb close up, I could not believe how huge it was! It looks like some kind of giant stone church standing sentinel-like on the mountaintop overlooking the vast desert congregation. It was pretty awesome!

See the arch?

Indeed, large rock formations like Tom's Thumb are frequent throughout Tom's Thumb Trail. Some of the boulders are as large as buildings. Some have faces in them. Some even harbor caves and crevices and good places to hide from the elements if one ever got stranded. It's pretty awe inspiring being so near such giant pieces or stone.

Face in the rock. Do you see? 

Overall it was an awesome hike. Even my nephew Jordy had a great time taking in the scenery and watching me bound up the trail ahead of him. Those Kelty Child Carriers are pretty sweet packs for getting the little-one's outside. For my money the McDowell Mountains (this section anyway) is by far the most beautiful hiking destination in or immediately around the Phoenix area. Other than Spur Cross in Cave Creek, nothing even comes close, and I can't wait to get out there again.

I am on a stretcher...

I am on a stretcher being pushed through the narrow corridors of the much-too-brightly lit emergency room. My left arm draped over my face covering my eyes. Not from the light, but from my own embarrassment. When kids are embarrassed they cover their eyes, or hide behind someone, and that’s what I feel like, a little kid. It’s weird how men feel embarrassed and ashamed when we get hurt. It’s as if we’ve failed at something… As if we’ve been beaten.


It’s as if the castle walls that have stood for an age guarding our secret truths have been besieged. The mighty stone blocks fixed around us, protecting our child’s heart, cracked. And if someone is paying attention, if someone is looking close enough, they can see that you’re not so tough after all. They can peer through the fracture and see that little boy who cringes wide-eyed in fear in the dark of his bedroom when the adults yell and fight. They can see the teenage boy, smile etched on his face, aglow with the boundless hope that the cute girl at school will feel the same way about him as he does for her… They can see the sorrow on his face when he finds out she doesn’t… she never does.

I have my own room now. My doctor tells me I need an MRI, but my insurance won’t cover it. In the meantime it’s lots of drugs. My mom is there. She always takes care of me when I’m hurt. She loves me and that is comforting. The love moms have for their children is so strong that I think non-moms don’t really understand. My mom used to say to me, “Michael, do you know how much I love you?” And I would reply, “Yes, of course I do mom.” But I really didn’t have a clue. Mom’s love completely transcends understanding. It’s a force, stronger than the pyramids, more powerful than the atom, deeper than the deepest ocean abyss. Mom’s love is life itself.

The doctor sends me home, but instead I go to my grandmas. She will take care of me while I heal. I lay on the bed while my mom takes my shoes off and grandma prepares some lunch. I know I am blessed to have these women in my life, and I vow then that I would rather die a slow painfully agonizing death than to see either of these women spend one day in a nursing home, because people need to be with the people that they love.

It’s something I learned on New Years. After 4 days of non-stop drinking I awoke Sunday morning feeling like death incarnate. I literally felt like I was going to die. I lay alone on the couch. My heart beating so hard I can see my shirt rising and falling with the rhythm. My chest hurt, I couldn’t breathe. None of my family or friends were answering the phone. I began to cry. I stood up and walked down the hall and knocked on Luke’s door. “Luke” I said, “will you come sit with me please?” Luke came out into the living room and sat down with me, and it felt like the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. All of the sudden I felt like everything would be okay… Even If I died, right then and there, at least someone I loved would be there with me.





..To Be Continued…