During the summer of 2003, I spent a week rafting on the
Colorado River. Our flotilla bounced, rolled, and cheered its way down the river's major rapids, but there was also ample time for floating on the current and letting the
Grand Canyon's magnificence wash over us. At night, we cooked and camped on the river's beaches. A few memories of the trip are especially clear: I recall encouraging the youngest members of our party to avoid harming the
spiny lizards they chased around camp; rejoicing when I encountered
rattlesnakes and
scorpions during side hikes; and, on the last night of the trip, listening to a passionate talk by one of our guides about
the Colorado's dwindling water flow. Above all, though, I remember the sublime beauty of the landscape.
 |
Christopher Reiger
"Greater short-horned lizard; Fire Road 1170;
Tonto National Forest, AZ; August 2013" |
Until this summer, ten years after that unforgettable trip, the river week was my only experience of the
American Southwest, and I've wanted to return to the region for some time. When a good friend (and fellow
natural history nerd) called me earlier this year and suggested we carve out some time to visit
Arizona's
Tonto National Forest, I was easily persuaded.
We spent most of our weeklong visit exploring the
high desert trails and fire roads of Tonto's north central tract, but we also had an opportunity to spend a little time in the National Forest's southern reach, at the edge of the
Sonoran Desert. It was a treat to meet so many species new to me and to have intimate encounters with other animals, like
elk, that I'd previously seen in habitats
very different from that of the high desert.
