Throughout my life, friends and family have commented on my sometimes unique “to do” list.  Setting goals and making a commitment to successfully achieve them has provided personal satisfaction and success in my life’s achievements.

Along the southern boundary of 57,000-acre Pusch Ridge Wilderness in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area wedges its 2,900 acres almost four miles into the protected land.

Though another 50 miles of travel remain, glancing slightly left off laser straight US Highway 62/180 in west Texas, the dramatic vertical cliffs of the Guadalupe Mountains could easily be seen. Matching perfectly the cover photo on a Guadalupe Mountains National Park brochure picked up at a Texas Visitor Center outside El Paso, there was no doubt my destination would soon be reached. Within an hour I would be setting up a tent in Pine Springs Campground and settling in for a night under the stars, eagerly anticipating accomplishing tomorrow’s challenge.

The charm of a desert in bloom

Reminded recently by a friend about a canyon hike not yet experienced, my hiking boots were making tracks on Ventana Canyon Trail on a recent mid-January day, with temperatures in the 60s, and the sky cloudless and windless. Two-and-a-half miles ahead with 1,200 feet in elevation gain lies today’s destination, Maiden Pools.

Expanding rapidly northward from its human-caused point of origin near the international border with Mexico, the Monument Fire would eventually consume more than 30,000 acres and destroy more than 60 structures. Started on June 12, nearly a month would pass before full containment would be achieved.

Twenty miles east of Holbrook, Ariz., travelers along Interstate 40 can leave the highway and delight in a truly remarkable wonder of nature.

Close to 50 miles north of Tucson, I-10 traffic rumbles past Picacho Peak, an isolated mountain jutting into the sky west of exit 219. Can drivers and their passengers not wonder what’s involved in reaching the summit? Shouldering a pack at the trailhead for the peak’s Hunter Trail recently, I would soon answer the question.

William Wrightson, civil engineer and entrepreneur, was instrumental in Arizona gaining Territorial status in the mid-1800s.

Nearing the end of monsoons and being cautious to avoid reference to a "hike," I invited my wife Kris and her sister Lisa, visiting from Seattle, to join me on an "exploration" of the first couple of miles in Sabino Canyon.

Touching down on flight 1909 at 12:15 p.m., Denver to Minneapolis, the second annual tri-state high point adventure began. Greeted at the gate by nephew Todd, having arrived 15 minutes earlier from Seattle, we were quickly driving east along Interstate 94 into Wisconsin.

Within the vast Chiricahua Mountains of Southeastern Arizona lies the 11,985-acre Chiricahua National Monument, a truly remarkable physical and visual experience.

Following a heavy New Year's Day snowfall, as trails in Colorado's Rocky Mountains lay hidden beneath a mantle of fresh, unmarked powder, the time had come to dust off a pair of snowshoes.

Stepping out the front door of our home early Jan. 1, 2009, I embarked on a formidable task I had set for myself near the end of '08. I would walk to Denver, Colo.

On November 18, 1988, Congress created the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Stretching nearly 40 miles from the Mexican border to St. David, Ariz., this region, controlled by the BLM, covers close to 58,000 acres. Located along north flowing San Pedro River, banks are dominated by massive Fremont cottonwood trees. Human occupation of the area dates to 13,000 years ago.

Midway between Phoenix and Flagstaff and 34 miles west of I-17 sits historic Prescott.

Ranging in level of difficulty from easy to strenuous / technical, all 50 of the United States have designated high points. The goal of a relatively small number of hikers, truly inspired individuals, is to stand at the highest elevation of every state.

Serious outdoor lovers maintain lists of special places to explore over a lifetime on the trail, checking them off as visited. Should Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, on the Utah / Arizona border, be missing from your list, add it immediately.

Cloudy skies with temperatures hovering near 60 bode well for a comfortable, though formidable, 7-mile hike to Douglas Springs Camp.

On a spectacularly clear and warm January morning, the wide, level trail departing to the east from the parking area at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area beckons hikers ready for the rewarding glory of Seven Falls in Bear Canyon.

Once the flashing lights and ringing chimes of the casinos in Laughlin, Nev., reach their limit and relief is sought, a peaceful, historic canyon hike is less than half an hour away.

West of Denver, Colorado, US Highway 285 climbs swiftly into the Rocky Mountains toward Pike National Forest.

With the demands of today’s world, development continues to expand, continually encroaching into and encircling pristine wilderness areas.

Sitting relatively at our doorstep is one of the most beautiful nature-loving experiences in all of Southeast Arizona.

ñHigh in the Pinaleño Mountains near Safford, Ash Creek tumbles off the east flank of Webb Peak toward the desert below.

Each day, thousands of vehicles thunder along Interstate 10 east of Tucson, just south of Cienega Creek Natural Preserve, an exquisite riparian area.