SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S ISSUE JANUARY 2017 ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE exploreGrand Canyon Grand Canyon 40 SO FAR. SO GOOD. National Park About five years ago, Rob Krar gave up Supai Flagstaff his day job as a pharmacist and started 2017 competing in some of the country’s most Cottonwood January prestigious “ultras” — races that cover 50 miles or more. Today, he’s considered PHOENIX 2 EDITOR’S LETTER 16 THE BIG PICTURES: one of the world’s elite endurance ath- 52 SCENIC DRIVE letes, and the numbers speak for them- Oracle Ironwood Forest: This scenic drive Ironwood Forest GRAND CANYON selves: In 2013, he ran 41.2 miles, from National Monument 3 CONTRIBUTORS through Ironwood Forest National Monu- A Portfolio Edited by Jeff Kida rim to rim to rim at the Grand Canyon, in Tucson ment offers a look at some of the hardest 4 LETTERS 6 hours, 21 minutes and 47 seconds. Bisbee trees in the world, along with an up-close By Kelly Vaughn 28 THE CALL OF THE CANYON view of one of Southern Arizona’s most POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE Photographs by Dawn Kish 5 THE JOURNAL An Essay by Kelly Vaughn distinctive peaks. People, places and things from around the Photographs by Kerrick James By Noah Austin state, including the tornado that touched 44 GROWING, GROWING, GONE Photographs by Jeff Maltzman down near Tucson; a dude ranch in Oracle 32 FRINGE BENEFITS Four or five years ago, a tree died in that promotes laziness, in a good way; and the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon. GET MORE ONLINE Toroweap is one of the most isolated out- 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH a flashback to our July 1946 issue. That’s not unusual — trees die all the www.arizonahighways.com posts in the National Park Service. It’s off Packard Mesa Trail: If you have excellent time — but this tree, a 150-year-old the grid, literally, and the nearest grocery route-finding skills and you’re up for ponderosa pine, should never have been store is a four-hour round-trip away. Yet, a challenge, this hike in the Prescott /azhighways living there in the first place. It was a for the rangers who live and work there, National Forest is a good one. However, @azhighways freak of nature. the distant wonderland on the North Rim if you can’t read a compass, you might By Tyler Williams @arizonahighways of the Grand Canyon is a home from which want to think twice. Photographs by Bill Hatcher they never want to leave. And some don’t. By Robert Stieve By Matt Jaffe Photographs by Guy Schmickle Photographs by John Burcham 48 THE LION KING Brandon Holton is a wildlife biologist at 56 WHERE IS THIS? ◗ Grand Canyon National Park. Recently, he Low clouds and a dusting of snow cloak the iconic red rocks of Sedona. Mark Frank wrapped up a 10-year study on mountain CANON EOS 5D MARK II, 1/2 SEC, F/22, ISO 100, lions, also known as pumas, cougars and 70 MM LENS catamounts. On a rare day in the office, he FRONT COVER: Grand Canyon illustration by Chris talked to us about blow darts, Marlin Per- Gall kins and the many misconceptions about BACK COVER: A snow-covered hoodoo at the South mountain lions. Rim’s Yaki Point punctuates a wintry view of the Interviewed by Brianna Cossavella Grand Canyon. Claire Curran CANON EOS 5D MARK III, 1/40 SEC, F/18, ISO 100, 45 MM LENS 2 OCTOBER 2015 PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS AVAILABLE Prints of some photographs in this issue are available for purchase. To view options, visit www.arizona highwaysprints.com. For more information, call 866-962-1191. www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s LETTER CONTRIBUTORS major publication in the country, including Time, Newsweek, People, Fortune, The New York Times and BRIANNA COSSAVELLA JANUARY 2017 VOL. 93, NO. 1 the Washington Post. In addition, in 2015, Dream- Brianna Cossavella came to Arizona Highways via Works Animation launched a new original series 800-543-5432 Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School (via Netflix) titled Dinotrux, which is based on www.arizonahighways.com of Journalism and Mass Communication, where Chris’ award-winning book series about hybrid she took a magazine writing class taught by our dinosaur/construction characters. He’s even cre- managing editor, Kelly Vaughn. “The first time PUBLISHER Win Holden ated subway art for the MTA in New York City. I saw Kelly, I could tell she was going to be an EDITOR Robert Stieve Turns out, Mrs. Johnson was right. amazing instructor,” Cossavella says. The class ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, Mrs. Johnson was Chris’ second-grade teacher. DIRECTOR OF also led to Cossavella becoming our editorial Chris Gall. If you’re wondering who One day, she caught him doodling on his desk. SALES & MARKETING Kelly Mero intern for the spring 2016 semester, and we liked created this month’s cover, that’s the answer. She could see that he had talent. “Someday, you MANAGING EDITOR Kelly Vaughn her so much, we brought her back for the fall Chris Gall. You might recognize his name. might become an artist,” she said. “Neverthe- ASSOCIATE EDITOR Noah Austin before she graduated. She’s contributed several He’s been a member of the family for a long less, you shouldn’t be doodling on your desk. So, EDITORIAL pieces to the magazine and our blog; for this time. This, however, is his first cover. And it you’re going to have to scrub it clean, along with ADMINISTRATOR Nikki Kimbel issue, she conducted a Q&A interview with moun- won’t be his last. In fact, this is the first of 12 illustrated covers that Chris is all of the other desks in the room.” PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida tain lion expert Brandon Holton (see The Lion creating for a yearlong collection we’re calling the Explore Arizona! series. I suspect Mrs. Johnson would be impressed CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney King, page 48). “He gave me a new perspective The idea goes back about two years. Back to our 90th anniversary issue. by her student’s first-ever cover for Arizona ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney on mountain lions and their relationship with people,” she says. “I could tell he’s gotten You might remember that one. It was a retrospective of the magazine’s first Highways. We certainly are. We’re excited about MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey into some arguments with people about them, and I felt like it was my duty to let people nine decades. I don’t know how many months we spent digging through what’s inside, too. There are some amazing pho- PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi know the truth about these animals.” Cossavella is keeping her post-college options open but says she hopes to continue contributing to Arizona Highways and other publications. the archive, but I do know that we looked at every page of every issue, and tographs of the Grand Canyon, along with a lot of WEBMASTER Victoria J. Snow ended up with a varied collection of old maps, illustrations, fonts, logos, sto- great writing, including Matt Jaffe’s piece about “The magazine has such an awesome reputation,” she says. “Having the chance to work CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman ries and photographs. What we didn’t find was an entire year dedicated to Toroweap, one of the most remote outposts in the with Arizona Highways and the people here has been a blessing.” FINANCE DIRECTOR Bob Allen a single theme — a collection, in the words of Aristotle, where the whole is National Park Service. OPERATIONS/ greater than the sum of its parts. “I unroll my pad below the cabin and orient it IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis Thus, the Explore Arizona! series. for the best view of the sky over Toroweap Val- The cover concept came about separately, but around the same time. The ley,” he writes in Fringe Benefits. “Doze. Wake up. CORPORATE OR team had just brainstormed the 12-part series. I think it was a Monday. A day Repeat. Finally, I open my eyes to the Milky Way TRADE SALES 602-712-2018 or two later, Chris showed up at our world headquarters. He was in the smeared across the moonless sky. Shooting stars SPONSORSHIP SALES REPRESENTATION On Media Publications neighborhood and wanted to grab some lunch. So, we all headed to Pane break the stillness, and twinkling red-eyes out Todd Bresnahan Bianco, a sandwich mecca down the street. of Las Vegas move like spacecraft across the uni- 602-445-7169 If you haven’t been, the food there is very good. It’s so good it can render verse, silent, until sound catches up to light.” you speechless. But not us. We talked. A lot. About airplanes and publish- Even if you’re a Grand Canyon aficionado, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] TYLER WILLIAMS ing and hiking the Santa Rita Mountains. Then, from his seat at the end of I think you’ll learn something in Matt’s story. 2039 W. Lewis Avenue Ponderosa pines are rarely found Phoenix, AZ 85009 a long wooden table, Chris said, “You know, my dream project has always And the writing doesn’t end there. Kelly Vaughn below the rim of the Grand Canyon, been to create a series of vintage travel posters for Arizona Highways.” It was has authored two excellent stories: a profile of for several reasons. So, when writer GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey a non sequitur, of sorts, but between bites, we talked about his vision. Later, Rob Krar, one of the world’s elite endurance Tyler Williams spotted one in the DIRECTOR, I made a note in the “Book of Big Ideas.” It would be another week, however, athletes, and an essay about Havasu Canyon.