"A brook can be a friend in a special way. It talks to you with splashy gurgles. It cools your toes and lets you sit quietly beside it when you don't feel like speaking." — Joan Walsh Anglund

This Autumn colors forest reflection in the water was captured on Horton Creek, in the Tonto National Forest of Arizona. This 3.5 mile (one way) trail follows a spring-fed creek below the Mogollon Rim, East of Payson, Arizona. It is a very popular hike in the warmer months as it has all the elements you might want for an Arizona summer hike.

The great thing about this hike is you don’t have to hike the whole trail to get to a ‘destination.’ The trail parallels Horton Creek and runs right next to it for maybe a quarter of the hike, so there are plenty of places to walk off the trail and plop down on a large boulder or slab of rock and let the tranquil environment envelop you; which is exactly what I quietly did as I got to know my new friend.