I once meditated on the color of gentian blue while perched on a massive rock overlooking a rugged canyon high in the Catalina Mountains.
Another time, I sat on the rock and mourned the death of a loved one.
It also has served as a cool spot for picnics with my wife — and as an ideal outdoor set when I was featured on a public television show.
Visit this rock outcrop, along the Aspen Trail south of the village of Summerhaven, and you might agree: It's one of those wondrous places where soaring stone meets cloud and sky, where the mountain air is weightless in your lungs and your vision seems sharp as a laser.
Like many other hikers, I first came across the site during a 2.7-mile amble on a loop route formed by the Aspen and Marshall Gulch trails. An unsigned side trail, less than a quarter-mile up the Aspen Trail from the trailhead, will take you there.
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Flanked by towering ponderosa pines, the outcrop is one of several stone balconies overlooking the upper reaches of Sabino Canyon.
Choose a spot. Settle in. Savor the views. Contemplate. Meditate. Or just sit and wait.
Soon enough, you'll be back on your feet — moving through the country. But here, on the rock, for a moment in time, you are a part of it.
Get there: Take Tanque Verde Road to the Catalina Highway and follow the highway to Summerhaven. Drive south out of Summerhaven about a mile to the trailheads in Marshall Gulch.
Stay safe: Keep well away from drop-offs in steep terrain.
For more hiking stories, go to go.azstarnet.com/trails.