I frequently hike the Brins Mesa-Soldiers Pass-Jordan Trail loop, but Wednesday Qing wanted to shake things up. So once we made the top of the mesa we turned north and hiked another mile and about 500 feet higher.

That took us to the edge of the Mogollon Rim. On top of the Rim you’re on the Colorado Plateau, which encompasses most of northern Arizona and chunks of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. The abrupt transition from the 7,000 ft Rim to 4500 feet locally is what makes our landscape so dramatic.

Here’s a close-up of the edge of Rim from Brins Mesa:

Click to enlarge.


Click to enlarge.