Payson Roundup

Mikey Marazza/Roundup

The creek on Box Canyon trail is a nice place to rest, but some people have painted graffiti on one of the large rocks.

The other day I was driving to town and passed Box Canyon, which is my favorite place to hike.

I was upset to see that someone painted graffiti on one of the large rocks out in front of the entrance. On any given weekend, that place is crowded with hikers who like to hike down into the canyon and then take a break and get wet in the water.

The sad thing is, now we are seeing trash left behind by thoughtless people who obviously have no respect for the area. This will probably lead to the Forest Service closing the area and ruining it for those who do respect the forest and keep it clean.

For those of you who have never been down to the bottom of this area, it is absolutely beautiful, especially in the fall. For the hike down you have to be careful, but once you are at the bottom, there are several pools of water layered in red rock that you can swim in and a couple of small falls. It is a nice area, but not for you to jump off the cliff and dive in.

Over the years Search & Rescue have had to go into the canyon and extricate people out for not being careful or for falling off the ledges. Let’s hope more people will pack out what they take in and respect the area. We would hate to see them close off this canyon trail. Remember, if you hike in, make sure someone is with you. Take water and carry out what you take in.

Birthdays

Taylor Armistead — my daughter’s best friend — will be adding another candle to her birthday cake on July 20, John Heacock will be celebrating on July 24.

Bianca Malmin and Debbie Aschbrenner will be adding candles to their cake on July 25. Rebecca Jones and Dewey Malmin will be celebrating on July 29 and Steve Sundra of the Christopher/Kohl’s Fire Department will add another candle atop his cake on July 30.

Bingo

Bingo is back at the fire hall. The Christopher/Kohl’s Firebelles will sponsor an ice cream social and bingo night on Saturday, July 18. Adult bingo and ice cream will be $5, and children’s bingo and ice cream will be $2.50.

There will be lots of prizes. It’s an inexpensive and fun way to spend a Saturday evening with the whole family.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Donna Wynn, who passed away suddenly this last Saturday at her home in Christopher Creek. Donna was a longtime resident of the area who was loved by the local residents. She will be sadly missed, but always in our prayers.