Wild Berries On The Mogollon Rim

by Nick Coons
Aug 4, 2004

This year I got a late start on camping. It was only sometime in July when I went on my first trip of 2004, and that usually happens back in May. So I have a lot of catching up to do. This weekend, we're talking a trip up to the Rim, and there's going to be a lot of us.

One of the great things about camping in this area at this time of year is the abundance of wild berries. If you've picked wild berries or it just doesn't sound that exciting to you, try looking at it from a different perspective. First, if you like fruit, then these are some of the best berries you'll ever have. If you don't like pesticides and chemicals sprayed all over your food, then you're in luck with wild fruit. And if you're just plain cheap, then this is for you as well, because they're free.

Actually, this brings back some memories. Ones that were startling and not so good at the time, and more laughable now. I remember one time my little brother made an attempt to reach a batch of berries that wasn't quite reachable. While overextending himself, he fell off the log and into the bushes. And in case you weren't aware, these berry bushes are good at defending themselves, usually in the form of hundreds of tiny little thorns.

Yes, the family, the good times, dangers, and even triumphs of picking wild berries -- That's what it's all about.