Time has flown by since my last entry ~ and, while I have missed writing and connecting here, I have cherished the many adventures and events that have taken place in the interim. From weddings and graduations to temperature changes and new roads, I have laughed, cried, danced, and taken in so much information that I should have enough material to cover months of entries and releases.
Nonetheless, today I want to hone in on a particular hike my husband and I took a short while back. It was a focused adventure, in that I had heard there was something in this location I have desperately been wanting to photograph. Did you know that, just a little under two hours north or so from Phoenix, there is a town called Payson and, in Payson, there is a dramatic environmental change to what one is accustomed in the Phoenix area. Here, one can hike among tall trees, see deer skipping along, and hear water trickling perpetually down a creek stemming from a natural spring three miles or so into the trail. I dare say, one might even find "waterfalls" in the area. Yup - waterfalls in Arizona. When I heard about it, I had to visit. I was so desperate to smell that kind of air, hear that kind of nature, sense that type of peace...and, of course, capture that type of image.
So, I went into this trip with a goal ~ I wanted to intentionally plant myself down near Horton Creek in Payson where water was running consistently and fervently, then stop, breathe, think, pray / meditate, and then complete the cycle by capturing some beautiful images of the mini cascades in the area. I am not the type of person who can achieve something like that easily ~ the "stop, breathe, meditate" thing. My mind is constantly on the run. My body HAS to keep moving or it atrophies. Not to mention, I can "squirrel" like the best of the best in the ADHD population! So ~ was this going to be a challenge? You bet! Did I succeed? Let's continue...
Let The Day Begin
It was another 0-dark-thirty wake up on a Sunday. We had things packed up the night before ~ camera gear, breakfast, lunch, snacks, first aid kit, etc. ~ and were ready to pop up and out the door soon after the alarm. We picked up our traditional caffeinated fixes from "Starbies" on the way and engaged in our weekly "check-in on our relationship" meeting on the drive. We were doing fine, by the way....in case you were worried.
Arriving at Horton Creek off North Forest Service Road 289, we were well aware that the entrance to the actual Horton Creek Trail was under construction, so we had to park near the Derrick Trail lot. No biggie. Fortunately, they had things marked out fairly well with signs that showed just how to get to our desired trail via the closest path.
So, I'll set the scene and then I'll get right to why this hike was a pivotal one for me. Picture this - a forest of tall verdant trees, birds chirping here and there, the breeze active just enough to keep us cool on the hike. The trail was fairly level, a few climbs and descents here and there, but nothing too treacherous. Wildflowers were in bloom, but scattered throughout the forest with pops of yellow, red, and purple being the most prominent.
Interestingly, we didn't encounter the kind of water scene I desired for a good half mile or so down the trail and we were a bit nervous at one point that we had been perhaps bamboozled by social media (I know, hard to fathom!). However, even if we didn't find water, it was still a beautiful and effort-worthy hike and we were glad we had found this sanctuary.
Oh, there's that word from the title! Okay....give me another minute.
Once we hit the half-mile mark or so, which was really not even close to halfway to the actual source at around three miles, we finally heard the beautiful trickling of water flowing. In no time, we found ourselves hiking alongside a creek that had a plethora of mini waterfalls singing their cantata everywhere!
I was so excited!! It looked like it was going to be a good day...but now I needed to employ my plan.
SLOW DOWN!
QUIET DOWN!
FIND PEACE! (she says with capital letters and exclamation points...)
How was I going to do this.....
Well, I found a smooth rock surface that was actually situated in the creek and planted myself there...my husband set up my tripod...I threw the desired filters on my lens...settings were dialed in...I took a deep breath...and stopped.
Here is where I told myself ~ I want this. I need this. I deserve this.
There was no one else around. I could hear the water therapeutically rushing over the obstacle course of rocks that lined the bed of the creek. The sun was perfectly situated above the trees, which did their job of diffusing her light just enough to provide me a perfect scene.
I looked around ~ and I set my camera up to take the first of many long exposure shots. I hit the shutter, the timer started....tick, tick, tick....click!
Horton Creek #5 - photo by Tina Stevens-Brown**
I could not believe what I saw on my screen and I begin to tear up. My husband could see my cheekbones rise just from my profile. He knew I was in my happy place.
Then something even bigger hit me ~ something that actually struck my soul like no other hike had to this point.
As I looked around, took in the scene, listened to nature unobstructed around me....I realized that this had become my church, my sanctuary. This particular scene took me to a place where I felt like I was connected with creation, connected with God in the way I see Him ~ but maybe you don't...that's okay...no judgement. In fact, THAT was the part that hit me most poignantly.
I was in the middle of a scene I personally believe to be have been created by God, where no judgement was present. There was no hypocrisy in the air, no microscopes analyzing my every single move, no status, no expectation, no attention-grabbing, no pride, and no guilt.
NO ~ GUILT!
Quick injection ~ my personal experience with church (which included all the elements listed above) may not be yours and I am not here to criticize people for attending church. Please continue to grow and enjoy the congregation with whom you worship. This is simply MY story and I hope you can respect that. Now back to the scene...
In that moment, I could even feel my soul smiling. I felt inspired. I was full of joy. I was at peace. YES! You read that right. I was at peace. THIS is what I felt life is supposed to feel like ~ we only have one to live...we should be taking it all in, appreciating the beauty around us, and being the best version of ourselves we can be in all situations.
I didn't want to leave. I could have stayed and captured images of those cascades all day. I could have sat on that rock - or any of the other rocks upon which I found myself that day ~ for hours focusing on gratitude, appreciation, introspection, joy, and more.
Horton Creek #1 - photo by Tina Stevens-Brown
However, my back kind of said one mile in was enough and we had to turn back. I was sad we could not make it to the source, but now I have something calling me back to one of my favorite locations on earth....or at least in the state of Arizona (keeping it real).
I think I remember feeling this way a bit when we visited Sequoia National Park in California last year....there must be something about forests for me. Everybody has their place, I guess. Now, my takeaway was personal ~ it may not hit you as the reader the way it hit me. That's okay. I appreciate the fact that you made it this far and respect my experience. I personally long to be close to God. I long to understand creation and my place in it. It's important for me to know that I am becoming the best version of myself and living life to the fullest as I know I'm more than likely over the halfway mark of life.
Things hit different now. Perspective.
And in conclusion....
So, Payon - Horton Creek....this is definitely an area I would recommend exploring if you are ever in the vicinity. Horton Creek Trail has things you won't see when you fly into the desert landscape of Phoenix. While both have their pros and cons, it's just nice to know there is this wooded-escape within reach (especially for this girl who grew up in New England). I can't wait to go back ~ and when I do, I'll capture some more cascading waterfall images and maybe even make it to the source of it all.
Here's hoping!!!
Before you go - here's a chuckle....
Funny moment - at one point, we had crossed the river by way of a "rock" bridge that stretched from one side to the other. We thought we would return a different way to claim "new road" of sorts on our way back to the car. However, we found ourselves a little out of sorts, so we wanted to get back on the "road well known." We asked for some guidance from a frequent hiker of those parts and her directions led us to where we anticipated. However, there was no clear cut path back to the other side.
Our attempt landed me in a state of paralysis on a small, but steep climb, new camera in hand, unable to figure out how this was going to go down without tragedy befalling myself or my new tech baby. My husband was amazing in his attempts to pull me up and, eventually, we did succeed with a minor drop to the ground, a tiny bit of dirt on the tech...but nothing broken, nothing damaged.
Nope - sorry....no pics. I know, I should have taken at least one.
*All images above are low resolution and watermarked. To see full resolution images of those available for print, please click hyperlink under the image or from the following:
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**OF NOTE: Horton Creek #5 (shown above) won first place in a White Water Photography contest on Fine Art America in June 2026.
© 2026 Tina Stevens-Brown All rights reserved. Use of images is not permitted without written consent of the owner.
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