  1 STERLING PASS |
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 3 This trail rises steeply up the west side of Oak Creek Canyon to the Pass |
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 5 The lower part of the trail is thickly forested |
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 10 It's been a wet year |
 11 But we soon get into the Brins Mesa burn area of nine summers ago |
 12 The burned trees are now falling |
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 17 Now the views start to get rugged |
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 26 Looking down into Oak Creek Canyon |
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 28 Near the top |
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 30 A view window into the adjacent canyon |
 31 The tiny white cross at left center is known as the "Sterling pass eye test" |
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 36 On top of the pass |
 37 Down the other side, which is thick forest the whole way down |
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 39 At several places, huge outcroppings punctuate the forest |
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 47 On this side there are spot burns from the same fire, but no large areas of |
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 59 At this point, only a mile from the west end of the trail at FR152, is the turnoff for Vultee Arch |
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 61 Vultee Arch comes into view |
 62 This plaque comemmorates the Vultee crash in 1938, which actually took place on the Rim |
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 64 Looking toward the west end of the trail |
 65 This open rock is the lunch point, but some of us elect to go on to the Arch |
 66 It's a steep, prickly scramble to the Arch |
 67 And, a tricky descent onto the Arch |
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 71 Made it! |
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 73 Giant manzanita grow around it |
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 78 Meanwhile, back at the lunch rock |
 79 Returning the same way we came |
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