Wild Ruminations: Poems Inspired by the Santa Rita Mountains

Rising between Tucson, Arizona, and the Mexican border, the Santa Rita Mountains are a world apart—one of Arizona's luminous "sky islands," where desert grasslands give way to cool forests, fascinating flora and fauna, and moments of profound quiet. For more than twenty years, poet-adventurer Stephen N. Chaffee has returned to this wilderness as both refuge and teacher.

In Wild Ruminations, Chaffee captures the stillness, wonder, and spiritual renewal found along the trails of the Santa Ritas. From encounters with black bears, jaguars, rattlesnakes, hawks, and ravens to intimate reflections on loss, gratitude, and belonging, these poems invite readers into a deep attentiveness to the natural world. With a keen eye for detail and a reverence for picturing what is seen, Chaffee offers poetry rooted in presence—where breath slows, routine falls away, and wildness is inhaled.

Whether hiking Old Baldy, the Super Trail, or Fern Creek, the poet finds both solitude and companionship, humor and humility, delivering what one reader calls "peace in unsettled times." This collection is a meditation on interconnectedness, a celebration of wilderness as sanctuary, and a reminder that meaning often waits just beyond the next bend in the trail.

A fitting follow-up to The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry, Wild Ruminations will resonate with lovers of nature poetry, hikers, spiritual seekers, and anyone longing for a deeper communion with the living world.

About the Author
Stephen N. Chaffee's poetry has appeared in Deep Wild Journal: Writing from the Backcountry, Eunoia Review, Black Poppy Review, Ms. Ana Flores’ Poetry of the Wild, Florence Poets’ Society Review, several anthologies, an Arizona Public Media (AZPM) Arizona Spotlight radio episode "Hiking and Poetry on the Arizona National Scenic Trail," and Mr. Frank Iosue's ImUpToMystic YouTube channel video, "Stephen N. Chaffee Reads 8 Poems from The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry." Steve's first book of poetry, The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry, was published by Wheatmark Publishing in 2018.

Stephen N. Chaffee's poetry has appeared in Deep Wild Journal: Writing from the Backcountry, Eunoia Review, Black Poppy Review, Ms. Ana Flores' Poetry of the Wild, Florence Poets' Society Review, several anthologies, an Arizona Public Media (AZPM) Arizona Spotlight radio episode "Hiking and Poetry on the Arizona National Scenic Trail," and Mr. Frank Iosue's ImUpToMystic YouTube channel video, "Stephen N. Chaffee Reads 8 Poems from The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry. Steve's first book of poetry, The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry, was published by Wheatmark Publishing in 2018.