PRESCOTT -- Some say the land has a soul. If that's the case, Granite Mountain, just outside of Prescott has its own 'heart' and soul.
For decades, hikers have celebrated the 'heart of the mountain,' a 70-pound chunk of granite that resembles a classic cardioid shape.
"It is just a rock, but it means something to some people," Jason Williams said as he held up the small boulder.
Someone recently stole the mountain's heart.
"Apparently somebody thought it was a pretty neat rock and packed it on out of Granite Mountain wilderness two miles and took it home," Williams said.
Word of the theft from the wilderness area spread quickly as anger pulsed through the climbing community.
"You just don't take things away from natural settings, certainly not designated wilderness sites," hiker Steve Munsell said.
"I just consider it disrespectful," Brad Martin agreed.
Recently, a guilty conscience may have brought the heart back to the Forestry Service to be returned.
"Hey, yeah, whoever decided to take it has a heart after all," Martin said.
"Having it missing was not going to be the end of the mountain. You can't take the heart out of Granite Mountain. Thankfully," Munsell said.
The plan is to put the heart of Granite Mountain back at its rightful spot in the next couple of weeks. Rangers say it's about two and a half miles back to that spot.
When they're going to do it, they aren't going to say. And exactly where it goes, they aren't going to say either so this heart doesn't go wandering again.
