Tag: thru-hiking

October 13th, 2019Cedar Ranch Trailhead mm 163 to Moto/Chimney Trail Junction mm 194.2Distance in miles: 31.20605-1820 It was a good campsite overnight. The road was quiet, it was a lot warmer than previous nights and coyotes sang in the distance. I started the morning by climbing from the desert scrub, back into the ponderosa forests. I was on the flanks of the San Francisco Peaks, a chain of mountains that are the highest in Arizona (12,600′) and may have once stood 16,000′ before the super-volcano blew its top. The most recent eruption was about 900 years ago, according to a pamphlet I read later. That’s not so long ago by geologic standards. The sides of the mountains were speckled with[…]

October 12th, 2019Mm 126.7 to Cedar Ranch Trailhead mm 163Distance in miles: 36.30605-1820 It was cold overnight but not much below freezing. Certainly not into the low 20s as forecasted. Unless I’m just tougher than I realize. My water bottles didn’t freeze, anyway. I get a good start and theorize that I can make it 36 miles to a cache where there might also be beers. I’ll have to walk fast and all day but it’s pretty flat and mostly dirt road walking. At an early water cache, I meet a section hiker. Later in the day, there are 4 dayhikers all wearing green “AZT in a Day” t-shirts. Today is a promotional event where people are trying to hike[…]

October 11th, 2019South Rim Grand Canyon mm 100.2 to mm 126.7Distance in miles: 26.50620-1800 I was perfectly warm overnight but it was hard to get moving in the cold morning. The bathrooms were heated, so that helped. I only had to walk 5 miles to Tusayan, where there was a Starbucks waiting. A paved bike path led me there, so it was very easy and fast walking. The path was empty, save for one guy riding a bike to work. At Starbucks, I ran into a hiker, Mary Poppins. She did most of the AZT in the spring but was not currently hiking, just getting a coffee on her way to a race. The Starbucks had good wifi and I[…]

October 10th, 2019North Rim Grand Canyon mm 76.2 to South Rim mm 100.2Distance in miles: 24 (including a bunch of tourist and town walking)0610-1130 Oh what a day, perhaps the highlight of the AZT because I walked the Grand Canyon from rim to rim! What a buzz word it is to say this phrase. I never gave much thought to what this entailed nor to its role on the AZT. But having spent a day around the North Rim, I quickly learned what a draw this particular hike is. It carries a lot of prestige and significance. The whole hike is about 21 to 24 miles, depending on which trail is taken to/from the South Rim. That’s a pretty long[…]

October 9th, 2019Mm 60.1 to North Rim Grand Canyon mm 76.2Distance in miles: 16.1 plus about 4 miles walking around, being a tourist0610-1130 I had a hard time warming my sleeping bag but once I did, I slept pretty well. I woke around 2:30 am feeling pretty hungry, so I ate the rest of my dinner, followed by a chocolate bar. I went back to sleep until my usual waking time. I don’t know what was wrong with me the night before but I seemed to be back to normal. I had a pleasant morning, beginning with meeting a few SOBOs. They were just packing and I stopped to chat. (This was where I first met 9Lives, who I would[…]

October 8th, 2019Orderville Trailhead mm 27 to mm 60.1Distance in miles: 33.10545-1800 I got on the trail super early and walked by the light of my headlamp for a bit. Without Daylight Savings Time, I needed to take advantage of the daylight in the morning. Fine by me, since I usually like getting an early start. Except that this morning was very cold and I couldn’t seem to warm up as I walked. I started out wearing all my layers, including my puffy and mitts. I walked uphill in a small valley which was effectively trapping the cold air. The first rays of sun didn’t hit until 8 am and I suffered up to that point. Once they did, it[…]

October 7th, 2019Arizona Trail Northern Terminus mm 0 to Orderville Trailhead mm 27Distance in miles: 27 plus 1.5 walked on road to trailhead.0910-1830 I was up early to cram breakfast and coffee before trying to hitch a ride to the trailhead. Awesome omelettes were concocted using the leftover Caprese salad from the night before. I said goodbye to my wonderful trail angels and hosts and Richard dropped me off just outside of town. It was still dark and cold, so I had no luck for awhile. It’s hard to get a hitch to the middle of nowhere. After about an hour, a truck puled over. Two workers were on their way to Page and could give a ride to the[…]