Category: Uncategorized
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Summerhaven to Kearney
I pulled out of Summerhaven about 1 o’clock and headed over Oracle Ridge on a cold windy day. I was surprised at the lack of water on Oracle Ridge, especially given how wet it was just south of Summerhaven. The trail included a lot of little ups and downs and I wasn’t moving too fast.…
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UPDATE
It is April 19 and I’m doing something very unusual for me, which is I’m taking two zeros in one place. A zero is hiker lingo for a day in which one walks 0 miles. After walking 344 miles I’ve landed in lovely oasis owned by trail angels Becky and Scott in Tonto Basin Arizona.…
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Letting go of the Expectation of Ease
My second day after Summerhaven, I did something rare for me, which is that I didn’t push at the end of the day. I got to a lovely sandy wash surrounded by a hillside of Saguaro. The sun was shining so it was warm but not too hot and even though I could’ve gone on…
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Trust Over Fear
People always ask me if I’m afraid out here. I tell them the most dangerous part of the trip is the drive across country. Instead of fear, my main feelings on the trail are gratitude and trust. For starters, I trust the people who made the trail and who maintain it. As a hiker I…
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An Update from Summerhaven Arizona
I did make it over Mount Mica. Two young guys came through and led the way which made it a lot easier for me as I didn’t have to do all the route finding and breaking trail in the snow. After checking a number of times and always finding their tracks spot on, I followed…
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Senses on the Trail
Today I thought about senses a lot. I am grateful to have all the ones I have, even if some are diminishing with age. My eyes are allowing me to see such incredible sites. Besides the millions of flowers and absolutely awe inspiring saguaro cactus I see truly dark star skies at night and sunsets…
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Hiking my own Hike
So today was a really good lesson on hiking your own hike. In hiker lingo its referred to as HYOH. I started the day in pretty good spirits. Although my knees were bothering me, I was making good time. I thought certain people were behind me as I took a break at the first water…
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Patagonia to Grass Shack
I’m currently sitting out a storm in a backcountry campsite in Saguaro National Park about eighty miles north of Patagonia. By the time I get to where I can post this I will be another fifty miles up the trail. After Patagonia, I hiked a few longer days, leapfrogging with a number of hikers. I…
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Falling and trail angels on the AZT
I laughed when I reached the age where doctors asked me if I had any falls recently. I always fall on my hikes but I don’t think those are the kind they mean. I had my first fall on the second day out and thought about how glad I was that I knew how to…
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Thoughts on day 3
Some people often tell me I’m running away from life by hiking. But I really think that this is about is real as it gets. Every day I walk with no distractions such as TV or computer. I can’t just pick up the phone and call someone, I can’t eat whatever I want to distract…
The Mary Badass 