688 Miles into the AZT : Coming into the “Big Ditch”

To leave the Flagstaff area the Arizona trail goes up around the snowy San Francisco Peaks and with a clear blue sky as background, they just "pop". Meanwhile the trail itself goes "crunch" or "squish" depending on the time of day that you cross the lingering snow pack. The land levels out around 6,000 ft … Continue reading 688 Miles into the AZT : Coming into the “Big Ditch” →

580 Miles into the AZT

It took us fewer days to walk from Pine to Flagstaff than we expected as colder weather and flatter land had a positive effect. We climbed up out of the town of Pine onto the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mug-ee-yun) which is the 7,000 ft high edge of the Colorado Plateau. It is a dramatic rock escarpment … Continue reading 580 Miles into the AZT →

450 Miles into the AZT

On this section of the trail from Roosevelt Marina to Pine we passed through the Four Peak Wilderness and the Mazatzal Wilderness both within the Tonto National Forest. This was a difficult week as we had to bypass a rest day at Roosevelt as there were no showers or laundry and the options for food … Continue reading 450 Miles into the AZT →

Trail Angels

Trail Angels are big hearted people who do random kind things for thru hikers. Marnie who owns the Chalet Motel in Oracle is such a person. She will fetch hikers from the highway if they text her and bring them to her motel regardless if they are paying guests or not. She allows hikers to … Continue reading Trail Angels →

200 Miles into the AZT

Map of 200 miles We move through the flat lands sprinkled with Saguaro cactus up to 8,000 ft which is the smoothest 5,000ft elevation gain we have ever done! Then transitioned to the graceful grassy flatlands. We came across a dead coati which is similar to a raccoon. More info can be found HERE. dead … Continue reading 200 Miles into the AZT →

100 Miles into the AZT: LESSONS LEARNED

Snow is a motivating element on a hike, but two-faced, as it creates nervous survival tension underneath the soft beauty. You encourage yourself to keep moving to preserve your body heat. Eating almost frozen power bars while continuously hiking will not aid digestion.It is possible to hike for consecutive days with soaking wet footwear. TIP: put … Continue reading 100 Miles into the AZT: LESSONS LEARNED →