Monday, October 16, 2023 Miles: 12.99 Elevation gain/loss: 1165’/1959′ I was up at 5am and hiking by 5:25am. I stepped over another tarantula as I headed towards town. I was very excited to be getting to town so early, with a full day of rest in a private Airbnb trailer ahead of me. I made … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 11
Sunday, October 15, 2023 Miles: 36.56 Elevation gain/loss: 2966’/3927′ I was up at 4:55am and hiking by 5:20am. Early on, I heard coyotes playing, and needed to make some noise when the trail turned toward them, to keep us from being surprised. In the first few hours, I started to smell smoke. I knew I … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 10
Saturday, October 14, 2023 Miles: 38.89 Elevation gain/loss: 2838’/3018′ I was up at 5 and out on trail by 5:25am. Early on, I twisted both of my ankles when I was hiking in the dark and in a rush to get to a spot suitible for digging a cat hole. This put me in a … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 9
Friday, October 13, 2023 Miles: 22.67 Elevation gain/loss: 1299’/1093′ After forcing myself to sleep/nap until 7:30am, I mostly managed to relax at the hotel until check-out, leaving around 10:45am. Within the first few hours, I ran into Soul Slosher, Butcher, and Wonder. I hung out chatting with them for a while, and then headed back … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 8
Thursday, October 12, 2023 Miles: 30.02 Elevation gain/loss: 2405’/3310′ Despite it being very cold overnight, I slept deeply. There was condensation on my sleeping bag from using my tarp as a bivy sack to protect me against the cold wind. I was up at 5am and hiking by 5:25am, excited for town but trying to … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 7
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 Miles: 40.18 Elevation gain/loss: 2808’/1759′ After a long night at camp with solid sleep under my tarp (I finally figured out how to pitch it high enough to comfortably sit up inside), I was up at 4:45am and hiking by 5:20am. At the first water source of the morning, Psy showed … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 6
Tuesday, October 10, 2023 Miles: 34.19 Elevation gain/loss: 1916’/1775′ After a decent night of sleep at the hotel, I was up at 4:55am and hiking by 5:30am. I’d hoped to hike down a dirt road and connect to the AZT by way of a mountain bike trail, but when I got to the end of … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 5
Monday, October 9, 2023 Miles: 31.96 Elevation gain/loss: 5098’/6726′ After decent sleep, I was up at 4:55am and hiking by 5:25am after saying goodbye to Uno and Chopchop. I was at the North Kaibab TH by 5:45 to join the line of people heading for the South Rim. As I descended, I passed a ton … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 4
Sunday, October 8, 2023 Miles: 34.02 Elevation gain/loss: 3291’/3773′ After better sleep, I was up at 4:50am and hiking by 5:25am. It was very cold for the first few hours, with frost everywhere; my hands were painful until the sun came up and started to bring the temperature higher. Around 8am, while walking through a … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 3
Saturday, October 7, 2023 Miles: 37.28 Elevation gain/loss: 4429’/2142′ After restless sleep, I was up at 4:45am and hiking by 5:10am. I kept a steady pace all day, and while the water sources were more spread out, they were all of decent quality. The temperature was relatively cool as well, with some frost on plants … Continue reading Arizona Trail, north, day 2
Transcending Mountains 