nikkitaApr 30th 2021

Day 1 (3/15)

Started on passage 2. Chilly start, a little snow on the Huachuca mountains. Love the rolling hills. Windy night.

montessoriwalkerApr 5th 2021

1/15

Sedona Walks

Monday: Sedona. A town I’ve never visited but many a folk have said I would enjoy, It’s Day 1 of 3 and while I’m not impressed by the town, I’m not dissspointed. It’s what I’ve anticipated. Read: Lahaina. Tourists. Sprawling. After finding my ride from Flagstaff to the Manzanita Campground, I walked about 12 miles into town. It was pleasant walking with great canyons and lovely trail. I did have a “HELLO, your Flagstaff rest and consumption is over!” immediate few hundred foot climb that after a few days off was...a huff and a puff ?. It was nice to be under a canopy of trees as well as have a wide, often chalky footpath. I meandered my way through town and am now at my accommodation for the next three days. No camping, but a bed. Same will be true for two nights in Tempe and then three nights in Phoenix. Tomorrow my goal is to get out early and do a lot of hiking up until about 1:30 PM at which point I have a two o’clock hot tub reservation. Same deal for Wednesday, but the hot tub for three o’clock. This is the Covid era people: hot tub reservations. Tuesday: I hit a lot of trails today. While listing off names is certainly entertainment, it’s enough to say that I stitched together at least a dozen to loop from Hyatt (where I am staying on points) to Airport Mesa Vortex (nice), Red Rock (nice, busy), Bell Vortex (fine and a hella lot of bikers), Baby Bell (same), Cathedral Vortex and east of Route 179 back home. A lot more trail today than yesterday that is multi-use between bikers and hikers. Again, the trails were like a fine chalk red dust, well-impacted from seasoned use, and wide was the pathway. I thought I would pull close to 20 miles, but it ended at about 17 and, well, that was fine. Tomorrow I am taking off early at 6 AM to do the Boynton Canyon Trail, the last of the four holy vortex of Sedona. Admission: I am taking a cab to the trail head because I don’t want to meander and piecemeal trails together for the first three hours just to get to the start of the actual trail. However, after doing the 6-mile loop I will zigzag my way back down into town. That will require sewing together about half a dozen trails. And yes, I will do three days in a row of the hot tub. This afternoon with some extra time I visited a nearby wine shop for a tasting of Arizona’s finest reds. I was happily amused. I also stopped by a local café for food and was sourly disappointed because of the absurd wait for a simple order. Needless to say, I bailed on that and found comfort elsewhere. Sleeping in a bed for several days past and several days to come after a few weeks of tent, sleeping pad, inflatable pillow, and sleeping bag is a jarring juxtaposition of diametric worlds. Real-time access to non-trail food/drink is also part of this confluence of crazy. It is a good foreshadow for how the reconciliation of returning to everyday life might take place come after summer. For sure: exercise, eat less and drink less alcohol, relax, take life in stride, have meals outside, savior ice. Wednesday: I am super happy to have taken that cab ride and arrive at the trail head by 6:15/6:20. From trail head to terminus it’s about a 6.2 out and back and for the first mile or so it was a pleasant if not unremarkable lead in. Roughly at the 2-mile marker is when the canyon really took on character. Coupled with some incredible music by Ashana and a recently shared new rendition of “Door of My Heart”, the gentle morning light breaking through the dense forest was an ethereal splatter on the soft dirt trail, on the canyon walls, understory brush, and myself. The brisk temperature only added to the tone. The canyon endpoint was magical. Heck, the whole trail was magical. If you have ever seen Pan’s Labyrinth and found delight in the notion of mysterious meets animated spirit of rock, then you have a sense of what I felt at nearly every turn and along stretches with oncoming formations that shifted from personality to frozen to frozen with emotion as I passed by. For anybody dialed into higher vibrations, the walk was completely impossible to miss those frequencies. It was a perfect culmination of intentional visits to the vortexes these days. The way back was a bit more conventional with a few very well-developed bike trails that because I was slack packing made for some jogging. I tell you, it is a world of difference to hike with 4.4 pounds of water and a 1-pound backpack plus a few super light snacks thrown in than a 20-pound carry, elevation or not. Included are a few pictures from today and two sunrise shots from the (four) Pile of Dudes who were at the Grand Canyon’s southern edge this morning. I was there in spirit and will be one day in actuality. This wraps my AZT HikerFeed. Cya on the PCT feed.

davis2001r6Apr 3rd 2021

1/6

4/2 - 10 Miles

Woke up early to knock out the 10 mile section between Reddington Road and Molino Basin before heading into Tucson. It’s a nice trail with a good climb at the end before dropping down to Mt Lemmon Highway. I walked the road about a mile before getting picked up by the nice lady that runs the General Store on Lemmon.

montessoriwalkerApr 3rd 2021

1/11

Pivoting in Flagstaff

Racing into town on Wednesday night to be sure and arrive before dark plus refuel after the better part of a 20-mile stretch without water (for a few of the fellows; I had a liter) was an exhilarating experience. We certainly did not do it for accolades, but most people with whom we have shared this little tale were respectfully impressed. Turning our previously planned Thursday nero into a zero, that added to our Friday planned zero resulting in two very fine Flagstaff days of local casual walking, chilling, and mostly enjoying several of Flagstaff’s finest eating and drinking establishments. Shower’s wife, Maggie, drove in for the weekend so we were able to meet her and spend time seeing the happy couple together. “Cowtank Katie” is a fellow hiker we met about a week ago and volleyed with a bit. Katie has refused to accept that trail name we affectionately offered, but you can figure out it has to do with Katie and cowtank water. We met up with Katie and her family last night. This morning the four other Gaggle of Guys are picking up at the Flagstaff town passage we veered off from a few nights ago to head onward and upward toward the Grand Canyon South Rim followed by the terminus a few days thereafter. Their goal is to finish April 14, which is the day I launch from Campo on the border with Mexico to walk the 2660 miles of the PCT. It’s time to say a hui hou. I knew this moment will would come as early as shortly after the snowstorm on Mount Lemmon. By the second storm when we were approaching Tonto National Forest it was clear I would have to make a decision about arriving in Pine on the same day as departure or zero with them. That would mean going solo and racing a bit to stick to my original on paper schedule or stick with the crew and let that guide the weeks ahead. Since this entire AZT+PCT journey is not singularly about reaching the end of any one trail, but rather, well, yes: the journey itself, not finishing between Flagstaff and the border is merely an opportunity to return and experience the closure in a different fashion than right now. This is a commitment I am making to myself whether it happens immediately after the PCT at the end of August before returning to Hawaii (not likely) or as some future gettaway from the islands, happen it will. It is a bit weird to be splintering from the group and re-focusing solely on myself. It’s not that I’ve become codependent on the others, as much as my thinking and actions have been reshaped by the whole group experience. I’m glad to have had time at the start on my own to acclimate and the bulk of the AZT to know what a tramily is like. I’ve learned quite a bit that will carry me through the next early experiences on the PCT. The trail really has been lovely. The change in geography, geology, flora, fauna, people, elevation and everything that has bound the trail together are powerful memories I won’t soon forget. I have a new understanding of Arizona weather and Arizonians. The trail has also shed light on particular lifestyle arrangements and values I’ve placed on them for life in Hawaii. In short, the trail is doing what the trail is supposed to do: Bring us closer to nature, bring us closer to people, bring us closer to our individual truth. This weekend I have decided to take an extra moment in Flagstaff before heading out to Sedona and spend several days casually hiking and exploring the area. I might need to rent a car, I may need to rent a bike, I might need to hike to where I’m going to hike, but I do want to downshift and take in a little bit of the area on my own before connecting with two great friends about a week from now in Phoenix. At that point we will spend a few days and on Tuesday, April 13 I fly to San Diego, beginning that leg of this 5 to 6 month adventure. To that, this is the last formal entry of my AZT Thru 2021: Border to Flagstaff, a respectable ~570 miles. I’ll put a post-script Sedona hiking entry together in about a week. Mahalo to all who have followed along. Those of you who have shared lovely comments, thank you! If you want to read about the PCT long trail walk: https://hikerfeed.com/hikes/303

montessoriwalkerMar 31st 2021

1/12

36+2=38

We aimed for 25 last night. Stretched that to 31 at mid-morning snack ~11am. Clinched town at 36 at lunch ~1:00 PM. Added the extra 2.1 to Mother Road Brewery upon arrival in Flagstaff. So...a 38 mile day. Holy cow! My longest day of walking ever on my life! I had three beers and a flight (yup, Koa Class and SRF friends) and two orders of sliders plus noshing on sides. Yes, water too. We are currently at the Radisson Downtown thanks to 44K points I was happy to burn for the four of us (Swede is taking a solo night). During the last four days we have had snow, mud, dry, great forests and yucky, spectacular views and so so, cold morning temps and warm daytimes, passed a couple of hikers and wandered solo as a tribe, and have I mentioned the mud?!! Mañana we will reconnect with Swede for a two day zero at the Hilton care of his points. All of us have REI visits planned, a good couple of breakfasts and more breweries planned (yup, Koa Class and SRF friends), will likely walk the Passage 33 town route on Friday so we can uber to the northern trailhead, and I’m intending to book a massage sometime in this double zero. I also have to decide what I’m going to do for post Flagstaff. If the conditions headed up to the southern rim are mushy and muddy and just not fun, I might pass and use the time to see a few of Arizona’s other trophies. If good, however, I’ll only have to find a way from southern rim to Phoenix/Tempe by Thursday, because I’ve given myself the gift of two days and nights at a Hyatt on points before my Cincinnati friend friends arrive and then head to the PCT for five months! Enjoy the pics.

montessoriwalkerMar 30th 2021

Payson/Pine to Flagstaff

From Tuesday: It’s 7:00 on Tuesday night and we’re tucked into our tents for what us supposed to be a 25 degree night. My Nunatek quilt will be put to the true test. We plan to arrive in Flagstaff on Thursday morning after a mere ten miles and in time for a healthy dose of unhealthy breakfast. I’m hoping for Eggs Benedict with a double side order of bacon and bottomless coffee, the latter of which I will only do in town. The trail these few days has been quite nice and that we are on the Mogollon Rim, is an entirely different landscape than southern Arizona and central as well. So much forest, wild elk, colder daytime and evening temperatures with plenty of prescription left on the ground from recent systems that passed through. Other than occasional planes, the soundscape has been silent of human development. Crushing pine needles under feet. Pine cones dropping from tree limbs. Birds, of course. And the wind. Different dances of the wind through dense forest, thin forest and burned forest.

kmchicoineMar 30th 2021

1/4

Mile 0

About 2 months ago, I learned about the Arizona Trail. It runs around 800 miles from the Mexico border through Arizona to the Utah border and is 90% dirt/65% singletrack mountain bike trail. Feeling antsy with my impending graduation, I decided spending several weeks biking through the desert sounded like a good time, and here we are! I’ll be posting pictures and little updates occasionally, and you can follow my progress here: https://share.garmin.com/kmchicoine Bike: I’ll be riding my trusty steed: Brutus the Beefeater. A 2004ish Specialized Stumpjumper that I bought off a friend for $200, he’s at least a double hand-me-down. In my forrays to the Oregon trails, he’s handled mud, drops, long days, and being hauled over trees like a champ. I electrical-taped 2 additional water bottle cages to the fork and am running tubeless tires, so we’re desert ready. Gear: This is probably way more detail than anyone would ever want to know, but my lighterpack with weights/descriptions can be found at the link below: https://lighterpack.com/r/8x8fsi Plan: I don’t have a strict schedule and plan to take my time, smell the flowers (cacti?), and gnereally enjoy myself. That being said, I’m estimating it will take ~3 weeks start to finish. April 1 will be my first day on trail! Happy trails, everyone!

montessoriwalkerMar 26th 2021

1/10

The Wilderness

Among the reasons I’ve wanted to thru has been to walk into the wilderness, while we still have wilderness to enjoy. This recent seven day stretch included the Superstition Wilderness, Four Peaks Wilderness and Matazol Wilderness...all part of the Tonto National Forest, if I am not mistaken. The wilderness is wild. Part of its preservation is the least human impact/alteration the environment as possible. Read: downed trees, major burns, few signs and cairns, no motorized vehicles, no roads, etc. Such was the case of clashing canvases these last days where recent burn met older burn with new growth, the silence of (animal) life juxtaposed with a cacophony of birds, the howl of wind and the silence of all but my running shoes treading the path, and, again, the silence of motors vs. the noise of my thoughts. We have also faced real winter. Snow. Cold. Some rain. It has not been the 80+ temps from southern Arizona. We are definitely central (and pushing into north) where there is currently even more snow and ice and cold. I left New York in 2001 and have pretty much lived in Hawaii for most of my life since. I’ve experienced more Winter these past couple weeks than all of the intervening years. A major lesson consequently learned, or relearned, which is part of the trail: I like sun and having the the beach and ocean at my fingertips. Today we walked 13 miles from 448.8 into Pine, wolfed breakfast at Early Bird Cafe and followed that shortly after with lunch and brews at THAT Brewery. Currently a late 7:45 PM, we have have laundry ready to move from washer to dryer and are just kicking back into the zero for tomorrow. Hiking should resume on Sunday or Monday, weather dependent.

WaybackMar 25th 2021

Day 20

From Summerhaven, we headed down to Oracle. There was a bit of snow at the higher elevations, mostly on the north-facing slopes, but easier going than the approach to Summerhaven. In Oracle we stayed at El Ranch Robles, a very cool place used for retreats, etc. Beautiful grounds and friendly staff. We parted ways with Ticktock here, since he had a job and a real life to get back to. That leaves Navigator, Afterburner, and yours truly. After Oracle, we camped the first night at Mountain View tank. Lots of water, and a nice camp site. Next day, we topped off water at Beehive Well, where there were a couple of ducks swimming in the tank. We camped that night at about mile 239. The next day, we got water at the cow trough at mile 251.9 and continued to Kearney. We couldn’t get an answer from the hotel, so we called the pizza place and they came to get us. Jody also helped us get someone to check us in at the hotel. Apparently the hotel staff doesn’t really work weekends. The after hours person who checked us in kinda rushed things and I forgot to ask for my resupply box. So I had to wait unti after 10 AM to get it. The hotel owner, however, gave us a friendly ride back to the trailhead. Nice folks, just try not show up on a Sunday night. With the late start we got to a camp site at about mile 276, with easy access to the Gila River for water. The next day we climbed away from the river to camp at about Mike 293, just as the rain started. It was a very rainy night with a fair amount of wind, but we all held up fine. Even me under my tarp. The next day, the trail wasn’t as muddy as I feared it would be after the rain. We made good time to Picketpost trailhead, where Afterburner’s mother picked us up. Now hunkered down in Superior with Navigator while Afterburner is in Phoenix arranging his resupply for the rest of the trail.

davis2001r6Mar 22nd 2021

Day 3 - 17 miles

The morning started out cold with some water frozen in their bottles. Had to warm up the gas canister before it would work as well. Perfectly sunny day today but steady 25 knot winds. I was nursing some blisters today so kept it pretty slow for the first half of the hike. There were some small pools of water around mile 7, the next water would be 14 miles at camp. This would be a cow pond which didn’t look too bad, but you basically have to get muddy to scoop some water. There was another source about 2 miles later that a hiker recommend I just go there for water & camp. So I pushed it to there chasing sunset the whole way. Found the well, but it’s solar powered and the sun had already dipped behind some hills. Thankfully there were some pools notes on Guthook just a 1/4 mile further. Hiking in AZ largely depends one where you’re next water is. Oh, and the blisters. Well, they got much worse even after being taped up today. Will drain them in the morning and retape them.

davis2001r6Mar 21st 2021

Day 2 - 14 miles

Today was much more enjoyable on the trail. The trail went mostly downhill leaving the Miller Peak wilderness. The next good water source was 14 miles away so that was the goal for today. There was bit of water one of the creekbegs. But hardly enough to dip me hat in, much less trying till up a bag of water to filter. There were some windmills with water tanks, but both were dry as can be. The trail really flattens out on your way towards Parker Canyon Lake, so mails passed by pretty quickly. I have a few blisters that popped up today. Was wishing for a lighter pack too, going to see what I can ship back from Patagonia to lighten up a bit.

montessoriwalkerMar 20th 2021

The Best Kind of Trail Angel

Is someone who serves the hikers because they love the hiking community. Such was the case with Purple Angel in Superior, who since 2018 has been hosting Arizona Trail hikers in her home for neros and zeros. Hailing from Minnesota, her home was an incredibly warm, instantly at ease homebase for two nights and a day. Immediately upon retrieving us at Picket Post Trailhead, 7 AM Friday morning, we knew Purple Angel was going to be great. At her home already were five hikers doing a mix of hikes in different directions. Breakfast was ready for all but the eggs. So while Purple Angel got busy in the kitchen, we got cranking on charging devices, showering and loading laundry. The breakfast ended up being a little bit of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, coffee, and a variety of this-and-that snacks. A hot shower after several days of sun-baked sweaty hiking will always be simply incredible, no matter where you are in the world. Add in good breakfast with good people and put a period on that. She was stocked with a bunch of hiker gear, clothes while washing was happening, hiker food, and just an overall way laid-back mi casa es tu casa vibe. After a little jaunt into town for some food and beverage with the Gaggle of Guys or Pile of Dudes, as we’ve come to be known (choose what you like), it was back to the house for just some more mellow relaxing. We had decided to stay because Big Dale had a business call in the afternoon so the decision was made to stick for dinner and go to the trail head for mile or two of walking before settling into the night. That subsequently stretched into staying overnight and for breakfast because we learned fresh blueberry muffins were on the menu. Who’s going to pass that up? So by 6:30 AM we were well on the road and by 6:45 on foot. Right now it’s 5:25 PM and the sun is setting behind a ridge so I have to make the decision to set up camp despite waiting a half hour for the Pile of Dudes...however far back the conga line stretches. I typically hike hard, long, and don’t stop for lunches; eat on the move. Hopefully we connect tomorrow morning. Otherwise, the goal is to reach Roosevelt Lake Marina by 5 PM for dinner at the restaurant. At least that’s the last of information I had.

davis2001r6Mar 20th 2021

1/2

Day 1 - 6 miles

First day on the trail today. The 3,000 foot climb from Montezuma Pass to the junction with Miller Peak was killer. Pack is sitting around 35 lbs. first water is available at bathtub spring. Nice views all around on the clear day today. Still some snow on the northern slopes around Miller.

montessoriwalkerMar 18th 2021

1/6

Day 13

After a solid fill of pizza for some and fried pizzeria apps for others with enough drafts to commemorate both the town day and the holiday, amazing Austin dropped us back at the trailhead from where he picked us up just a few hours earlier. Keeping track of the miles we are pulling on a daily is getting a bit fuzzy, but all said I believe we walked about 22. Camping in a wash by the Gila River, around midnight we were all startled in our sleep by a very low flying helicopter that by Big Dale’s estimate was just forty feet above the ground. Certainly it must have been a night training exercise because apparently there was just one dim red light and the flight path followed the contour of the wash. At least they were not searching for someone...wayward hikers? I have never been that close to a live military chopper and was quite rattled. My first thought was ever so slightly understanding what that must be like in combat conflict zones. Thursday we pushed on another 23.5 to MM 296.3, where I am now typing this post. It was a really spectacular day of hiking with grand rock faces and diversity of flora, clear blue skies, sweeping vistas, and lots of both climbing and descending ending net higher than when the day began, which was essentially at the AZT’s lowest point. The Alamo Canyon and areas before were, again, just gorgeous. On Friday we all go into Superior, for basically a real nero. Trail Angel Purple Angel is picking us up at 7am (we are going to walk the 4.2 miles to Picket Post Trailhead at 5:30a) and bringing us to her house for hot breakfast, laundry and showers. Such kindness. The guys will resupply at the local market while Paul will drive up from Tempe to meet me with my boxes and stay for coffeehouse chat. I’ll also pick up some lemons for the way out. We talk about walking 13 miles tomorrow afternoon on our start into the Superstition Wilderness leading to Roosevelt Lake Marina, but a real nero is less than ten miles total. We passed a few hikers Thursday and a group of older gentlemen doing trail maintenance. It also seems like we are on the trail of a bubble in front of us by a day or so. Many of the folks camped with a few days back likely won’t be seen again based on the pace we are moving.

davis2001r6Mar 18th 2021

What’s in my pack

Just finished the final sorting of what I’ll be carrying.