Wednesday, May 15, 2013 The AZT near Flagstaff has been smooth and kind for biking, and today I encountered constant cyclist traffic. In peaceful silence I would be enjoying the scenery, then the bushes behind me would rustle... I would turn around... and a bike would be looming there like in Calvin and Hobbes, and …
Author: Krista/Bane
Thru-hiker, LASHer and packrafter from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Enjoys walking slowly, seeking out ice cream whenever possible, and just generally being uninspirational.
The Arizona Trail Day 58: Ambiguous Forested Area
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 I left Flagstaff this afternoon under grey skies spitting rain. The AZT heads north through the city to Buffalo Park, passing a tribute sign to Dale Shewalter (founder of the Arizona trail) before the Oldham Trail junction. In my logbook entry, I wrote 'I don't know' under the date column, because …
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The Arizona Trail Day 57: Cat Lady Future
Monday, May 13, 2013 Being in Flagstaff felt odd after walking through so many small towns. Hey, these bus-things are transporting me places for a minimal fee. Neat. I took a photo of two huge grocery stores right next to each other... then later deleted it in acknowledgement of the fact that such pictures are …
The Arizona Trail Day 56: AZT and the City
Sunday, May 12, 2013 My tent was covered with frost this morning. Ahh, another lovely brisk day in northern Arizona! The chill was especially welcome since I only had 100 ml of water left, and in Arizona you're out of water when you have 100 ml. You just saved a piddling amount of water to …
The Arizona Trail Day 55: Flies Coming out of the Woodwork
Saturday, May 11, 2013 I continued along the mesa in the morning. Nice views of Upper Lake Mary. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446332876/in/dateposted-public/ The trail passed a wetland that hikers are asked not to camp by, and a cool observatory, and Marshall Lake. I saw a pile of tape, then a hose, then burn areas that looked fresh. Marshall …
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The Arizona Trail Day 54: Variation
Friday, May 10, 2013 I felt better after yesterday's conversation with Larry, and ready to tackle the forest again after retrieving my package from the post office. Why did I choose to resupply so soon before Flagstaff? Well, um, I estimated the distance between Mormon Lake Village and Flagstaff based on the map... and estimated …
The Arizona Trail Day 53: Arrival at Mormon Lake Village
Thursday, May 09, 2013 I didn't hear the coyote last night. It was probably at the Shangri-La, fleeing security guards while angrily wondering where I was. Day four of the forest hike was not a good day: 1. It was day four of hiking through the same scenery on the same flat ground; 2. I …
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The Arizona Trail Day 52: Still Forest
Wednesday, May 08, 2013 Another day of forest. At least the wind was light today, and there was no rain, but I'm bloody sick of this forest. The golf course scenery is gone, replaced by endless in-between land and rocks. It's always flat. It's never pretty. There's never anything different to look at. It almost …
The Arizona Trail Day 51: Poignant and Tragic
Tuesday, May 07, 2013 Today the AZT followed dirt roads through the forest with swarms of locusts buzzing around. My brain did the calculations: Locusts = plague of locusts, four cowboys = four horsemen. Clearly the apocalypse has begun. I considered writing a novel about a hiker who misses a plague and the mass death …
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The Arizona Trail Day 50: No Babies for You Here
Monday, May 06, 2013 It rained. 'Welcome!' says the Colorado Plateau in a chipper tone. Yeah, well, I can make rude gestures too. My weather report hadn't forecast rain, but when in Pine I overheard someone in a restaurant talking about potential rain today and tomorrow. Do you ever find yourself wishing that your weather …
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The Arizona Trail Day 49: Onto the Colorado Plateau
Sunday, May 05, 2013 - 21.6 km https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446278131/in/dateposted-public/ Today I hiked up onto the plateau, with pretty morning scenery ending in a disappointing viewless climb alongside a power line. That may be a first for the AZT, which thus far has been very open. I considered walking along a road running parallel to the edge …
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The Arizona Trail Day 48: Escaping the Heat
Saturday, May 04, 2013 - 12.6 km I'm excited to be leaving Pine today as herein begins my hike up the Mogollon Rim onto the Colorado Plateau! 'Mogollon' is pronounced something like 'Mow-gi-on', for those people who are, like me, tempted to pronounce it 'Mow-go-lawn' or 'Mongolian'. Temperatures on the plateau will be cooler than …
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The Arizona Trail Day 47: Irrelevancy
Friday, May 03, 2013 I set up my tent in THAT Brewery's beach volleyball court last night, my logic being 'sand = comfortable' and 'there are no other stellar spots'. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night (at this point you may be asking yourself, 'why does so much happen in the middle of the …
The Arizona Trail Day 46: Arrival in Pine
Thursday, May 02, 2013 - 6 km I had been planning to relax this morning and start walking late since I was only six kilometres from Pine, but the Churchill wind returned with a vengeance last night. A partially mesh tent always seems like a good idea until cold air is seeping through the walls …
The Arizona Trail Day 45: Camping + Lack of Sunburn + Dinosaurs
Wednesday, May 01, 2013 - 25.6 km I love mesas, there's something awesome about a mountain with a flat top upon which you can stroll and camp anywhere, therefore I woke up in a good mood today, looking forward to the trail. Whiterock Mesa has pretty white stone and shade, and rocks that look like …
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The Arizona Trail Day 44: RAGE
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 - 16.7 km A bland section of trail followed Brush Springs. I kept missing the turns on a set of switchbacks, then running into dense walls of shrubbery and realizing when I backtracked that I had stepped over a lilliputian wall of sticks or stones meant as a sign to stop. …
The Arizona Trail Day 43: Picnic Ants
Monday, April 29, 2013 - 19.2 km My scalp was itchy last night and I started worrying that I had lice caught from never washed hotel blankets. After combing my hair repeatedly, I reached the conclusion that I didn't have lice but needed a shower immediately, and I decided to pull a long day and …
The Arizona Trail Day 42: Just No
Sunday, April 28, 2013 - 18.8 km More dodgy trail in the morning. Before entering the Mazatzals, I had decided on two rules: I would check my GPS at regular intervals on any trail without clear signage, and I would remember to look at the scenery rather than studying my feet all the time. While …
The Arizona Trail Day 41: Hitchhiker
Saturday, April 27, 2013 - 16.25 km When I woke up today, I discovered that the wind had shifted and was now carrying the scent of horse dung directly to my tent. Yuck. I filtered water, packed up, studied the AZT sign, went in the wrong direction, returned to the sign, studied the sign, ignored …
The Arizona Trail Day 40: Stampede
https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49439945381/in/dateposted-public/ After Sycamore Creek, the trail passed beneath the highway and began a gentle jaunt through the countryside. The air was hot and still, so I put up my umbrella. Two cowboys heading in the opposite direction gave me a polite 'hello' and 'good morning' (I was hoping they would say 'howdy, miss' or something …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 