Sunday, May 26, 2013 - 10.8 km https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446131433/in/dateposted-public/ I started walking at 6:00 AM today. The trail was moderate leaving Cottonwood, and considering that I would have to gain 1268 metres of elevation within eleven kilometres, I kept wondering when the grade would steepen. The grind turned out to be at the very end, and …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 70: Leaving the Canyon
Saturday, May 25, 2013 - 12.4 km Pops C laughed when I told him yesterday that I been assigned the stock site at Cottonwood Campground. Well, I'll have you know that I arrived to find no droppings anywhere, just a group of good-looking men working to improve the site. I kid you not. I bet …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 69: Inside the Canyon
Friday, May 24, 2013 - 11.3 km I was only minutes from leaving the campground this morning when Pops C arrived. He told me that he was planning to hike rim-to-rim without getting a permit, starting tomorrow and arriving the day afterwards, and offered to buy me dinner on the North Rim. Sounds good to …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 68: Incredibly Naughty
Thursday, May 23, 2013 https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446636856/in/dateposted-public/ Another morning at the backcountry office. The ranger gravely informed me that Cottonwood Campground wasn't available for my requested day and might not be doable at all because the North Rim permit office has first dibs on its walk-in sites. I told him that I wanted Cottonwood because I was …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 67: Getting Stuff Accomplished
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 Having no idea when I would arrive at the Grand Canyon, I didn't apply for a backcountry permit in advance and therefore have to obtain a walk-in permit. The process is as follows: You wait for the backcountry office to open in the morning, accompanied by a group of other twitchy …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 