August 7, 2021 - 16.25 km Hot, muggy, windy. Summer temperatures in Saskatchewan have been brutal this year (by Saskatchewanian standards) and I was looking forward to the cooler temperatures in Newfoundland. Unfortunately Newfoundland has this thing called humidity, not a good acquaintance of mine, seen 'em once or twice, so the temperatures won't be …
August 6, 2021 You can walk out of St. John's airport! My least favourite airports are those surrounded by a sea of ramps and roads without sidewalks, whose designers obviously assumed that no pedestrian in their right mind would ever visit an airport. They seem designed for those people who struggle around the baggage claim …
Tuesday, June 11, 2013 So there you have it - my recount of how I came, saw and managed to survive the Arizona Trail. It was an experience made incredible both by its nature and how wildly different it was from anything I've done before, and I still feel like I'm stuck in a limbo …
Sunday, June 02, 2013 The cicadas were noisy in the morning. I collected a few exoskeletons for my niece and started off. The temperature increased rapidly. I had plenty of water but was rationing it because I didn't know how long I would have to wait for Pops C at Stateline Campground. At the Buckskin …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 77: Civilization Is in the Other Direction
Saturday, June 01, 2013 Jacob Lake Inn has a reputation for making great cookies, so I bought some before I left today. They were underbaked. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo! I was so disappointed (I still ate them all). I'm giving the 'best cookies along the AZT' title to Summerhaven, since Summerhaven and Pine both had great-tasting cookies, but …
Friday, May 31, 2013 Because of my long day yesterday, today I had a short jaunt to Jacob Lake, which can be accessed either via forest roads or a highway walk. I decided on the highway walk since its junction is 3-4 km further along the AZT and I wanted to complete those kilometres with …
Thursday, May 30, 2013 The AZT was entirely in forest today. At Telephone Hill, a short, steep climb ended in a major burn area with shrubbery and dandelions scattered around trees like black sticks. The wind sounded like children screaming. Freak me out, will you? I sat down, ate loads of chocolate and then automatoned …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 74: Screaming Children
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 I woke up today, ate granola, looked at my GPS to record my location for journaling purposes, looked at the databook. Looked back at the GPS. Looked back at the databook. Oops. I wasn't out of Grand Canyon National Park. Due to the rain and well-built trail I hadn't been checking …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 73: The Falling Piano
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - 19.6 km Pops C suggested that we walk the last few days of the AZT together and hitchhike out to Lake Powell, where one of his in-laws could drive us to Flagstaff. The AZT ends at the Stateline Campground in the middle of nowhere and I had no plan about …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 72: Backpacker Ken Doll
Monday, May 27, 2013 When I went to the lodge this morning for breakfast, a family invited me to eat with them. Some of their relatives were attempting a rim-to-rim across the canyon, hiking the entire distance in one push. Previously I had thought that was something people did if they couldn't get a permit …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 71: I Could Leave Today or I Could Never Leave
Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Not much to say about today's walk, which was short and mostly on a gravel road. Heading into Mather Campground at the junction, I was amazed to discover that the shared hiker/biker sites are $6/night. Wow! Sure, it's a shared campsite, but it's a shared campsite next to the Grand Canyon. …
Monday, May 20, 2013 Helicopters were flying overhead all day, presumably carrying tourists wanting to view the Grand Canyon from above. They always seemed to appear when I was peeing, and I was paranoid that the occupants could see me. Then the pilots would have a discussion at the end of the day, like 'Did …
Sunday, May 19, 2013 I had 1.5 litres of water left this morning. I was hoping it would last until Grandview Watchtower, where potable water is available, but had trepidation about the trail between us because of the Managed Fire sign. Well, time to take a look. The AZT followed an old road closed to …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 63: Pointless Signage
Saturday, May 18, 2013 My tent was sweltering from the sun when I woke up this morning. Oddly enough, because of shade or wind or early departures I hadn't experienced that effect in AZ before. Last night I had strange dreams - in one of them, a man asked me whether I would fight in …
Friday, May 17, 2013 AZ! Y U SO WINDY? A strong wind has been blowing almost every day for the past few weeks, and today it was especially nasty. During a brief period of calm I started off along the trail, then the torrent began in force and never went away. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446495076/in/dateposted-public/ I walked five …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 61: Stink Beetle Killer
Thursday, May 16, 2013 And lo, the flow of bikers ended, leaving me alone again. The AZT descended through the forest from the Little Spring trail junction, joining a dirt road with good views of Humphreys Peak. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49446459536/in/dateposted-public/ An open area reminded me of the Canelo Hills, except more spread out with long stretches of …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 60: Can a Cannibal Be Likeable?
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 …
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 58: Ambiguous Forested Area
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 …
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 …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 