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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 55: Flies Coming out of the Woodwork
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 …
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 53: Arrival at Mormon Lake Village
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 …
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 51: Poignant and Tragic
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 50: No Babies for You Here
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 49: Onto the Colorado Plateau
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 48: Escaping the Heat
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 …
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 …
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 …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 45: Camping + Lack of Sunburn + Dinosaurs
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. …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Thursday, April 25, 2013 - 23.8 km FR422 had lovely views. Most of the best campsites were after Little Pine Flats, where they showed fewer signs of use and the scenery was most impressive. https://www.flickr.com/photos/186593395@N08/49440165507/in/dateposted-public/ The track began a long descent out of the mountains and into pastureland, where it adopted a policy of 'path …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 39: Path of Most Resistance
Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - 23.8 km For a trail that once had a warning about hikers needing maps and/or GPS, Four Peaks sure cleaned up well. The surface was clear and the footing good aside from a few eroded sections in the centre. I encountered a group of young people doing further trail work, …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 38: No Garbage Service
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 - 17.22 km Upon returning to Roosevelt Marina this morning, I discovered that the address listed on the ATA website for the visitor centre is actually the shop's address. I left the visitor centre, slunk to the shop and apologized for not phoning beforehand about sending a package. The employee reassured …
Continue reading The Arizona Trail Day 37: Beg for Cheeseburgers
Sunday, April 21, 2013 Today I ran errands in my new boots. They have a different feeling than shoes, but I'll get used to them. My search for sunscreen was fulfilled at Walgreens, where the clerk wanted to talk to me in French upon learning that I'm Canadian. His French was better than mine, but …
BANE OF THE TRAIL 