@hikewithgravity.com
Triple Crown thru-hiker: AT 2017, PCT 2019, CDT 2021. Also: Benton MacKaye Trail, Art Loeb Trail, Pinhoti Trail, Foothills Trail, Bartram Trail, Appalachian High Route, and Arizona Trail hikewithgravity.com
Day 16 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike started with some unexpected and disheartening news. It reminded me that no one is immune to challenging conditions of long-distance trails and the emotions they render.
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After receiving eyeglasses to replace the pair stolen by a pack rat, I could see clearly on Day 15 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike.
But there was still much I couldn’t see.
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Long Trail
Colorado Trail
Superior Hiking Trail
Appalachian Trail
Updates to the hiking goals I posted a year ago...
1. I completed the Long Trail.
2. I will start the Colorado Trail on July 23.
3. I intend to hike the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota in mid-September.
4. My plan to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail next year is still on track.
It was fortunate that I had time to spare on Day13 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike. I met an unusually large number of people on the trail, and they all seemed to have questions about my hike.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
Water sources on the #ArizonaTrail are often a gross mess of silt and algae, usually shared with cattle and wildlife. It was a huge relief on Day 12 of my thru-hike to find water that was clear and tasted good.
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I can’t stand rats in my room. 🐀
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Day 10 of my #ArizonaTrail thru-hike turned out much better than Day 9. I didn’t feel nearly as tired, my pack ably handled the weight of five liters of water, and I even got a little education on what goes into a prescribed burn.
Read about this eventful day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
The farther I walked on Day 9 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike, the more I could feel the energy draining from my body. This was unexpected because the trail was flat and easy.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
Perhaps I was feeling a letdown after two days of stunning scenery, but there was so little variation in the landscape after the #GrandCanyon that my mind switched into neutral gear.
Read about Day 8 of my #ArizonaTrail thru-hike: hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
It was hard to fully appreciate the geological history of the #GrandCanyon on Day 6 of my #ArizonaTrail thru-hike because I never saw the Colorado River. That changed on Day 7 as I crossed the river and climbed to the South Rim.
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It's hard to imagine how one day could be more glorious or more hellish. That was Day 6 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike.
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I had backup plans in mind for Day 5 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike. Most on my mind was making sure I didn't have to use a backup plan.
Day 3 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike was rough. Day 4 wasn't easy, but to my surprise, the worst of my troubles was over.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
Day 3 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike was rough. Day 4 wasn't easy, but to my surprise, the worst of my troubles was over.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
It took me all day on Day 3 of my Arizona Trail thru-hike to figure out why I was feeling sick. The reason should have been obvious.
What made me to wonder if I could continue my hike? Find out in my next post at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20....
A trouble lurking in the desert can sneak up on you and cause serious harm before you know it.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
And I've got such a long way to go to make it to the border of Mexico.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
A funny thing happened when I failed to complete a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail in 2023. It gave me confidence to hike the Arizona Trail in 2024. An explanation can be found in the first of my blog posts about the AZT: hikewithgravity.com/hikes/azt-20...
I knew Day 27 on the Appalachian High Route would be a strenuous hike. The trail followed an exceptionally steep, rugged, and sometimes technical path that traversed the top of a narrow ridge.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
My hike of the Appalachian High Route took many unexpected turns. Unsurprisingly, I was met with another change in plans on Day 26.
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After an unplanned zero day, I was back on the Appalachian High Route and hoping to finish in a couple more days. Unexpectedly, the trail was not going to make that easy.
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Sometimes, I have to rely on my instincts. Experience and gut feelings are needed to make decisions.
Sometimes, the decision comes easily.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
My trail guide said there would be no legal campsites for the next 35 miles. Somehow, I managed to find one in that distance, and that wasn't the only nice discovery on Day 22 of my Appalachian High Route hike.
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With 85 miles to go, I set out on Day 21 to finish the Appalachian High Route. It had already been a hike that strayed from what I thought it would be when I started. Now it would be much different.
hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20...
Day 20 of my Appalachian High Route hike was more than just the completion of a 28-mile gap in the Smokies. It resolved a lingering question I had about myself.
Read about the day at hikewithgravity.com/hikes/ahr-20....
Polecat talked for several months about wanting to hike in the Smokies in the winter. I'm unsure exactly why that appealed to him, but he got his chance on Day 19 of our Appalachian High Route hike.
I've hiked enough long-distance trails to know making a schedule with too many details never works. Still, that didn't stop me from planning for a section of the Appalachian High Route.
My plan fell apart before it started.
I had mixed feelings when I left the Appalachian High Route on Day 17. Thankfully, one of those wasn't defeat. I knew I would be back to finish it.
I'm back on track now and will start on July 8 at the Masschussetts state line to hike north to the Canadian border, a distance of about 270 miles.
I was training for the Long Trail in Vermont, which I intended to hike next month. As soon as I felt the pain from the injury, I assumed my hike was over before it started.
Surprisingly, the pain quickly went away.