Hiking Dude Blog

The view ahead. I'm heading into the flattopped mesa country tomorrow. The differing environments have been great to traverse.

big fire in Mazatzal wilderness.
We're almost to the top at 7162 feet.

I walked 45651 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 14 miles today.
You may notice I took a lot of steps for the miles today. That's due to my detour after the Jackalope.
We got a nice length of smooth trail and got to a nice campsite where we met Theopholis and Theadora. We had a nice visit with them and decided to cut our day a bit short. Tomorrow will be a long, difficult day with tons of uphill and rough trail. At least we had plenty of water today.
I didn't hit the 400 mile mark today, but tomorrow will do it.

(read the previous post before this one)
While following the tracks, we noticed many trees like this one that had been clawed down.
We soon found a rancher and asked about the tracks. He let us know that they were made by the meanest, orneriest, thieving varmint in Arizona - the Jackalope. He also said they often steal Easter eggs, toys, trinkets, and tools.
Wo, we tracked him nearly 2 miles until we finally found my Spot caught on the end of a prickly thorn bush. We never did find the jackalope.
It took us another couple miles to get back to the trail and continue on our way.
If you're ever in this area, don't leave your gear unattended!
Check out my current location on the map.

This was the strangest Easter ever. I don't expect many of you to believe me, but I'll tell you anyway.
While hiking north of Sunflower, AZ I stopped to get some badly needed water as you can see in this picture. PapaBear was taking the photo so no one was watching our packs - bad mistake. Just as I finished filling my water bag, I heard some rustling by our packs.
I looked up and saw a flash of orange as some animal took off through the bush with my Spot tracking device. You can see the track of this date - Check out my current location on the map..
Not wanting to continue the hike without my Spot for emergencies, we took off following the tracks. This took us way off route as the map shows.
Check out the next post to find out what happened.

Up at 5 so we can hike early and long today. It's 27 miles to the next water so we won't get there today but we 'll get as close as we can. That means loading heavy with water now for a long, heavy hike.
Even though the elevation is low, the temp is just 28 this a.m. But, I hax my best night's rest so far.
Here we go!
Check out my current location on the map.
Remember you can click pics in these posts to see the fullsize image.

I walked 52982 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 23 miles today.
Thanks to 10 easy miles on forest road, we reached Sycamore Creek tonight with an hour of daylight. That made it easier to set up camp, get water, and cook dinner. It's still a very short evening and I'm in my bed now before 9pm. But, since hiking starts again by 6:30 in the morning, the rest is needed.
There was some awful overgrowth on the trail yesterday and today, making it very tough going much of the time. Unfortunately, it sounds like the Matzatal Wilderness is worse and we hit it tomorrow.
If all goes well tomorrow, I should cross the 400mile mark.

Well, at least I know AZ has some good shots and they can hit a sign.
I followed the tracks of an elk for a few hours through the Four Peaks Wilderness, but never saw it. High hopes for viewing elk past Flagstaff. Today, the goal is Sycamore Creek and good water!

I walked 41713 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 16.5 miles today.
After two long hike days, we kept today a bit shorter. It wasn't easy, though. There was over 3000ft of elevation and we're camped at over a mile high. The temp is down to 37 and it's just 8pm so I get to find out how well my quilt works.
Camp is on the only slightly level place around this entire mountain we've climbed. There's no room to set up tents so we are sleeping open to the stars and critters.
I'm just about in the middle of the Four Peaks Wilderness. Tomorrow, Pigeon Spring is 5 miles down the trail and our best bet for water. If it's dry, we may need to hike with no water for another 10 miles.
I've been using the solar charger provided by Northern Star Council to keep this phone going and it has worked wonderfully. Arizona is a perfect place for solar!
Also, I've gotten some fun pics of myself by attaching my Stick Pic to my trek pole - but I'll have to post those later.

we packed up and were on our way when Ben asked if we'd like some breakfast. Well, what self-respecting thru-hiker would ever turn down a meal?
So, here I am having bacon and eggs on the beach beside a beautiful lake, in the desert, with the sun just rising. Oh, the people you meet!
Ben lives here out of his little pick-up, enjoying life fishing and chatting with his neighbors. I could think of a lot worse ways to live out a life.
Check out my current location on the map.