AZT Day 40: Babbitt Ranch to Coconino Rim

Daily Miles: 28.6, Total Miles: 668.5

I saw three more elk running along ahead of me this morning.

Much of today was relatively flat and road walking. A rare day for me to crank up the iPod while hiking but helped on a big mileage day, at least for me. Also rare that I didn’t use my hiking poles for most of the day.

Passed a few more dry or low tanks.

Eventually I made it to Lockwood Tank. I thought, wow, great, there is a few feet of muddy water in this tank. But, wait a minute, there is a seemingly angry herd of young bulls stomping the ground with a pair of them fighting it out, blocking access to the tank.

I decided that Russell Tank, only another 14 miles down the trail may have better water – and no bulls.

I limped into Russell Tank with a few sips left. While filtering, BDD showed up – I had passed him somewhere without either of us noticing. We hiked together for a bit before I found a perfect camping spot.