Daily Miles: 18.4, Total Miles: 137.3 Just had a small cherry pie and leftover trail food and got my earliest start yet from the Stage Stop Motel. A short walk out of town, turned north and headed for the Santa Rita Mountains on FR72. Twelve miles got me to the Walker Basin TH up Temporal Canyon. The dirt road gradually gained elevation but steepened near the TH. Definitely deer hunting season, passing several roadside camps. The SKIT actually takes a…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 118.9 A true zero day with little physical activity. I gave my toe blisters and other aches and pains a chance to heal. The best news today was hearing from my daughter-in-law that the biopsies from her breast cancer surgery last week were all negative. Chemo was tough but hopefully effective. I have been to Patagonia a handful of times in the past 10 years. Every time we have been here, the popular Velvet Elvis…
Daily Miles: 7.0, Total Miles: 118.9 More up and down today than I remembered in the hills coming down to Harshaw Road. Then a few more road miles coming into Patagonia. I had a nice chat with an Aussie AZT hiker. He was surprised to meet a hiker that had lived in Australia three different times and locations including his hometown of Perth. I saw a family of javelina on the way to town. First stop was the post office…
Daily Miles: 17.4, Total Miles: 111.9 A pleasant hike today on the rollercoaster trail through the Canelo Hills on a warm, sunny day. Plenty of water at Middle Canyon Tank, passed at Down Under Tank, and refilled again at some pools near Cott Tank. I met several SOBO AZT hikers today, many of them had switched from the PCT due to fire closures. One hiker described his encounter with a group of illegal immigrants near upcoming Harshaw Road earlier in…
Daily Miles: 18.5, Total Miles: 94.5 I had to put my earplugs in last night, the wind was a bit too much. I woke up during the night to a mysterious light and first thought it to be a bobbing headlamp. But it wasn’t in the direction of the trail. In fact, the light seemed to be in the air off the mountain crest. No noise so not a helicopter, maybe a Border Patrol drone? The morning was cool at…
Daily Miles: 14.3, Total Miles: 76.0 We had a delicious poached egg creation and fruit for breakfast, worth a later than normal start. Mrs. Haze and Ellie joined me for a few miles down the road heading due west to the Huachuca Mountains. They then turned around for a later departure from the B&B. I walked another half-mile or so and the road abruptly turned into a gated, private road with lots of signage. I called Mrs. Haze for help…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 61.7 First up was a great pancake breakfast and a morning dog walk along the San Pedro. Then a short drive to Bisbee, an old mining town near the border with lots of history, old buildings, restored homes on steep hillsides, and now, an active arts scene with a free-spirited vibe. After brats and brew at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company, we returned to the B&B for a much needed nap. Otherwise, popped a big…
Daily Miles: 14.5, Total Miles: 61.7 An owl hooted for hours last night, sometimes getting an answer. I headed out on a bright, sunny morning on a sometimes weed-choked trail. My first destination was the San Pedro House, an historic ranch house restored by the Friends of the San Pedro River. After chatting with the caretaker for a few minutes, I filled up my water bottles and returned to the banks of the river on a well-groomed trail. The SKIT…
Daily Miles: 14.8, Total Miles: 47.2 Just a short stroll this morning on a side trail to the Fairbanks Cemetary on a lonely, rocky knoll. Then on to Fairbanks, a ghost town on the banks of the San Pedro River. Fairbanks was the closest rail stop to Tombstone and it’s silver mining ventures in the 1880’s. Many of the buildings have been restored and I made good use of a picnic table and water spigot. The only person I saw…
Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 32.4 I went to bed pretty tired and sore last night but awoke feeling re-charged this morning. Amazing the body does so much work while you’re sleeping. Close to freezing in the early morning hours – even woke up and put on my jacket. I followed Smith Wash for about ten miles passing by two nearly full stock ponds. I finally got water at Curtis Windmill, converted to solar, at a protected trough that fed…
