Daily Miles: 14.0, Total Miles: 210.0 After a couple of zero days, some good meals, catching up with Mrs. Haze and Ellie, and watching my grandson’s last baseball game of the season, Mrs. Haze drove me back to Loma Alta TH and walked with me for a few miles. I re-joined the SKIT/AZT at the Quilter Trail junction and immediately started gaining elevation into the Rincons. I’ve always liked this trail for good views of Rincon Peak and back towards…

Daily Miles: 7.2, Total Miles: 196.0 Only a short distance to the boundary of Saguaro National Park East but first had to deal with a stubborn, coiled rattlesnake smack dab in the middle of the trail. With a few well-placed pebbles, I encouraged the rattler to exit well off the trail. The next hiker or biker that came along may not get a warning. Once inside the Park, I crossed usually dry Rincon Creek and found it trickling along. At…

Daily Miles: 20.4, Total Miles: 188.8 Beautiful sunrise from my tent on a small hill. A little cloud cover gave the skies some color as well as cooling the morning a bit. In the short section to Sahuarita Road, I met two AZT hikers and one group of 20 mountain bikers. There was a bear box full of water jugs at the road crossing which was much appreciated. With the Rincon Mountains looming larger and larger, I continued on through…

Daily Miles: 14.6, Total Miles: 168.4 My Zpacks sleeping bag zipper completely broke (again) while I was attempting a short-term fix. I once again will use the bag as a quilt – works OK until it gets real cold. Pretty much all day heading north along the Santa Rita foothills on a warm, sunny day. The terrain changing more to desert by the end. Found a nice cache of water jugs at Helvita Road and stopped for a long break…

Daily Miles: 16.5, Total Miles: 153.8 I awoke to the sound of truck engines. Then a few minutes later, a couple of headlamps bobbing up the trail. A few deer hunters wanting to get into position before daylight. They walked within 15 feet of me and never saw me – maybe the deer are safe. A combination of old mining roads and trails got me to Kentucky Camp, an old mining camp converted again to cabins rented out by the…

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…