My most comfortable but heavier ULA Catalyst pack was worn out and then absolutely destroyed by the Hayduke. Happy with the 4,000+ miles especially considering it was dropped from heights and pulled up over rocks and canyon walls. My more delicate Zpacks Arc Blast lasted through the CDT despite being chewed up by rodents. I then heavily patched it up and used it on the GET – pretty much shredded fiber by the end. But still, not a bad life…
The Mogollon Rim is a topographical and geologic feature cutting across northern Arizona starting in Yavapai County and trending eastward., ending near the New Mexico border. The Rim also defines the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau. North of the uplifted sandstone and limestone escarpment is forest, canyon and lake country, while to the south, a transition to high desert. The 500-mile Mogollon Rim Trail’s (MRT) western terminus is Sycamore Canyn near Cottonwood AZ. The MRT then points east through…
I won’t dwell on current events but it’s been a difficult, trying and challenging time for everyone. Let’s hope that 2021 brings peace, good health, a vaccine that works and some sense of normalcy. We had to cancel or at least postpone our Cotswold Hike in England this year for obvious reasons. We did manage to get away in the summer for a really nice camping/day hiking journey. Stops along Arizona’s Mogollon Rim, several Colorado lakes, Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and…
We had a quite a busy summer after I finished the Hayduke Trail in late May. Mrs. Haze and I hosted our kids and grandkids in Driggs, Idaho for a couple of weeks. Spoiling grandchildren, hiking and fishing -the little cousins had a ball! Mrs. Haze and I then set off to explore a couple of places we have long had on our list . The Ruby Mountains outside of Elko, Nevada and Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada…
The morning after I finished my HDT hike at the South Rim, I had breakfast at the El Tovar Lodge. Prime rib hash with eggs, the same breakfast I had here on the AZT in 2012. What a memory and what a tasty meal! Mrs. Haze got me safely back to Tucson with a refueling stop in Flagstaff. Had the official weigh-in and lost the usual 25 pounds – will try to keep some of it off this time. I…
Daily Miles: 17.8, Total Miles: 656.6 I woke up at 3am and was unable to get back to sleep. Had a rare second cup of coffee. With an early start, I may get to the South Rim today. As it turned out, I was hiking along the same contour almost all the way to the South Kaibab Trail. Relatively flat, except dipping into and out of drainages. Got my last good views of the Colorado River far below and my…
Daily Miles: 16.0, Total Miles: 638.8 Gusty winds last night covered my tent and everything else with fine sand. I was even spitting grit out of my mouth during the night. That’s the payback for sleeping on a dry sandbar. A slow start to the day picking my way alongside the Colorado River including a steep descent to Papago Creek. Then having to solve the puzzle of a near vertical rock face, a Class 3 scramble with just enough handholds….
Daily Miles: 11.9, Total Miles: 622.8 Sleeping next to Lava Rapids was more than white noise – more like a freight train. But I still slept well. I got an early start and continued downriver on the Beamer Trail. The next river access point was Tanner Rapids, where I filtered another liter of water. As I was leaving, I heard my name being called from the middle of the river and people waving from a raft. My new friends and…
Daily Miles: 15.8, Total Miles: 610.9 The ankle is sore, tender and feels even more unstable than usual. What can I do but take ibuprofen, wrap the ankle up tight and just walk carefully? The uneven river bottoms, faint and sloping trails and bushwhacking aren’t helping. I put my head down and tried to find the best path down the mighty Colorado River to near the confluence with the Colorado River. There was a use trail for the first four…
Daily Miles: 12.1, Total Miles: 595.1 Lori picked me up at 9:30am and I was on the trail two hours later. The Saddle Mountain TH is 23 miles off of Highway 89a on FR8910, also called Buffalo Ranch Road. The dirt road was in good shape considering the weather this past week. I climbed about 1,000 ft over 3.5 miles to the top of a saddle and met the Nankoweap Trail. NPS calls the Nankoweap Trail the most difficult trail…
