Daily Miles: 20.0, Total Miles: 387.7 I walked up Bursam Road for three miles and joined the Crest Trail which immediately entered the Gila Wilderness and a large burn area. Great water at Bead Spring – much better than the preceding Hobo Spring. Quite a bit of trailwork and clearing has been done to Hummingbird Spring but past that, more downfall across the trail – still quite manageable. A good, steady climb all the way to the summit of Mogollon…

Daily Miles: 16.2, Total Miles: 367.7 A fairly late start for me but I sure slept well. Marianna gave me a ride back to Alma. She’s so nice and I insisted she accept a donation for gas and time. From Alma, I walked almost six miles up Mineral Creek Road to the Mineral Creek TH. The creek had water in it part way up the road. Only one vehicle came up the road during this time and I graciously declined…

Daily Miles: 16.8, Total Miles: 351.5 I got an early start with hopes that the Alma Grill would be open when I arrived. The day started with a continued climb around the south flank of Maple Peak. Largely due to numerous cow paths, I lost the trail several times today. This increased my battle with low hanging tree limbs and shrubs. Now starting to get hazy views of the Mogollon Mountains in New Mexico – must be a fire nearby….

Daily Miles: 17.9, Total Miles: 334.7 I walked down Juan Miller Road past low flowing and cow infested Turkey and Clear Creek. The T Link Ranch on Turkey Creek had no fewer than ten hound dogs all chained to a different tree. They were all vying to be the loudest hound dog in Arizona. I turned southeast at Clear Creek onto a closed 4WD road, much of it on bedrock, that headed to a pass. Wow, this is Wild West…

Daily Miles: 15.0, Total Miles: 316.8 The PO opened at 7am and I picked up my resupply box and a new pair of Brooks Cascadia. My old shoes had a number of miles on them before I started the GET and pretty well used up. Got to my hitching spot on Highway 191N in front of a tire repair place about 8am. Most all mine vehicle traffic although I did have some excitement. After about an hour, a pickup came…

Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 301.8 Lazy, hazy day in Morenci waiting for the PO to be open. Had breakfast, a stroll around town and Starbucks. I talked to family and friends, and went to a horror movie, The Quiet Place, surprisingly good. A bit of a tummy ache from all the popcorn I ate. Post office opens at 7:30am tomorrow and I’ll be there. Tried calling two trail angels mentioned in the GET website for rides back to the…

Daily miles: 0, Total Miles: 301.80 I was bone tired last night but did manage to finish a ribeye at the Morenci Motel. Found out the laundromat was closed down so started my laundry in the sink with hand soap. Not the first time! Huge breakfast this morning at the Miner’s Stop and more hiker chores. Patched the pinhole leak in my air mattress and took a nap. I think it was the biscuits and gravy. I got a tip…

Daily Miles: 15.8, Total Miles: 301.8 My NeoAir sprung a leak last night. Hopefully I can find the hole and patch it up one more time. Another few miles up Eagle Creek, refreshing early in the morning with several more crossings, some thigh deep. Finally turned up dry Knight Creek and had to be on top of my game to pick the right trail. A stop at Cottonwood Spring was a must for me despite the cow activity all the…

Daily Miles: 16.5, Total Miles: 286.0 Owl hoots echoed down the canyon off and on all night long. I awoke early this morning to something sniffing around my head. Did the usual bang on the tent and loud yell and I heard it move away a few feet. I repeated the bang and yell but by the time I got my headlamp out, whatever it was, was long gone. Tough and slow hiking but I got my reward in great…

Most of the morning was spent getting through Safford, across the Gila Valley cotton fields, then up to Solomon Pass. Just beyond the pass, the Freeport McMoran copper mine is expanding adjacent to the GET route along Salt Trap Road. I chased the cows away and filled water bottles at the solar powered well on the Spring Canyon alternative. Shortly thereafter I joined the Safford-Morenci Trail, an old trade route now used for hiking. The route weaved through canyons and…