Daily Miles: 23.8, Total Miles: 792.4 A turkey started gobbling about the time the moon set at 4:30am – seemed to be circling around me. Hard to believe this hike is coming to a close. My head says keep going but my legs say it’s time for a rest. I saw several more mulies heading down through the forest to Hwy 89A. I decided that I must have a proper breakfast and get a water refill at the Jacob Lake…

Daily Miles: 26.6, Total Miles: 768.6 I filled up on the cold and clear water from Crystal Spring this morning. Within a few miles, had nice views from the East Rim. Fairly easy hiking through the woods and meadows today. Got a bit more water from Crane Lake later in the day before entering a burn area for most of the afternoon. Saw several groups of mule deer – seemed like on every turn late in the day. I camped…

Daily Miles: 24.3, Total Miles: 742.0 Warmest night so far – mostly slept in the bag liner. Early morning in the canyon is pretty special! Since the North Rim is closed until May 15, I had the hike up to the North Rim on the North Kaibab Trail all to myself – gorgeous views up to both rims with the sun up and morning sunlight. A special treat was getting to the North Rim and looking back across and seeing…

Daily Miles: 14.7, Total Miles: 717.7 Big bull elk were strolling through Betty and Johnathon’s front yard this morning. Thanks again and have fun with the new house! I noticed that the NPS no longer allows the sale of bottled water but now provides a water filling station at the trailheads. After 700 miles of hiking through beautiful country, there is nothing that quite compares to the awe-inspiring views of the Grand Canyon. I have hiked this trail several times…

Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 703.0 Betty suggested El Tovar for breakfast and it did not disappoint – the prime rib hash and eggs were delicious! I took the shuttle bus out to Hermit’s Point with several stops and short hikes. I walked the Trail of Times on the South Rim which was a great pictorial of geologic history in the Canyon. I also checked out the Visitors Center and GC movie. Other than that, I felt like a Grand…

Daily Miles: 9.0, Total Miles: 703.0 A quick nine-mile hike to the Kaibab TH and then a bus into Grand Canyon Village. I have been offered a place to stay and help in getting a permit by wonderful trail angels, Betty and Johnathon U., who are avid hikers themselves. Got my clothes and myself cleaned up and had a great chili dinner with Betty. I play the tourist tomorrow on a zero day as my camping permit in the canyon…

Daily Miles: 25.5, Total Miles: 694.0 Up early for the hike into Tusayan – about an hour down the trail, I ran into BDD packing up. We hiked together to Grandview Tower, a lookout tower in the Kaibab NF built by the CCC in 1936. I had a relaxing lunch and discovered that BDD also had twins and a wife who was a Master Gardener! We got into Tusayan by 4pm, stayed at the Red Feather and had dinner at…

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…

Daily Miles: 25.5, Total Miles: 639.9 I fairly quickly descended almost 3,000 ft through patchy snow and aspen groves down to the Coconino Plateau and Babbitt Ranch, one of only three private properties along the AZT. Land of juniper and pinion pine – I passed several dry dirt tanks. A pick-up stopped by me near Tub Ranch. The driver didn’t have water but did offer a cold beer – he already had one in his lap. So we had a…

Daily Miles: 28.3, Total Miles: 614.4 Chilly this morning but bright and sunny today – a far cry from yesterday. Once I got out of Flagstaff and above Buffalo Park, the snow and rain yesterday made for a muddy trail. Quite a few hikers and bikers towards Shultz Pass until I got along the flanks of the San Francisco Peaks. I met Steve and Laura, both hiking an AZT section. They had been caught in the storm yesterday and had…