Daily Miles: 16.8, Total Miles: 285.3 Only two miles to the Kelvin Bridge this morning and first stop was the county road maintenance yard for water. Thanks, guys! Hiked the new section of the AZT along the Gila River – nice work! Met a few SOBO hikers on the Grand Enchantment Trail (GET) that starts in the Superstition Mountains and ends near Albuquerque NM. I may have to add this one to the list! I left the river and new…

Daily Miles: 22.3, Total Miles: 268.5 A flatter hike today and interesting rock formations in the morning – generally following a powerline north. Then up and down into Ripsey Wash before struggling up “the Big Hill”. Great views following a high ridge and then down towards the Gila River valley. I found a jug of water at a road crossing when just about dry – thanks Kearny! Camping in view of an active copper mine across the valley – I…

Daily miles: 19.4, Total Miles: 246.2 Antelope Peak was the landmark for much of the day. Wildflowers and cactus blooms are plentiful – orange, yellow and purple dominate the landscape. Also, forests of cholla cactus. Parts of the cholla fall to the ground – if you step on them just right or hit it with your hiking pole, they have a tendency to jump up and embed in your appendages. Filtered water at Beehive Tank, and yes, there were lots…

Daily Miles: 20.3, Total Miles: 226.80 My wife dropped me off bright and early at the American Flag TH. I headed off through part of Oracle State Park and then on to Tiger Mine Road. I soon heard bullets zinging from somewhere close by. Someone was having target practice near the road – was I the target? Met a biker coming off the AZT to Tiger Mine Road – he said there was another thru-hiker a few hours ahead. A…

As part of the plan, I was off trail for a few weeks to attend to business and my nephew’s wedding. This allowed me to organize re-supply for the rest of the AZT. I still expect to finish in early May. Everything is packed and ready to go! Mrs. Haze will drive me to Oracle early tomorrow morning to pick up where I left off. The weather has definitely changed the last few weeks – may be a hot start,…

Daily Miles: 15.1, Total Miles: 206.5 Another cold start and nothing open in Summerhaven, elev 8,200 ft. I was hoping for a warm, giant cookie from the Cookie Cabin, our favorite stop. The only person I saw on top was a fireman raising the flag at the Control Road fire station. Kept my warm cap and gloves on for most of the morning while heading down Oracle Ridge. A very different view now looking east towards the San Pedro Valley,…

Daily Miles: 18.7, Total Miles: 191.4 Wow, what a beautiful hike today – almost bit off more than an old man can chew! I got an early start but should have left even earlier, considering the distance and elevation gain. The trail initially headed down to Sycamore Creek. Then across the heads of Bear Canyon and Sabino Canyon towards Pusch Ridge. I took a break at Hutch’s Pool, last visited on a hike down from Mt. Lemmon a long, long…

Daily Miles: 13.3, Total Miles: 172.7 I slackpacked the Catalinas portion of the AZT just prior to starting the AZT at the Mexico border. I have included a post for each of those days. Easy logistics from our place and allowed a bit of conditioning and gear testing. This section bridges the Rincons and Catalinas and my wife joined me today. We started at Redington Road and ended at Prison Camp about ten miles up on the Catalina Highway. At…

Daily Miles: 11.2, Total Miles: 159.4 I’d say the coldest night and morning so far. Eating out of Ziplock bags are a pain but once you pour hot water into the oatmeal, it makes a nice handwarmer! I packed up and went to the water supply pond for the Manning Camp cabin. It was frozen over except at the entrance to the pond. Just enough to filter some good water for the hike down. Climbed to 8,600′ around Mica Mountain…

Daily Miles: 15.8, Total Miles: 148.2 I took a few days off to help my wife with a landscaping project. But very inviting views of the Rincons from our house. I hiked from the Loma Alta TH back to the AZT and Quilter Trail just inside the Saguaro NP East. The Quilter Trail is one of the newly constructed trails on the AZT. This trail shows off some fine examples of the Sonoran desert in early spring. Saguaros, ocotillos leafing…