One Way Ticket to Somewhere

 After resting for a day at Roosevelt Lake I climbed up Cottonwood Canyon to get into the Superstition Mountains.  Good Bye, Roosevelt Lake! There were still trees (although a large portion of the area burned in 2019), but the vegetation was more and more dominated by cacti and other desert plants. Saguaro “Forest” The trail conditions and water situation remained challenging and I had adjusted my mileage goals per day, so I wouldn’t run out of supplies. The overgrown trail took its toll and my legs and hands got cut up a little more every day. Haymaker, a fellow thru-hiker who I met at Roosevelt, wrote in the trail register: “Destination: Mexico, if I still have enough skin left.” Superstition Mountains  After leaving the Superstitions, I entered an area that is part of the Sonoran Desert. I was greeted by three large rattlesnakes. I saw them very late (both, the snakes and I jumped backwards) and there was definitely no time for pictures, but the encounters made me hike...

  After leaving the urban trails around Flagstaff, I mainly hiked through heavily managed ponderosa pine forest, along or near dirt roads that used to be railroad grades for logging trains. Seasonal lakes like Marshall Lake, where I also camped one night, brought some nice visual changes. Morning At Marshall Lake This continued until I passed massive Mormon Lake and got closer to the Blue Ridge near Mogollon Rim. Another hiker had told me about a fire closure that required a road walk, but when I reached the area the forest service had expanded the closure and I couldn’t easily go around anymore.  Too Close For Comfort A helpful trail angel was onsite and brought the two of us to the small town of Pine where we spent the night. I had planned to stop there anyway as I had sent a resupply package to their small post office. Always A Good Day! Shannon, the trail angel, dropped me off at the other end of the closure the next morning (the other hiker decided to stay in town) ...

  My resupply package was waiting for me at the Grand Canyon post office just as planned. I packed everything into my backpack and left. I chose a slightly different route than the official Arizona Trail to stay near the rim a little longer and explore the areas around Yaki Point and Shoshone Point. Yaki Point Shoshone Point I re-joined the official route at a fire lookout tower that provided nice views over the Coconino Rim. Fire Lookout Coconino Rim The following days were long and relatively hard hiking days as water again became scarce and water sources were an average of 20 miles apart. Setting up in the moonlight  That defined my daily mileage as I didn’t want to carry more than four liters of water on top of everything else. Glorious Sunsets  The landscape was pretty in a low key way, changing from ponderosa pine forest to more open juniper trees and eventually open grassland, perfect for equestrians. Later it was getting mountainous again as I reached the San...