One Way Ticket to Somewhere

I left the Santa Catalina Mountains and hiked towards mighty Mica Mountain in pretty pleasant weather. Halfway Up Mica is part of Saguaro National Park, but due to its height there isn’t a single saguaro cactus in sight. Its top is covered with pine trees. No views, but a shoe portrait… Near The Top I met a fellow thru-hiker, Draggin’, while taking a break near the end of the grueling 5000 feet climb. He was going a little further that day and I stayed near the top in Manning Camp and had the AZT camping section to myself. Not at camp, but close Hiking down the other side of the mountain I finally found the cacti that gave the National Park it’s name. Saguaro Everywhere  Late afternoon I met up with Draggin’ at Magic Camp, the best trail magic I experienced on the AZT. We each had a huge dinner of several hamburgers and hot dogs, fruit and sweet snacks before I reluctantly hiked on for a few miles to get to Colossal Cave where I camped.  Good Bye, Mica Mountain  My very l...

Kearny turned out to be a very friendly town. The local pizza shop that appeared to be the center of activity actually picked me up from the trailhead (instead of delivering a pizza there). I was really grateful as the town is 7 miles away and the temperature was already approaching 100F. The Center Of Kearny’s Universe I actually wanted to take a zero day, but the only hotel in town was only available for one night, so the next day I went back to the pizza place for lunch and a ride back to the trail.  Kearny’s Copper Mine In The Background  The heat wave was still in full swing and the miles didn’t come easy. When I had climbed a ridge with great views over the copper basin area I set up camp and called it a day. Copper Basin The next morning I met a fellow southbound hiker, Spikes, and we hiked together for some time. This trail had been so incredibly remote that it was only the second time that I hiked with anyone for the 600 miles I’ve been on it. Evening Vibes T...