A wounded animal, Seeks sustenance, To heal echoes of damage, Lingering from time immemorial. Crossing the barren desert, The abomination of desolation, This pagan offering, Knelt before the temple of the goddess, And wept at her acceptance. Healed on her altar, Through the supreme power embodied in the feminine, The Great Rite unfolds. A holy […]
Middle of the night, middle of nowhere, I find myself between trails, at a Circle K high on the wind swept plains, deep in the heart of the Arizona Painted Desert. These intervals between trails provide a precious opportunity to reconnect with some of my favorite people, to help out with projects around Tiny Thorn […]
In these final days on the Arizona Trail, I had the pleasure of hiking with @socotoshowco for a few miles, someone I haven’t seen in years. I weaved back and forth along the trail as I awaited my bus. The upcoming walk from Vail into Tucson, then onward to Phoenix for a layover, marks a […]
Rain fell from the cloudless sky as I lay awake, gazing at the twinkling stars. There had been no rain predicted, not the slightest chance of showers, and yet, within a half hour the stars were hidden behind a thick canopy of dark clouds. I fell asleep thinking it would be a passing shower. But […]
Gratitude washed over me as the sun reclaimed the Santa Catalina Mountains. The persistent chill and dampness had worn on me, prompting daydreams of warmer, heavier gear. On a cold and breezy morning descent from Mt. Lemmon, my focus wasn’t on miles but on descending to Hutch’s Pool. I yearned to warm up, spread out […]
Embarking on the cold, wet, and foggy ascent along Oracle Ridge, too late in the night, I nestle into tall grass, once again seeking refuge under a perpetually damp poncho. High above the arid landscape, the town of Summerhaven faces a water shortage, a challenge underscored by the lack of monsoon rains in the larger […]
Resting under Oracle’s skies for three nights, beneath my poncho, amidst rain, thunder, and lightning. Javelinas stirring in the night, my mind racing, fueled by Dollar Store energy shots on the hike towards new shoes. My body urged me to seek solace in the trail. To keep moving in a dance of exercise-induced neurogenesis, while […]
Writing on the fly, Thumbs dancing on the phone, Battery dwindling fast, A guerrilla in the hills, Poncho-shielded, awaiting resupply. #goingnowhere
Hiked the soles off my shoes and I didn’t realize it until after walking the white line out of Kearney. Choosing the road walk through two towns I’d never seen rather than the section of the Arizona Trail I’d already hiked. Through Winkleman and Mammoth, where my hope had been to hike Aravaipa Canyon while […]
Under the scorching Arizona sun, I trudged into Superior for a half gallon of milk, a DIY haircut, and both a shower and laundry at the house of legendary trail angel MJ, the Purple Angel. When it came time to leave, I was less than excited to get back on the trail. The heat had […]
