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 […]
Author: cleanshave
Superior, Arizona
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 […]
Hitchhiking to Roosevelt Lake
I woke up in the middle of nowhere and decided to hitchhike. Down the road to Roosevelt Lake where I could finish the leftover pizza still heavy in my pack. Cell service had been faint at best and quickly died off, contributing to the overall sense of quiet. From Roosevelt Lake I hiked up and […]
Tonto Basin, Arizona
A quick story of gluttony. I knew there was a town over the mountain that had pizza, so I ran there as fast as I could. Only I couldn’t resist the siren call of tacos at the town’s edge, plus three big gulp Cokes to get me down the road and out of the heat […]
Superstition Mountains, Arizona
I’ve been pretty dehydrated for the last few days. The farther I walk south the hotter the days and nights become. I don’t want to eat because of the heat and a liter of water isn’t getting me as far as it used to. I ran out of water with nine more miles to go […]
Mazatzal Wilderness
The views are amazing, but it’s a little hot and dry. #AZT #sobo
Hike for Life?
After a brief time alone in the desert to reflect, I only had two unanswered questions. Just because it was possible to hike for the rest of my life, was that what I wanted to do with the time remaining? And, what does carrying a sage bundle say about a person? #gettinglost #AZT #sobo
Pine, Arizona
After helping to prepare the homestead for winter, it was time to say goodbye to family and head back into the mountains. Southbound with no plans. #familytime #goodtimes #wandering #AZT
Tramily on the AZT
Meeting @soulslosher again, a friend hiking the Arizona Trail that I hiked with in 2011, felt like stepping back in time, while also realizing how far we’ve come. Time is fleeting, but the trail remains a constant, molding us into better versions of ourselves. Here’s to our next trail adventure together! #tramily #AZT
Winslow, Arizona
Standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona at 6am on Friday the 13th, the streets were cold and silent. Despite the solitude I had to remind myself to take it easy, to lighten up while I still can. Except I’ve got a world of trouble on my mind. “Oh we got it easy, We oughta […]