The transition between trails is the hardest part of life, where dips into society are the fading norm, and life outside is becoming the foundation. Forty days. Forty nights. Done. The Catalina Highway unspooling below me, down into Tucson, and with it the slow return of everything I’d left behind… the noise of traffic, the […]
Tag: Tucson
Sabino Canyon, Tucson, AZ
The end is important in all things. I took the shuttle to the bottom of Sabino Canyon, spending way too much time charging my phone and drinking milk at the closest supermarket. I packed out another half gallon like it was the source of life, and climbed Sabino Canyon on foot. Cyclists lined up at […]
Romero Pools
Mileage that took three hours to run in, took four days to retrace on the way out of Oro Valley. The first night I’d slipped behind the glow of In-N-Out and disappeared into Big Wash, cowboy camped in the quiet of a place not meant for staying. Then somewhere above Catalina State Park, I stopped […]
Romero Pools, Tucson, Arizona
Pusch Ridge looms majestically over Tucson and the sprawling desert as a defining feature of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Its lower slopes are adorned with iconic saguaro cacti, while its higher elevations are shrouded in the deep green of Douglas-fir trees. It was the ideal sanctuary to bask in nature’s beauty while waiting for my […]
New Beginnings at the End of the AZT
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 […]
Plans Change on the AZT
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 […]
Tucson to Colossal Cave Mountain Park
It took a lot longer to walk out of Tucson than I thought, but I had some encouragement along the way. Only about 100 miles left, the next three or four days will be spent crossing the desert to Patagonia, my last town stop before the border. I think. I haven’t really looked at the […]
Into Tucson on the AZT
Behind the Tent Door, sounds like a movie title #AZT #sobo