Mile 363 - Stealth To Mile 383 - Stealth We picked a terrible place to camp last night. It was dark, we were tired, and we were on a tight ridge with only a few feet on either side of the trail. We grabbed the only flat/clear bit of dirt we had seen in miles … Continue reading Day 21. Why we Hike

Mile 341 - Stealth To Mile 363 - Stealth Starting the Mazatzals We're starting possibly the most remote and rugged section of this trail. It will also be our longest stretch of wilderness yet with not even forrest roads through this area. Crossing the East Verde River. "I'm glad this water isn't actually green." Mountains … Continue reading Day 20. Entering the Mazatzal Wilderness

Mile 332 - Pine To Mile 341 - Stealth After another stop at the library this morning, we downloaded the books that Rocket started to her Kindle. Then we hiked across town to the place where Brenda had sent our resupply box containing new shoes for the second half of the trail. We found a … Continue reading Day 19. Transition

Mile 326 - Stealth To Mile 332 - Pine We got up at our usual early time to hurry into town for breakfast. We arrived around 8 in the morning, and headed straight for the nearest restaurant. The Early Bird Cafe has amazing pancakes, if you ever find yourself in the middle of nowhere Arizona. … Continue reading Day 18. Pine

Mile 303 - Stealth To Mile 326 - Stealth Just when we were starting to think we had this section figured out, the trail entered a new area with some amazing canyons. This trail is definitely changing our perspective on Arizona. Obligatory mountain top selfie Fun canyon Good hiking today Sunset

Mile 280 - Stealth To Mile 303 - Stealth The sun came back today. That, plus washer everywhere and fall colors make the trail feel much more familiar. All of this combined with more interesting trails provide a very pleasant hiking day. Back in the forest So much water Milestones

Mile 257 - Stealth To Mile 280 - Stealth Cloudy and cold After fighting the heat for two weeks, we now have the opposite problem. No sun means the trail remains soggy. On days like this it is easy to view the hike as just a series of difficult links between town destinations. We're trying … Continue reading Day 15. Weather

Mile 235 - Stealth To Mile 257 - Stealth I wasn't sure what to write for today, so my dad told me to write about mud since that's what we walked in all day. Here you go. Soggy Hiking in Ver(mud)mont consisted mostly of trudging through knee deep mud and puddles with no way around. … Continue reading Day 14. Mud

Mile 4.7 (passage 33) Flagstaff To Mile 235 - Stealth It is bittersweet to leave the comforts of town for the discomforts of the trail. We're excited to be moving forward, but knowing we will miss the comfy hotel room and abundant food. Our next water is in 33 miles so we calculated how far … Continue reading Day 13. Leaving Town

Mile 191 - Stealth To Mile 4.7 (passage 33) Flagstaff We used the urban alternate which goes right through town We planned yesterday to try and get to town before noon, meaning we had to start walking at five. Nothing interesting happened for a few hours, we just walked in the dark until 7. A … Continue reading Day 12. Flagstaff