Average Hiker

May 4, 2022 It was dark as I quietly broke camp and crept down the trail so I would not wake up the other hikers’… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 54 – The Canyon | Average Hiker

May 02, 2022 Breakfast was first on the list, so I headed for Bonita Plaza again and loaded up with carbs and proteins. Breakfast and… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 52 – One Elk Always Watches | Average Hiker

Coyotes kept me up all night, yipping, howling, and even circling my tarptent a few times. They are forever opportunists looking for a light meal… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 51 – One Elk Always Watches | Average Hiker

The Arizona Trail was pretty uneventful today. I was out of camp early and did not see the Hoard much throughout the day. There was… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 50 – Closing in on the Canyon | Average Hiker

Gentle breathing slowly pulled me from a deep sleep, and I opened my eyes to large dark eyes staring down into my shelter. I had… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 49 – Damn Mud! | Average Hiker

April 28, 2022 My little space in the trees seemed home to the area’s Elk. All night, the creatures visited me as they arrived home… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 48 – Feet Pounding Roads | Average Hiker

April 26, 2022 There is not much to say about Flagstaff, mostly because I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express for two days on the… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 47 – Leaving Flagstaff | Average Hiker

April 23, 2022 The weather on the Arizona Trail makes it one of my favorite long-distance hiking trails. Throughout the entire hike, I had one… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 44 – Flagstaff, AZ | Average Hiker

April 23, 2022 Last night I checked my maps and realized I was only about seven miles from the cutoff to Mormon Lake. I was… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 43 – Mormon Lake | Average Hiker

April 22, 2022 On days I hike big miles, it is not usually because I choose to hike them. Instead, I am either motivated by… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 42 – Big Miles! | Average Hiker

April 21, 2022 I had woken up during the night with a giant rock on my head, so I had dosed up on some more… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 41 – The Plateau! | Average Hiker

April 20th, 2022 I groaned as I woke up hacking this morning. My head cold had settled in and was kicking my butt! I took… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 40 – Up to the Plateau | Average Hiker

April 19, 2022 We had an 8 AM shuttle, so Cricket and I were up and hiking by 6:00. Even though we only had 2.2… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 39 – Payson | Average Hiker

April 17, 2022 My sleepy mind acknowledged the whisper of a tarp dropping softly to the ground. I rolled over and cracked my lids to… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 37 – Way, Way Down | Average Hiker

April 16, 2022 My eyes slowly opened with the first distant lighting of the sky. I usually settled to roost when the last light rays… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 36 – New Friends | Average Hiker

I was up and out of camp early this morning, yawning as I stumbled up the trail. Wearing my earplugs had not dulled the snoring… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 35 – Early Stop | Average Hiker

Cricket and I slept in this morning. I woke up and wrote until I heard her stirring and then lay watching and harassing her from… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 34 – Phoenix Resupply | Average Hiker

April 11, 2022 It was only about seven miles to Sunflower, where Cricket and I would get picked up for resupply in Phoenix, so I… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 31 – Run for Food! | Average Hiker

April 10, 2022 I tried to get as much of the soot off this morning as possible but I still had a slight grey cast… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 30 – There is Always Life | Average Hiker

April 9th, 2022 I would be climbing up into the Maztzals, another section ravaged by wildfires in recent years and, like the Superstitions, also being… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 29 – Sleeping In Ash | Average Hiker

April 8, 2022 I was up before the sun rose and sat on my sleeping pad, wiping the sleep from my eyes and watching the… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 28 – Roosevelt Lake Marina | Average Hiker

Today was a tough day of hiking, but the beauty I was rewarded with at the end made it worth the effort. Most days are… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 27 – Stunning Sunset | Average Hiker

April 6, 2022 I woke up at 5:15 and immediately remembered that Jalapenos opened at 5:30 AM for breakfast. Cricket was sound asleep with a… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 26 – New Life | Average Hiker

It was still dark as I watched headlamps bob past our campsite, pausing to flash across our shelters. Hiking starts early in the desert. I… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 25 – Superior | Average Hiker

The desert had begun to heat up, so we were moving early this morning. The cool, crisp desert morning did not last long as the… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 24 – Superstition Mts. | Average Hiker

I can only describe zero days 21 and 22 as mind-numbing – so devoid of any activity that I can honestly not remember much of… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 23 – Mind Numbing | Average Hiker

March 29, 2022 Like lightning, she was off! It was a town day, and Cricket was a woman on a mission. I left about a… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 20 – Kearny, AZ | Average Hiker

March 29, 2022 My knee was stuck to my quilt when I rolled over, and I winced as I pulled it loose, repeating what I… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 18 – Antelope Tank | Average Hiker

Today I invented new knee protection – the Knee skirt. A patent is forthcoming. It is a buff affixed above the knee with Leukotape. The… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 19 – Knee Skirt | Average Hiker

March 28, 2022 The view from the front stoop of our Casita was breathtaking. I crept downstairs and past Cricket’s bed to watch the sun… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 17 – Tough Fall! | Average Hiker

March 27, 2022 I was very quiet when I woke up, quietly packing and creeping around my bedroom. No noises were coming from the house,… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 16 – High Jinks Ranch | Average Hiker

March 26, 2022 Looking through the woods towards the mountain’s east face, I saw the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon. Gold and… Read More »Arizona Trail Day 15 – Trail Angels | Average Hiker