Thursday, March 22nd - Tuesday, March 27th (McKenna)

Well, I've been mostly in canyons or in such remote areas, I haven't been able to post anything! But for today, Tuesday, March 27th, I'm in Summerhaven for my first "zero day!" Zero days are where you rest. I learned more trail lingo, that "nero days" are when you do less than 5 or so miles...they're near zero days. With internet access here, and an outlet, my last post now has pictures, too.

The AZT guidebook tells me that as of yesterday, arriving in Summerhaven, I had walked 186.7 miles in 13 days. Everyone else I had talked to on the trail had already taken one or more zero days, so I figured it was time. My muscles were still performing, but I could feel the fatigue. Two nights ago, I went to sleep at 6pm, set my alarm for 5am so I could start a really big climb early in the day, but I slept through it and didn't wake until 6. Exhaustion is real. Yet, I am really loving pushing my body to it's limits and experiencing everything nature has to offer!

So, yeah! My mom has joined me again! Last night, when I got into town, I found other thru-hikers (everyone is like a family on the trail), and since Summerhaven has terrible camping options, we opted to splurge on a cabin together. So glad we did, because it snowed last night.

This morning, I made everyone pancakes and bacon, and the other hikers continued on to Oracle. Mom and I are here for one more blissful night in a bed and a shower in the morning!

So, going back a few days...this has been an incredibly difficult section of trail.

Day 9, I had a resupply at Colossal Cave Mountain Park and would be meeting Heidi there. I was down on food because of the resupply coming, so I was SO excited to eat at the terrace cafe advertised on the park's website. I hiked about 5 miles, left the trail to catch the road to the park, arrived and saw the cafe was closed! 😭

I talked to the gift shop cashier, got my resupply boxes (and Heidi's), started my phone charging, and went through our stuff. She arrived a little later, and was walking as if in a lot of pain. This was 5 days after she'd left me in Patagonia, so that wasn't a good sign.

We talked about how it has been and what the plan was for her feet. Even after walking around at Colossal, she got another blister! Time for new footwear. I think she'll be fine now. I hope!

Anyway, we got a ride (and burgers!!) from Laura, a trail angel, back to the trail where I finished my 8 miles to Rincon Creek, the last spot you can really camp before a long section of Saguaro National Park where you need a permit to camp. It's a 5000 foot climb over 12 miles, so I set up camp, called the girls with limited phone service, and headed to bed.

The next morning, I was ready for the challenge ahead.

Or so I thought. Halfway up Mica Mountain, I was ready to cry! It was so hot and dry and exposed and kept going up and up!

My bursitis in my hips was really angry, I had blisters on each heel, my nose hadn't stopped running in 10 days, and I was just so tired. But I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I'd hear Wild Man's voice telling me before I started, "You got this." Or knowing that I came from strong stock and my ancestors would have been proud of me. And also, I didn't want to get in trouble for camping without a permit. Heidi had gotten one for us at Manning Camp, near the peak, but I had known about this stretch for maybe years before doing it, and I was determined to see it through.

Within 8 miles, I had drank 2.5 liters of water and had to refill at a stream. I had lunch and kept climbing, mile after mile.

By 4:30 or so, I had made Manning Camp, but I'd also told other hikers they could use my two permits. One had gone up faster than me and was setting up his tent when I arrived. I had passed two other hikers that were going to be hard pressed to find a spot before dark, so I kept going to try and exit the park before sundown.

From this choice, I earned my trail name: Gone Girl. 😃

I accidentally took a wrong trail on top of Mica Mountain, which added half a mile and some elevation changes I didn't love, but I got back on track and finally, finally started down the other side. It was an incredible sight...and windy!

I went probably another 4 miles before I finally found a tiny flat spot and set up my tent. It was almost dark, and I knew I was really close to the park border, but wasn't sure how much farther. I was also starting to develop some hot spots (pre-blisters) on my feet from the steep downhill, and just needed to call it a day.

In the middle of the night, I was jolted awake by being blown over in my tent by the fierce winds. That's a very startling way to be woken up! All my gear went flying around me. I got out of my tent, righted it, and pulled it snuggly between two bushes so the wind was slightly less. I have had more restful nights.

Day 11 remained windy. 40-50 mph gusts assaulted me once I reached the bottom of the mountain. I just kept my head down and hiked through it, hill after hill, heading for the Santa Catalina mountains, another beast to overcome. Oh, also, due to fatigue I'm sure, I had my first major wipe out. I went down pretty much face-first, and then started to roll off the ledge, but a baby tree caught me. This was the culprit.

I got a little road rash on my hands, a bruised knee, and my shoulder kind of hurt, but all in all, it wasn't bad, lol!

I guess I don't take any pictures that next day. I had a pretty short 9 mile day, crashed at a creek pool, and that was the night I went to bed at 6.

Day 13, I woke early and began the climb toward Summerhaven. It was a 4000 foot gain, but it was cool and breezy. It just didn't compare to Mica Mountain in my mind.

This is day 6 of no shower...🤣
At least I'd been able to do some clothes and body washing here and there in streams.

It was a pleasant and challenging climb.

A school of baby pines...

Anyway, got to Summerhaven, had a delicious cheeseburger, and here we are!

I feel like I could do so many posts on things I don't have pictures of, like the rocks I've collected from each passage I've completed, or "Sticks on the Trail that Look Like Snakes," or "The Songs in My Head," but I think this is good for now.

I guess that's it until I have good service again! Happy to be hiking with my partner again!

Monday, March 19 - Wednesday, March 21 (Heidi)

Miles: 0

I stay at Chris and Mary's place, and although they offer to let me stay as long as I want, eat their food and drink their wine, while they are in Hawaii for ten days, they are too far from town for me to walk if I need anything. I arrange to stay at another Airbnb in Patagonia, so they drop me off on their way to the airport.

I stay with Nancy in a territorial style home where she has lived for forty years. She hand-built the place, including the Adobe bricks with which it is constructed. Time slows down as I nurse my cold and take short barefoot walks around her courtyard to toughen up my feet. By Wednesday I can put my boots on again and I venture into town to pick up some fresh fruit and cough drops. I've been living on my hiker food, so really need something fresh. But my feet give notice after that little excursion that I'm not ready to get back on the trail.

There's another thru hiker staying here who needs to resupply in town, so I give him my leftover hiker food that I won't be able to finish before leaving.

I have made arrangements with a shuttle service to take me to Colossal Cave Park Gift Shop where I'll meet Kenna and pick up our resupply boxes. I then plan to stay near Tucson until next week when I hope to once again join my hiking buddy at Mt. Lemmon, and finally get back on the trail.

Sunday, March 18th - Wednesday, March 21st (McKenna)

(It takes a long time to upload pictures right now, so to save battery life, I'll post them tomorrow at my resupply area when I'll have a charge and better service.)

Days 5 - 8: I'm just too exhausted to post each day separately. Sunday sucked because I lost my partner. It was suddenly a very quiet hike. Not that I've never done solo hikes, this just wasn't the plan.

Saw some wild horses.

Thought I'd camp at the trailhead that we'd planned on, but it came so fast and I still had a lot of energy, so I just went on. Lots of people talk to you when you're alone, like it's such a strange thing to see. I met a few other hikers and answered their questions.

I kept hiking until the sun started to go down. Then I set up camp, sent my GPS notification to family, and started to settle in.

Was about to strip down outside my tent because it's easier, but I did the habitual look around first. A cow was staring at me in anticipation. I waited to change.

That night was really cold. I woke a few times, and realized I was flat on the ground. Somehow I'd punctured my mattress. I blew it up twice more during the night to try and get some sleep.

Day 6, I hiked. A lot. Climbed and climbed. And descended.

Didn't see anyone all day, but I'd already adopted my solo hiking standard - a busy mind. Songs and funny moments, not-so-funny moments and goals ran through my mind at a comfortable pace. My self talk is a good friend to have when my mom isn't my hiking buddy at the moment. I hope she joins me soon.

I make camp at Kentucky Camp, a site we had planned on reaching the next day. It's an historic mining community with about 6 buildings remaining. The host, Steve, was very friendly and had me set up my tent on the porch of the main building because it was really windy and had dropped to the mid 30s the night before.

I did my previous posts and emailed Wild Man who is hiking the Grand Enchantment Trail. I had done almost 16 hard miles that day, so I was pooped. When I was coming back from the outhouse, my headlamp caught the reflection of two eyes under the porch. I thought, "That's either the biggest rat, or the smallest raccoon..." Then it turned around for a second, and I saw it's long ringed tail. It poked it's head back out and I saw clearly my first ringtailed lemur! He was the cutest stinkin' thing! I hoped he wouldn't be a nuisance, and he wasn't. I was coughing so hard that night, getting crap out of my lungs, I wondered about pneumonia for a bit. (Oh, and at a spring tank earlier in the day, I had blown up my mattress and dunked it to find the hole. Fixed it at camp.)

The next morning, Day 7, I woke at 2am, just freezing. I had two Hot Hands left, so I pulled them out and stuck them in my socks because my feet were so cold. At 5am, I woke again because my feet were so hot and my body was in a cold sweat. I was so miserable, I started packing up. By 7am, I was stripping out of layers because it was so hot. When talking with a hiker later that day, temperature control was the one thing I missed.

After 10 miles and it wasn't even noon yet, I ran into another solo female hiker, Cache. We hiked together for a while in a section that was super dry and hot. Thankfully I'd really loaded up my water supply at KY Camp before leaving. It was about 15 miles dry in all. But she and I just kept hiking and hiking, until suddenly, we ran into this!

And about two miles later, 22.5 miles for my day, we found our campsite just as the sun was going down.

My typical nightly set up. And yes, if it's cold, I'll cook right inside my tent.

Day 8. Been on the trail for a full week now, and I can't even wrap my head around it. I was just giving hugs to the girls this morning, it seems! I miss them. I miss my hiking partner who was carrying the other half of this two man tent. But! My cough is better, I have no blisters or tape on my toes, I've lost a little bit of weight, and except for seeing my loved ones, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than what I did that morning - filter water out of a cow tank that smelled of manure.

Put in only about 13 miles today because I was feeling it still from the day before. Hot. Dry. But I went through a tunnel under I-10!

Did some laundry and self cleaning, and now am ready to conk out.

Sunday, March 18 (Heidi)

Trail Miles: 53.1 (McKenna will do more)
Daily Miles: 2 (ditto above)
Starting and Ending Elevation: 4078

We share a bed in a retro trailer refurbished as a studio-size apartment.  Our resupply boxes were waiting for us when we arrived last night, and we start packing our supplies to start what is supposed to be a short, easy day of less than 5 miles.

As we are getting ready to leave, Mike, the owner of this Airbnb property, stops by and gives us a lift to The Gathering Grounds for a hearty breakfast.

We hit the market on the way out of town after breakfast, and pick up something for lunch later on in the day. And then we head out...More road walking. After a couple miles of painful walking, I have to tell McKenna I can't keep going. My feet are just too bad. Before we can even discuss options, a pickup crests the hill and I stick out my thumb. I'm 61 years old and never hitched in my life, but I never even give it a second thought.

This wonderful retired couple says they can not only take me back to town, but I can stay in their private guest casita as long as I need to. McKenna and I quickly exchange the Inreach Garmin that I have been carrying and I give her a 30-second lesson on how to use it, we hug, and say we'll keep in touch, and then I'm off. Without Kenna.

Chris and Mary are wonderful, generous trail angels who tell me to make myself at home. We find we have some things in common, such as the fact that they own the Missoula Montana Holiday Inn. A small world, filled with good people.

I let family and friends know Kenna and I have had to split up, and don't know yet what our plans will be. I'm sad to be off the trail and realize before the night is over that I've also caught McKenna's cold. I hope she's ok.

Saturday, March 17th (McKenna)

Happy St. Patty's Day!
Day 4: We slept really well and got an early start. Ready for Passage 3. Wait, MORE Canelo Hills?? Bleh. But a long grassy savannah is cool. And a small riparian area gave us a glimpse of a coatimundi as it ran across the trail! But then the green went away, and the trail lead us into the most desolate wilderness.

(That's about the spot where I left my poles behind and had to backtrack to get them.)

Then Harshaw Road leading into Patagonia was miserable. Roads are hard on hikers' feet.

But finally! Patagonia, pizza, and a real bed for one night!

Saturday, March 17 (Heidi)

Trail Miles: 51.1
Daily Miles: 16.2
Starting Elevation: 5329
Ending Elevation: 4078

We have decided to start our days earlier, and the alarm tone of Cat Stevens singing "Morning Has Broken" wakes us at 5:30. In preparing for this hike I have made hot cocoa packets which include dark cocoa, powdered sugar, powdered whole milk and heavy cream (the usual ingredients), but also include a chocolate protein powder mix and chocolate Carnation instant breakfast. It mixes with either cold or hot water and we start our day with that. Even if we're not hungry, because...Food Is Fuel!

This will be a long day, but hopefully not a too difficult terrain. Unfortunately, my feet are killing me. We stop for a break and when I take off my boots, I find my right sock is bloody and I have a big problem. Kenna conducts some surgical activities which I can't see (on the bottom of my foot) and then gives me an improvised field dressing. It feels a little better when we head out again.

By the time we are 13 miles into our day we hit the dreaded road walk into Patagonia. Over 2 miles on a busy road and I'm getting slower and slower. The only thing keeping me going is knowing that when we reach town we'll get town food, showers, the opportunity to clean our clothes, and sleep in a bed.

Friday, March 16th (McKenna)

Day 3: Wrong way again! We camped right at a junction, so we missed it in the morning. Oops. It won't be the last time.

Canelo Hills. Ugh. Up and down and up and down. Dry, boring. Hot but breezy.

Too many blisters for Mom. All my toes were taped but one, and that was mostly preventative care.

At the end of the day, we are too exhausted to make our goal, which isn't a big deal. We're flexible...but really stiff at the moment!