Posts about Hiking, page 18 of 37.

Cabin Loop: Return Along the Rim

The steep climb out

An hour after first stopping at the murky pools of Barbership Creek I struggled back to my feet. I had pulled about half a liter from the creek and was done trying to pump more. The sun was beating down through the partly cloudy sky as noon slowly approached. All I wanted was to get back to the rim,…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 31, 2015
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Cabin Loop: U-Bar and Barbershop

Sun falling into the canyon

Cold, damp air kept me snuggled in my old sleeping bag past the sunrise. By the time I finally rose, cooked breakfast, and packed up my gear, daylight was beginning to trickle down into the steep gorge. I tried to suppress my impatience. There was only eighteen miles to cover today and I had all day…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 29, 2015
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Cabin Loop: Fred Haught Trail

A well worn footpath

Munchies and long sips of water helped to strengthen my resolve as I headed north on the Fred Haught Trail. After a tough climb up to the top of the Mogollon Rim I wasn't so sure on my planned 30-odd mile backpack. The food and flat ground helped immensely. My long legs set a good pace, one that I…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 26, 2015
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Cabin Loop: Up the Mogollon Rim

Looking up at the rim

The warm smell of pine rushed around me and filled my mind with dizzying nostalgia. It smelled of home, of the rich forests in the Upper Peninsula, and for a brief moment I was back on the Yellow Dog Plains. Then I was back in reality, back in Arizona, and I reached into the jeep to pull out my…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 21, 2015
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Moonrise Visit to Miner's Needle

Shade falling down Dacite Cliffs

Since moving to Arizona my hikes have taken on a predictable pattern: start in the early morning (sometimes in the predawn), hike until mid-day, and then escape back to civilization before it gets too hot. It's how one rolls when the afternoon temperatures soar into the triple digits and there is no…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted July 4, 2015
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Family Hike on the Hieroglyphic Trail

Hot morning sun over the trail

Katie and I stepped out of the van like a pair of well-oiled machines. She immediately got Noah out of his seat and started applying sunscreen while I took Thomas, our six-month old, and got him situated in the Tula. Within a few minutes the four of us were ready to go, and after a brief distraction…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted June 25, 2015
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Early Morning on Black Top Mesa

Light pollution from Phoenix

Another summer hike with Chris, another predawn stumble down a dusty trail in the Superstitions. We were on the Lost Dutchman, headed towards Parker's Pass from First Water Trailhead, and it was dreadfully early in the morning. There were two reasons for starting so early: I wanted to catch the…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted June 13, 2015
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Grand Canyon: South Kaibab to Bright Angel

Dramatic night sky over Grand Canyon

A cold morning wind rushed up from below and cut deep into my layers of clothes. Cold was weird to experience in Arizona during the month of May. Up here near Flagstaff the nightly temperatures still dipped down to forty, though, enough to justify my shivering. I tried to take a few decent photos of…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted June 1, 2015
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A Hot Climb Up Miner's Needle

On a normal walking path again

A dusty path wound north away from my tired feet. I strode along it, thankful for the flat route and the chance to stretch my legs in a normal walk. For the last few hours I had been bushwhacking up and down Bluff Spring Mountain, over rocks and through prickly brush, and this narrow footpath was a…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted May 12, 2015
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Bluff Spring Mountain

Dim morning light over Perulta Trailhead

It was weird to see sunlight on the hills around Peralta Trailhead. Chris and I had been to here several times before, using the trailhead as an access to the southern lands of the Superstition Wilderness, and each time had been hours before sunrise. Today I stood alone and gazed up the steep,…

  • Category Hiking
  • Posted May 9, 2015
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