Speck In The Woods

Gearing up to hit the Arizona Trail, also known as the AZT, in March, 2026.

The AZT is approximately 800 miles with the southern terminus at the Mexico/Arizona border and the northern terminus at the Arizona/Utah border. I will be hiking from south to north, so NOBO in trail terms. The plan is to take 8ish weeks to complete the hike. I’ll be hiking through the Grand Canyon again on this trail from South Rim to North Rim.

I’m excited to have it scheduled. Now to get in shape and prepare all my gear and food.

I’ll be purchasing a new tent since my old one is basically worn out after the Colorado Trail last year. It was a good one, but I’ve simply worn it out. I have a few new items to get so I hope to do a “shakedown” hike maybe sometime in December to test everything.

The elevation map is interesting considering this hike is mostly desert.

I’ll share more once the start date approaches.

Most everyone knows that Colorado is my favorite state (so far) on the planet. So, it’s no surprise that I’d want to hike the Colorado Trail. This trail spans about 500 miles from Denver to Durango. I usually do hikes NOBO, or northbound, but I did this one SOBO, or southbound.

I did the Colorado trail in 2 sections. The first in 2023 from Denver to Monarch Pass. The second in 2024 from Monarch pass to Durango.

This trail holds second place for me in beauty so far. The JMT is my favorite. The views are never ending and it’s literally hard to hike because you just want to stop and take it all in all the time.

The weather on the CT is crazy. You’re at such a high elevation most of the time so it’s very unpredictable. The trail starts at a little over 5,000 feet and ascends to over 13,000 ft. You’re above treeline much of the time. You might be hiking during the day in sunny, 90 degree weather and wake up with frost on your tent in the morning. You could be hiking with no sign of clouds and within 10 mins the skies turn dark and you get pelted with “grapple” (pea-sized hail). Lightening is the worst. You might be the tallest thing on the mountain when you’re above treeline so it’s not very smart to head up the mountain if you know a storm is coming. Because it’s so unpredictable, you try to position yourself where you can get up and over the high point and back down below treeline by noon. Doesn’t always work out though. There are a few days that you’re literally above treeline all day and night.

There are 2 routes you can take from Twin Lakes: Collegiate East or Collegiate West. They both loop back into the common trail but Collegiate East is a tad shorter and is not as difficult and not quite as exposed. Collegiate West is a bit longer, more challenging because of the exposure, but has the better views and scenery. Most people wait until they get to the fork off point to decide the route based on the weather predictions. I chose Collegiate West and the scenery did not disappoint!!!

The small trail towns where I resupplied were delightful. This trail is one I’d do again after bagging some of the ones I haven’t done yet.

Yep. You read that right! If you know, you know! This refers to hiking the Grand Canyon from one rim to the other and back again. It is 24 miles one way. You descend 6,000 feet from the south rim via the South Kaibab trail to the bottom of the canyon where you reach the Colorado River and ascend 4,500 feet to the north rim via North Kaibab trail. Then, to return you descend the 4,500 feet down North Kaibab and can either ascend back up South Kaibab or the Bright Angel Trail which is longer in distance but not quite as steep up. This is what we did to get a different view on the return.

**Just a side note: a mile is 5,280 feet. So for perspective if you look over the edge, the 6,000 feet to the river is over a mile down. That’s waaaay down there. 😳

Danny and I were invited to join our friends Ron and Mitch from TX who have been hiking the Grand Canyon for many years. We had joined them the year before to hike down to Phantom Ranch (a lodge at the bottom of the canyon), spend the night and hike on to the north rim the next day. It was an amazing hike so we decided to do it again. But….this time we would basically double the miles in one day and then turn around and do it again the next day, hence Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim.

Also joining us was Jessica and her friend (friends of Ron), Mogul (a fellow AT hiker) and Lisa (Tex) a mule wrangler that works at the Grand Canyon. Tex was also a fellow AT hiker. She was kind enough to share a lot of history and point out things we would have just walked right by without noticing.

To say this was a challenge would be an understatement. The temperature at the top of the rim was cold and at the bottom it was 100 degrees. It can vary 20-25 degrees between the top and bottom because of the elevation difference. The heat made it tough. Luckily, souzing down in the Colorado River for a while helped to cool us down a bit where we could continue on and make the climb out.

We started in the dark with headlamps around 4:30 am and popped out on the north rim around 6pm. We had spent a little time in the river and having snacks at Phantom Ranch. After arriving at the North Rim, we hitched a ride in the back of a truck to the North Rim Lodge where we got to have a delicious dinner. We were all starving. **Sad to say that the lodge burned down this year when lightning started the Dragon Bravo fire that burned over 145,000 acres. I’m so happy I got to see and enjoy the lodge before its demise.

After dinner we all went to our cabin and we had people sleeping all over the place. In beds and on the floor. We packed everyone in.

You could sign up at the lodge the night before for a shuttle to take you back to the trailhead the next morning but there were limited spots each hour. There were two 4:30 am spots so Tex and I took those and the others came about an hour behind us. We hiked down and relaxed in the river and waited for them there. We arrived back at the south rim around 7:15 that evening. We had done approximately 48 miles down and up and back down and up again in 2 days.

We had camped the night before we began the trek at the south rim campground (Mather Campground) and had left our tents set up so we returned to the campsite for the night, spent the night and headed back to the airport the next morning. Danny and I had visited Sedona for the day before the hike and I wish we had made more time for sightseeing that area. We’ll have to return to do that.

I would do Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim again and again!! I loved it!! The Grand Canyon is one of those places you really must see and even better, hike if you can! It really is GRAND!!

So in 2021, Caitlin (Thumbsucker) and I went back to the Long Trail and started where we left off and finished that dang trail. While we enjoyed hiking together, neither of us really enjoyed this trail. But….we had to finish it!

Starting back at the Hike Inn, we headed out and encountered the same as before—gnarly roots, rocks, slick and sticky mud and straight ups and downs without switchbacks. There were still no views and the trail was not well maintained. We slogged through it though and actually made it to the Canadian border—-the northern terminus—-FINALLY!! It’s done!

I would never do it again, nor would I ever recommend it to anyone to do. Glad it’s done, but now way, no how again! 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

This journey began in 2017 as a “Ride Across Florida” for me and a couple friends from a gym I used to go to. We agreed we’d invite other people along. I invited my cousin, Julie and my daughter-in-law, Jodi. Jim invited his daughter’s mother and father in law, Matt and Vicki, who ride a tandem bike. Jodi couldn’t commit to the whole ride so she joined us for the last day.

We rode from St. Augustine, FL to St. George, Island, FL. The trip was 306 miles and we completed it in 4 days. We had such a great time, we decided we would just continue the ride the following year and make our way to San Diego.

We carried everything we needed on our bikes when we started, but when we picked up in St. George in 2018, we decided to have a SAG carry our gear and equipment.

The group changed. Julie, Jim and I rode every mile from Florida to San Diego, but we had other friends jump in and out for sections. It is hard to take the time away required to ride the distance. We also had 3 different support drivers. Jim’s brother, John, drove the majority of the trip. Vicki and Matt’s daughter drove a small section and Bobby, a friend of Jim’s drove a small section.

Those who joined when they could included John’s son, Ryan; Julie’s friend, Lisa; also Julie’s friend, Lynn; and another tandem couple, friends of Matt and Vicki.

We completed the ride in 2020. We rode through 8 states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The trek was 2,845 miles. We averaged 70 miles/day. We had 40.65 riding days.

It was a fantastic adventure!! There were struggles and mishaps along the way, some of which were flat tires, heat, accidents, etc. However, the beautiful scenery, fun with friends, and the sweet taste of accomplishment made it all worth it.

Just a small photo dump.

All I can say is WOW!!! Just Wow!! What a beautiful world we live in. And I’m so very fortunate to get to see what soooo many people will never see because they aren’t able, in one way or another, to backpack these trails.

This was a thru hike (which means start to finish) of the gorgeous 211 mile JMT. The trail starts in Yosemite Valley and ends at the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. It stands at 14,505 ft. It is rated as a strenuous trail with 47,000 ft. of elevation change with multiple high mountain passes to navigate. It requires a permit to hike which is difficult to obtain. Your application is basically put in a lottery and if your name is drawn you’re given a permit.

There were three of us that agreed to apply together to hike this trail. There’s Caitlin, who I met on the Appalachian Trail, aka Little Seed and Jimmy, aka Wandering, who I also met on the AT at a different time. We applied and Jimmy got drawn, which meant we were all in, so we started our planning. Btw, some people apply for years before getting drawn so we felt very fortunate to get in so soon.

It was 2018. Caitlin was living in New Mexico, Jimmy in NC, and me in GA. We met in CA to begin the hike.

Jimmy and I had met Joe, aka Pilgrim, on the AT. Pilgrim and his wife, Joyce live in CA. They had agreed to take us to the trailhead so we spent the night with them and they dropped us off at Happy Isles Trailhead in Yosemite Valley. Here you camp the first night because you MUST stay at a designated campsite the first night on trail so no overcrowding. After that, you’re free to camp at any designated site. You just, however, always have to have your permit because if a ranger checks and you don’t have it, you will be fined and must get off trail.

We spent our first night at Happy Isles with many other hikers. We met Robert and his wife from CA. Robert was hiking, but his wife was there with him that first night to send him off. We were not assigned the same first night camp spot as Robert, plus the three of us had a permit to climb Half Dome and Robert didn’t, so we planned to meet him down the trail in a couple of days to hike together.

I would give anything if I had blogged day to day activities, but I didn’t. I can tell you, though, that although a very strenuous hike, I will say to this day, it’s the most beautiful hike I’ve done so far. The Colorado Trail is definitely a close second!

This hike went through two national parks and the Ansel Adams Wilderness, along with others.

I struggled with my knee on this hike. It was just before my knee replacement and it gave me fits. But….I was able to complete the trail as planned.

I will forever be grateful to have been able to do this hike with the people I did it with. It is definitely my favorite so far.

Photo Dump

In October of 2017, I got to join my cousin, Julie and my daughter-in-law, Jodi in a crazy fun adventure called 29029. This number represents the height of Mt. Everest. It stands at 29,029 feet. This event took place in Vermont on Stratton Mountain. The challenge was to climb Stratton Mountain 17 times in 24 hours which would be the equivalent of climbing the elevation of Mt. Everest. After each successful climb, we had to burn the logo onto the board by our names. You had completed the challenge when all 17 squares contained the branded logo. I’m happy to say that all three of us completed the challenge. Many people did not! It was tough and the weather wasn’t the greatest but all three of us were pretty determined and all of us are pretty stubborn and don’t give up too easily.

After the event, we got to keep the piece of board with our name and brands. A pretty cool keepsake.

So after Caitlin and I decided to get off the Long Trail in 2017, I came up with a few other adventures along the way, but got lazy about posting. So….the next few posts will be kind of catch up summaries of a few of the things I’ve been up to. I’m getting in gear to hike the Arizona Trail in 2026 (more about that later) so part of this “catching up” is relearning this site and how to post from my phone so I can make posts along the trail.

Day 13:  8/23/17

What a long day. Thumbsucker is having knee problems. I feel good, but we’re both having trouble enjoying this trail. I love the climbs, I hate the descents, I love the rock scrambles, I love the people (but there are none), I hate the mud (which there’s an over abundance of), and she has to be back at work by Sept. 2. We’re thinking there’s no way we can finish by then and from the few people we’ve met going southbound, the green tunnel syndrome doesn’t get any better further north. Supposedly, between here and Canada we get 2 more views. Is it worth the mud slogging and bushwacking? We’re not sure. I keep thinking about all the beautiful views and scenery I would be getting on the JMT. I love backpacking! I love the woods. I love turning a corner in the woods and getting a different view. I love standing on top of a mountain and getting an awe-inspiring view of miles of scenery. I’m getting the backpacking experience. I’m getting the woods. What I’m not getting on this trail is the backpacking community or the views.

Caitlin has decided she isn’t enjoying this trail at all and she’s having trouble with her knee and she doesn’t think we’ll be able to finish before her return date. She would like to hike to Stowe and call it quits. Because of the remoteness and solitude of this trail, I’m not fully comfortable going it alone. If there were a few more hikers out there, I might be. We’re both enjoying our time together; however, we’re not really enjoying the 9-10 hour days of slogging thru the Vermont wilderness and mud. So, we’ve decided to take a zero day in Waitsfield tomorrow and decide whether to continue or discontinue this trek.

Today was an 11.5 mile hike that took us 9 hours. Steep, wet boulders, mud and thick forest. Tidious.

Day 12: 8/22/17

Whaaat?? We actually got a view today. It was actually a peek at a view. Another day of straight ups and straight downs. Still pretty much in the green tunnel. Hiking this trail has been like bushwacking today. The spruce limbs have covered the trail in many places and you have to push them aside to get through or just let them hit you in the face. One positive is that we have a little hint of a spruce smell now which is an enormous improvement as far as our funk goes. Day 7 with no bath—just imagine. We’ve sweated every day. We’ve used deet almost every day. We’ve tromped through mud almost all day everyday. We’ve worn the same clothes and even socks everyday. It’s gonna take quite a scrub or two to get clean.

So we’ve been trying to outrun a thunderstorm all day. I fell again today. Again, I’m fine–it just made me mad. We managed to find a spot to stealth camp. We’re just off in the woods, kind of in a low spot so we put a few logs at the bottom of the hill in front of our tents and we dug a little trench in front of the logs hoping to keep some of the water out. We quickly cooked, ate, hung bags and ducked in just as the rain started. It started as a gentle rain with a little wind and soon turned into a full fledged storm with wind, rain, thunder and lightning. My tent is covered with leaves that have blown up and stuck to it. Will be a fun morning tomorrow cleaning it up. Happily, we have quite a climb (hoping for a view) and then after about 11.5 miles, we’ll hitchhike into Waitsfield where we’ll pick up another resupply. We’ll also spend the night there and get to shower—yay!!!! I’m so excited to get a hot meal, a shower, and a bed. We’re exhausted.