All of my blog posts are listed below in order of most recent. Please use the search bar if you're looking for something specific.
Please see the DISCLAIMER before reading any blog posts or trail guides.
Itās the kind of place you might miss if you blink, but the downtown stretch of Piru has a quiet charm; sun-bleached signs, peaceful streets, and a handwritten blackboard outside a little restaurant called Nikkiās Casamia Restaurant & Catering that reads āOpenā and āPupusas.ā
Read MoreThe Condor Trail starts long before the first step. Today, the journey begins on the 5 Freeway, heading north. Two hikers, two separate cars, and four five-gallon buckets of food and supplies.
Read MoreThe morning was filled with eager anticipation, excitement, and a stressful hustle to catch an early flight from Burbank to Redmond, Oregon.
Read MoreWe hiked along two-track roads, followed animal trails through fields of clasping pepperweed, and dealt with numerous barbed wire gates.
Read MoreDay 10 | September 20th, 2023
Throughout the night, the neighbors kept us awake with a cacophony of strange, intermittent noises that resembled the starting and stopping of engines, without any discernible purpose.
Read MoreIntense winds persisted throughout the night, which, coupled with the buzz from soda, beer, and Gatorade, did not lead to a restful sleep.
Read MoreThe day began with a sunrise that rivaled the beauty of the previous evening's sunset.
Read MoreThe damp morning set the tone for our hike as we left the South Steens Campground and made our way along the Big Indian Gorge Trail into the heart of the Steens Mountain Wilderness.
Read MoreThe sunshine and warm, clear weather welcomed us to the Pueblo Mountains.
Read MoreThe day began at the Denio Junction Hotel with breakfast burritos. As we fueled up for the day ahead, the weather predictions loomed over us ā a mix of rain, snow, and winds ranging between 20-40 mph.
Read MoreWe had a late start, leaving the hotel at 11:30 am with heavy packs containing six days' worth of food. Our clothes, still damp from the sink wash, added unnecessary weight.
Read MoreWe ordered breakfast at the diner in Rome Station, then took our meals and resupply boxes outside to the deck to organize and pack.
Read MoreAfter a seven-hour drive to Tucson, a night at a hotel, and a couple of hours unpacking and repacking my backpack, I was finally ready to hike.
Read MoreMy body felt clean and refreshed when I woke up, and Aladdin and I hiked out of town after breakfast.
Read MoreWe entered Saguaro National Park and spent most of the day climbing up and over the Rincon Mountains.
Read MoreI woke up with a bloody nose that soiled the white hotel sheets. It was time for me to go back to trail.
Read MoreI made it in and out of Kearny with ease, thanks to Gary and the Old Time Pizza crew, who make it easy for hikers to get to town and get what they need (which interestingly seems to often involve pizza).
Read MoreFrom the desert canyons, the trail ascended to the higher elevations on the east side of the Superstition Mountains.
Read MoreWe camped at Roosevelt Lake Marina and left as a group in the morning. The day started with a short road walk to reach the AZT Trailhead off of State Route 188.
Read More
