It’s time for a short rest. My toes are sporting all of these odd, red patches, which I’m sure are from walking on the rocks and my hiking shoes. I also have a monster blister on the bottom of one heel. So today I planned a 12-miler to let things heal.
Ed dropped me off where I left off yesterday, then headed back to Pine to hike in to meet me. The first few miles were mostly flat, gravel roads – easy! Things got a little tougher in the mid-miles, with more rocks returning. But nothing like the last few days.
A Short Rest for Lunch
Today’s highlight was lunch. (Aren’t meals always highlights?!) We’d purchased these great sandwiches in town before we hit the trail, and Ed met me right around lunchtime with those yummy treats. There’s nothing like real food! We even had chips and pickles.
We finished the day around 3 p.m., and were even able to give Long-Hauler a hitch into Pine. Unfortunately, his foot/leg are still bothering him. After dropping him off at a motel, we hit the grocery to buy supplies to make hamburgers for dinner tonight, plus sandwiches for tomorrow.
Logistics
The stressful part of the day came at night. The logistics for the next week are tricky. There is a lot of mud and snow up ahead, plus closed fire roads, which I don’t see mentioned in the guidebook. So my plan of Ed driving to trailheads, then hiking in to meet me, doesn’t seem possible every day.
Some people are walking the Lake Mary highway Into Flagstaff because the mud/wet areas are so bad. I’m guessing we will do a combination of both. We will need to talk to the rangers tomorrow to find out what’s possible and what is not.
It’s always an adventure, isn’t it?
Snowshoe
12.3 miles today
424.6 miles to date
375.4 miles to go
