Silhouetted Trees Under Sunset Cloud

Adjusting to 100 Miles of Trail

Silhouetted Trees Under Sunset Cloud

Chapter 5

My days were becoming more euphoric. The stresses of preparation that I had carried onto the trail were beginning to fade. I had learned how to cope with my (relatively) abundant array of electronics and was feeling good about it. The days were open and free. I seemed to have a perfect amount of delicious trail food that didn’t need cooking, and I had just enough to get me to the next stop – an average of about four days.… Keep reading...

Mount Wrightson Above Foothills

Searching for the Boss

Mount Wrightson Above Foothills

Chapter 4

The Santa Rita Mountains are an underrated mountain range. They can be seen from dozens of miles around, but the draw of a national park directly to its north tends to lure visitors away. They hold a secret though. A secret that crawls through the most remote parts of the forests, avoiding the few visitors that hike the trails, and lives a lonely life of solitude.… Keep reading...

Southern Arizona Sky Islands

The Nature of Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona Sky Islands

Chapter 3

There’s no better way to usher in a long-distance thru-hike than by entering a National Park Service entity that leads directly into a designated Wilderness Area. Two very well preserved areas rising in a mountain wilderness above an undisturbed desert vastness extending into Mexico. A sky island secretly hiding forests, snow, wildlife, and many others treasures that wouldn’t survive at its base.… Keep reading...

Storm Clouds over Desert Mountains

What Was I Doing Out Here?

Storm Clouds over Desert Mountains

Chapter 1

I was alone. More alone than I could have ever imagined. I was hopelessly alone in an unfamiliar desert. All I wanted in that moment was to feel loved, but I was completely cut off from the civilized world. This was a new version of loneliness for me. It was so bad I was now getting bored of talking to myself.… Keep reading...