That’s the trail. That brush is face high.
AZT Map Miles 469.5
Miles Hiked 459.2
Elevation 5,430 feet
Miles Hiked Today 11.7
Today was another day of big elevation gains. The day started with an ascent of 600 feet. In total there was over 2,000 feet in three climbs where the trail went up. Like yesterday, most of the trail was wider except one descent that did a nail biting, edge of cliff transit. The last climb of the day ended at the summit where I setup camp.
During the day, I lost the trail a couple of times, which really ate into my productive hiking time. The problem is I concentrate on the trail before me and miss sudden turns of the trail. To compensate, I’ve taken to checking my navigation app more frequently.
While hiking one of those cliffside trails today, I came upon a hiker and his dog. Given the condition of the trail (rocks – a lot are sharp and narrow junctions where you sometimes have to jump a sizable gap in the trail) and weather (hot and sunny – no shade), I thought it was cruel having the dog there. The owner even admitted that the dog was stressed. I just don’t understand.
I clearly misjudged badly how long it would take me to get to Oracle where my next resupply is. I’ll have to go into Superior to get more food. At least there are no big ascents tomorrow. There is a 2,000 foot descent though. Sometimes those can be as bad as an ascent depending on trail conditions.
