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| Hiking | 9.85 Miles |
408 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.85 Miles | 3 Hrs 31 Mns | | 3.11 mph |
| 408 ft AEG | 21 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Robert Burns 
The original plan was to hike two and half days, hiking all of AZT #35 Babbitt Ranch and #36 Coconino Rim. My sweetheart would drive the Suburban, carrying all the food and water, with a bed made up in the back. I would hike along behind, slack-packing. (free-packing?)
We were going to leave six gallons of water in the cache at the trailhead, but then I remembered it was October. "They're just going to freeze is a week or two, anyway," I said to myself. There was already plenty of water (and beer  ), so I only left two, marked "Public use", taking an empty with us.
The first half-day was great hiking weather - a nice breeze, a bit cold, but hey! when one is hiking along, one warms up quickly.
The road was damp from the recent rains, so it made nice walking. It was especially nice when passing vehicles didn't raise a dust cloud!
About 2-3 miles in, we passed a Japanese fellow hiking southbound, carrying a HUGE backpack. He spoke very little English, but mentioned a big thunderstorm a day or two ago. I turned and pointed to Humphreys Peak, and said, "Snow." He looked a little dismayed.
](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") Put the phones in airplane mode!
The road was nice, well marked with AZT carsonites. We booked right along. As it was nearing sunset, we started looking for a place to pull off to the side of the road, and park for the night. We found a nice spot near an unnamed tank, where the road goes under some power lines.
The sunset was beautiful, marred only by the power lines. We ate dinner, and then settled down for "...a long winter's nap." 
About an hour and a half later, I woke to my hip hurting. The futon was kinda thin, and these old bones need lots of padding. "We" rolled over (there is no "I" in that tiny space), and tried going back to sleep. No luck. I laid there for an hour or so, until the other hip started hurting, and gave up trying to sleep. We discussed the plans we had, and what our options were, pros and cons. I finally decided to throw in the towel. We drove back home, sorry to have missed a couple of days of beautiful weather, and wonderful hiking. Next time, we'll take more padding! |
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