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| Hiking | 10.40 Miles |
1,593 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.40 Miles | 5 Hrs 11 Mns | | 2.14 mph |
| 1,593 ft AEG | 20 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Day 3: AZT #43 NOBO Out-and-Back from Winter Road
An hour drive from the Air-BnB in Kanab to the #43 TH on Winter Road and we were ready to hit the trail. (The 20 mile drive on the gravel Winter Road itself ate up 45 minutes.)
Just as I was locking up the 4Runner to begin our NOBO hike and here comes the SOBO through-hiker we met late in the day yesterday barely a half-mile South of the AZ/UT border terminus.
He didn't have a big pack for much in extra clothing so Tracey asked how he fared overnight, to which he replied it wasn't bad at all with no wind to speak of.
While that would be the last we would see of him, three days from now we will see his fresh boot prints while on our AZT #41 SOBO out-and-back.
Hiking NOBO on #43 was much more enjoyable than yesterday's SOBO from the terminus, probably because we were hiking among trees instead of long open areas of grass. And while our AEG for the day was almost the same as yesterday, I hardly noticed it due to the short ups-and-downs rather than that LONG climb from the terminus.
A short distance from the TH (3/4 mile?) we encountered somewhat recent deadfall on the trail but with only a 20 foot detour it wasn't a big deal.
When we reached our turn-around from yesterday, rather than using the same spot for our lunch break, we headed back seeking our usual 3 requirements... smooth rock to sit on, in-the-shade along with a breeze. It took us a bit longer than expected but it was worth the wait.
During the break, Tracey reached into her front pocket to take a couple pills, only to find they were not there, having found their way through one of two holes in the pocket. Due to being sewn on the inside, the hole wasn't noticeable from the outside.
So... the theme on the return trip was scanning the trail for the trail-colored capsules. Tracey had almost no expectation of locating one or both, particularly after we met two mountain-bikers who may already have ridden over them. But I don't have doubts like that, so for the next three miles I was scanning every inch of the left side of the trail... the left side since the holes were in her right-hand pocket going the other direction.
It was kind of fun trying to determine likely locations, such as when she stopped to adjust her pack or remove debris from her shoe. Some parts of the trail were so rocky it would be near impossible to spot them, but again, I was undaunted.
And guess what?!! As we approached what I felt was the most likely spot, I spotted one of the capsules from a good 20 feet away. Although not much different in color than the surroundings, I was so attuned to what to look for, it seemed to glow. Unfortunately we never found the other, but Tracey wasted no time taking the one we found.
And that would be our excitement for the day... such as it was.
So far, of the first three hikes of our five day hiking adventure this was the most enjoyable.
Temps: 60°/71° |
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