by Paty | Apr 18, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US, Trail Journals
Saturday 4/15/2023 to Monday 4/17/2023 Start: 260 Trailhead End: Payson, Arizona Distance: ~14 miles on the Highline Trail (#31) and Derrick Trail (#33) After getting to the 260 Trailhead on Friday evening and seeing the group of 20-something year olds...
by Paty | Apr 15, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US, Trail Journals
Friday – 4/14/2023 Start: Hilltop west of Dick Williams Creek End: 260 Trailhead Distance: ~17 miles Sadly, I slept for absolute crap last night – even though my campsite was just about as good as it gets. I was perched up on a flat hill east of...
by Paty | Apr 14, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US, Trail Journals
Thursday – 4/13/2023 Start: Chase Creek End: Hilltop west of Dick Williams Creek Distance: 21 miles I definitely didn’t drink enough water during my first day on this trail, and I was paying the price. I was so dehydrated that I woke up near midnight...
by Paty | Apr 13, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US, Trail Journals
Wednesday – 4/12/2023 Start: Pine Trailhead End: Chase Creek Distance: 17.6 miles + 1.6 mile walk out of Payson (19.2 miles total) I just couldn’t get comfortable in the back of the cramped Kia Soul rental car last night, and I spent the night frustrated as...
by Paty | Apr 12, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US, Trail Journals
Tuesday – 4/11/2023 Start: Eugene, OR End: 260 Trailhead (near Payson, AZ) Mileage: 1,200 miles by air + 109 miles by rental car When planning my weeklong getaway to central Arizona this Spring, I knew I wanted two things. The first goal was to feel some warm...
by Paty | Apr 11, 2023 | Highline Trail, Southwest US
My initial introduction to the Highline Trail came during my spring 2022 thru-hike of the Arizona Trail. Somewhere past the AZT’s halfway point, I left the town of Pine and found myself hiking on a lovely trail heading eastbound below the Mogollon Rim. Nearby...
by Paty | Feb 2, 2023 | Camino del Norte, Spain
When you are in the midst of a hiking adventure, you can rarely see the big picture. Only with time, perspective, and a bit of diligent record-keeping does it all come together. This post is a snapshot of what I saw, ate, and did on the Camino del Norte during my 2022...
by Paty | Jan 21, 2023 | Trail Journals, Wind River Range
If you’ve read my trail journals, you know I encountered a fairly scary health issue in 2022. I was on an 8-day hiking and climbing expedition in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. A few days earlier, we’d summited the highest mountain in the state –...
by Paty | Jan 16, 2023 | Camino del Norte, Spain
When it comes to finding your way from Irún to Santiago, modern pilgrims on the Camino Del Norte have a bevy of options. In the past, many people relied solely upon their general sense of direction and the symbols marking the way. But is the simple advice of:...
by Paty | Jan 13, 2023 | Books
Welcome to my fifth annual winter reading list! Each winter, I recommend a few outdoor-related books to keep my friends motivated for the upcoming hiking season. As an avid reader, I enjoy fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and just about everything in between. Yet...
