I left camp and immediately began walking the wrong direction. Luckily I realized it within a half mile and got back on track, but it was not a good way to begin the day. The first half of the day was spent meandering the hills along the Gila River. A river I have seen and crossed many times. Before leaving the river I had to fill up for the dry stretch ahead. For this source, that meant filtering a couple liters. Unfortunately with my worn out filter (6 years old) and the extremely muddy water, it took quite a while to filter the water. It was an unneeded break and the squeezing needed to filter the water actually made my hands cramp up. Then on the climb up into the mountains I saw a couple hiker. We talked for almost a half hour before I needed to climb up the hot hills. The weather topped 80 and it felt nice, despite the curiosity about the usability of the water sources ahead. Every section has its own challenges and water is the current one. Most hikers are surprised to see me hiking north on the Arizona Trail, as I will be hiking into winter around Flagstaff. It should be interesting how the snow situation looks in just 150 Miles. Snow challenges are some of my most enjoyable. I love the challenge of staying warm, navigating and enduring the unknowns of Mother Nature. Desert hiking on the other hand is harder to embrace despite the ability to do bigger and faster miles. I hiked pretty late into this the evening and me a coyote on the trail after dark. Compared to the usual fear wild animals show, this one just stared at me as I went by. I put a couple miles between me and him before camping.
Miles 40
Total miles 6187
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