Timeline

Eyes open. Darkness. I’m completely underneath the down quilt. I poke my eyes out of the warmth, and I see that the condensation on the inner wall of the tent has frozen.

Some has collected on the foot box, but not enough to wet the down feathers. It’s 6:45. The sun has risen, it’s time to get up.

There’s full LTE coverage at this campsite, and for most of the surrounding area. I am tickled pink when there’s data coverage on the trail.

It feels so remote, but I could still make a video call were it necessary.

I camped on a weaving trail with a cloudy sky overhead; I awoke to a haunted forest fog. Hail fell intermittently, spattering the tent with a pleasant sound.

During the night, I decided my mountain lion friend is named Cedrick. My first thought when I heard the hail was that Cedrick was urinating on the tent to taunt me.

I started at the northern terminus at noon, and started the first uphill climb. I didn’t know what to expect, but thus far,

the Arizona Trail has easy and well marked terrain. I found the 1900 ft elevation to be relatively easy.