CrowMac Creek

      The Presidio de Santa Cruz de Terrenate was a Spanish fort built in 1775 in an attempt to offer protection from the Apache. The fort was abandoned in 1780 due to the fact the Apache tenacity.     Yesterday, Amanda, Honey, Jack and I hiked a short 1.5 mile trail to see what remains of this fort after 250 years. And all that remains are parts of adobe walls, and a good story.          You see, the Spanish goals were to capture the Apache, teach them to be good Christians, and to train them to become effective slave labor. At the same time, the true reason for this Spanish conquest, their thirst for gold, continued.     Now the weathered remains of the fort still exist.

     Fairbank is a small Arizona ghost town established in 1881 as the nearest town that processed the ore mined in Tombstone.       Over the next 20 years, the ore ran out in Tombstone, but Fairbank survived with limited residents until the 1970s, when it became abandoned. A number of the old buildings still stand with the school house still standing and in good condition.                                                  Fairbank Jail                                                       Jack cooling himself in the weeds.           Today, visitors can walk the streets of Fairbank, view the old town and see many of the old buildings. For...

I know that successfully training for the Arizona Trail will require increasing my ability to hike 10-12 miles a day with a pack. Today I completed five miles at four miles am hour. Now all I need to do is hike at this rate with a pack for 12 miles.  This tiny stream coming from the last Monsoons and this is the only evidence we have of our tiny deluge. Tomorrow, Friday I hope to hike another 3 miles with Amanda and Honey.  On Monday, I will hike six miles. After that, who knows?

 So, in life, hopes and expectations don't always go the way we want, and my expectations seem to have been a little different than what I received. Amanda told me that she didn't feel comfortable spending the night outdoors in a tent. That's understandable. I grew up with parents who enjoyed camping out and when I was in my twenties and Sandy, my ex, grew up spending time in the outdoors. Amanda didn't have those experiences, so I can't blame her. Camping out can be scary. That being said, Amanda likes the hikes and has volunteered to help Jesse re-supply me. And that is very big. I am prepared. I have often camped by myself, so this is something I can live with. I have the "Far Out" App so I will know where I am on the trail, where I can find water, and decent camping areas. I have a charger to keep all of my electronics working, To back this up, I will have a good GPS unit that will verify what I am finding on the Far Out App.  As long as I get the nece...

  After promising to do everything I can to prevent injuring myself, I took a hike from the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead to the  Arizona Trail only to find that it is not well marked. The trail was carved deep as I walked to the pools under a bridge, watched Jack enjoy himself in the water, and continued on a path that seemed correct, but soon became a countless series of rabbit  paths. I put enough energy into my excursion, to basically over extend myself, then I returned home, and opened Google Maps. The correct trail turned to the right, and as expected, I turned left. I did find one AZ Trail sign . It was just in the wrong place. I did get to see a young (unidentified) hawk . The black spec to the right of the sign is Jack.

 Now, it was probably a good thing that I invited my three wonderful sisters, Alyson, Amy and Emily, who are now horrified that I am planning this hike. I thought that I had planned my this adventure pretty well, but they have brought up some very good thoughts. First, and foremost, they are afraid that I am too old for this excursion. The hike is difficult and promises to be a real challenge. There will be miles and miles of desert as well as mountain ranges to cross. Then Amy, who is a retired Physical Therapist, worries that my hip, which was replaced in 2012 may cause me problems, and realistically, it is a concern. Their real concern is for my dog, Jack, who has been my best friend since I inherited him a year ago. They worry what would happen to him. Their concerns are all well founded and must be addressed. Border Wall One factor that I had overlooked was starting at the Mexican border. Being more cautious now, I looked more carefuly at my plans, and I found that it is not a...

 My focus now is to determine what recipes I will use. The backpacking dehydrated food may be relatively tasty, but it is expensive. In the past I used to dehydrate my own food, but now I don't have a dehydrator. Now, I am asking my Facebook friends to help me out. If you have a suggestion about meal opportunities, please click on the "Comment" link below. Thank you! Later, Friends, Steve 

 I am finally on the path to do those things that I had wanted to do while I was in Kansas. This time I am hoping to hike the Arizona Trail, an 800 mile trek from the Mexican Border to Utah. The last part of the hike will take me through the Grand Canyon. I purchased a camera that will take both pictures and videos which I will publish into this blog. I will be hiking with Amanda, a fellow hiker and a dog owner. In fact, Jack, my dog, feels that Amanda's pooch, Honey, is his girlfriend. Now, she has been unfaithful to him, but he keeps a stiff upper lip, and forgives her.  If you return to this blog, you will see more pics and videos as well as a running commentary of this trip. I've been flirting with the idea of taking this foolishly long hike for months, but I feel good about it. It's not like I'm climbing K-2, but the  hundreds of miles of desert will certainly be a challenge.  The photo shows Jack in the front hogging the camera, honey to the right, obviously no...