Trail Time

The tag line on my blog is: Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. This is how thur-hikers think about time, distance and getting where they want to go. Sunrise and sunset provide the rhythm of life on trail. 12 by 12 is the goal of hiking twelve miles by noon. Hiker midnight is 9 pm. A web master is the early riser who is on trail first and clears the spider webs crossing the trail. Breakfast, lunch and dinner time are not dictated by hunger, thru-hikers are always hungry, but access to water, availability of shade, someplace comfortable to sit, miles hiked or left to hike, temperature, bugs, or the possibility of a view or cell service over that next hill!

But getting to and from the trail is a reminder that the rest of the world does not operate on thru-hiker time. Planes board on time...usually. Buses run on a fixed schedule. Motel check-in isn't until 3 pm. Post offices have limited hours on Saturday and are closed on Sundays, restaurants and stores in small towns close too early, and the library computers in Page, Arizona where I am writing this post have a limit of 15 minutes per day for guest users!

The shuttle I took from Vegas to Page had a departure time of 5:30 am and I received multiple emails and texts confirming the time with the message: DON’T BE LATE. THE BUS WON’T WAIT! I set the alarm on my phone and requested a wake up call to make sure I wasn’t late. I was on time. THE BUS WAS LATE! But I waited, it eventually arrived, and we were on our way! It turns out my shuttle was provided by a tour bus company and their main gig is tours to various locations near the Grand Canyon. My bus was going to Antelope Canyons and was only stopping in Page for 4 AZT hikers on board. For over 5 hours, I enjoyed the entertaining information by Ita, our tour guild as we drove 300 miles in three states: Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

Because the bus was running late the driver drove right past Page so the 38 other people on the bus wouldn't miss their first scheduled tour and box lunch. After they dropped everyone off , the driver took us hikers back to Page and dropped us anywhere we wanted as a way of thanking us for our patience.

After dropping my gear at the Motel 6, I had some lunch and am now sitting at the library enjoying the air conditioning and using a computer. And since I asked so nicely for extra time, the librarian added an extra hour to my 15 minutes which is why this blog post is soooo looong. Which reminds me...my wife was a reference librarian when I first met her and decided to check her out! 😂 

After my time is up at the library, I'll walk to the local BBQ and have some pork, beans and slaw. All, you guessed it, gluten free. Then I'll stop at the grocery store for cheese and walk the 1.6  miles back to the Motel 6. My to do list for the evening includes making sure my iPhone, AirPods, and Garmin Mini are fully charged, clipping my toenails, and making sure I'm packed and ready for my 5:30 am shuttle tomorrow morning to the northern terminus of the Arizona Trail. My motel is less than a mile from the McDonalds so a milkshake could be on the list too. 

I am both nervous and excited about starting my hike tomorrow, which apparently is a recipe for oversharing. I've got 5 minutes left of computer time. What should I write about now?  

Thanks for following along,

Loren