Thursday, October 5th

For the first time on the AZT I saw a sign with the mileage to Mexico. Only 676 miles to go! Pretty exciting if you ask me! I also walked by a fire lookout tower. It would have been very cool to get a view from the tower, but it's not currently in service, so not visit for me. 

I walked 17.8 trail miles today plus an extra mile or two to get back to the trail. I spent the previous night in a motel in Tusayan. I cleaned my gear, washed my clothes, took a shower, shaved, enjoyed dinner at a Mexican food restaurant and a buffet breakfast at the motel. I also scheduled three blog posts using the hotel lobby computer. I was a busy but productive town stop.

I’ve always used a separate MP3 player and wired earbuds to listen to music and podcasts, but this hike I decided to use my AirPods and eliminate the wires. It was working great until I lost my AirPods at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In the past I would have beat myself up over this mishap for a few days, but after the initial shock, I took a deep breath, marked them lost in the Find My app and kept walking. The app shows they are no longer where I lost them (I still have the case). Maybe they will find their way back to me, but if not, you’ll know what to get me for Christmas, lol! I devised a way to strap my phone to my shoulder strap so the speaker is very close to my left ear. It’s fine for listening to podcasts, but does seem to use more battery. Eva is mailing me some wired iPhone earbuds to Flagstaff.

Today I hiked alone and only saw one other hiker going northbound. I’m camped on a plateau and enjoyed a beautiful sunset while writing the blog post. It’s getting dark and cold I can hear elk in the distance. This section of the trail is not particularly beautiful but the hiking is easy and I’m enjoying

Good night everyone. Thanks for following along.

Butterfingers