Curmudgeon and The Little Frenchman
Trail Friends!
Curmudgeon has been on the AZ Trail for 12 days. The first four days were a struggle. He was in the mountains and carrying too much weight. He had packed two weeks' worth of food, but typically, he only carries five days' supply. He wasn’t sure where the off-trails to a town would be or how far off the main trail he’d have to hike to get to the nearest one.
Pine, AZ, was his first stop. He ran into his fellow hiker, “The Little Frenchman” (his trail name). They had hiked together the day before. The Little Frenchman had gotten off the trail to take off a couple of days. He had a hotel room and offered Tim a shower. It had been five days, so Tim was very glad to get the opportunity to clean up.
He found a laundromat and clean clothes were a welcome change! There was a brewery in town that had a hiker box for discarding gear other hikers might need. Tim left four pounds of trail mix, a foam pad, and some clothing. It was just enough weight that he finally felt great with his pack on his back.
He got back on the trail later that day and managed six miles before having to stop and set up his tent to get out of the sleet and snow. He woke up to part of his tent collapsing from the six inches of wet snow that fell overnight. Not a fun way to wake up—but as he says, “It’s all part of the experience!”
Two nights later, it was down in the teens, and he had a hard time sleeping due to very cold toes. In the morning, he said his tent was frozen when he tried to pack it up. Myself? I’d be headed straight back to Tucson, the sun, and the pool!!
Today, he made it to Flagstaff. He’s been averaging 16–18 miles a day since dumping that extra weight. He’s taking a zero day to stay at a hotel, do laundry, and get some real food! He ran into The Little Frenchman again, so I think they’ll be getting dinner together tonight.
He sounds much better than he did those first few days! Now that he has his weight adjusted, I think he’s finally gotten his hiking legs.
On to Utah!!