Ellen S - Arizona Trail Journal - 2018

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Ta-Da!

And Yeah But finishes!

Turns out the final word wasn't the final word! Yeah But hated being so close to the end of the trail (150 miles approximately) and not being able to finish because of his injury.
He had about a month of rest, between helping me finish and going home to reorganize. The pain subsided. We went to our local doc, did a workup, and slowly started back into a training routine. The pain didn't return.
I knew he would want to go back, but hoped it would be in the fall...I was not eager to go out and log miles in the heat. He wanted to get it done, and looked on the time off trail as just a needed break in the thru hike. Going back in the fall would have felt like a section hike to him. So we packed up and headed north. The plan was to do lower miles when possible so that we would hopefully not stir up the problem that got him off trail in the first place. I told him I would support him however he wanted; mostly, he just wanted my company on the trail, so I got to hike the northern sections again.
It all went well. The temps were a bit hotter, mostly in the 80s and 90s. We hiked early each day. With the shorter miles, we usually finished very early and spent the rest of the day relaxing (something strange for us on a thru hike!). We even sat under shelter during a long rain storm near Russell Tank.
We saw lots of elk, deer, rabbits. Not many people, except when we were near tourist stops. Lots of wild horses on the south side near Russell Tank, since lack of water probably concentrated them in that area. We were lucky that there were no fires in the area, and no fire closures to delay us. When we finally reached the Utah border, it seemed strange to be probably the last thrus of the spring season in the register. I was amazed that many of the N Kaibab water sources were still good, despite the drought.
I am proud that Yeah But accomplished this; at 78 years of age, it has been a fun challenge for him! Now, on to our next adventures!

Entry 57 of 57
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