The Arizona Trail: How to Avoid Norovirus on Trail
Much of the land after Oracle is a flat expanse between mountains. A good place for music, audiobooks, or conversation. The trail flew by for once, and with Mt. Lemmon a recent memory, Ice Cream and I were grateful to have some cruisy ground to hike on; it leaves plenty of breath for conversation, and we used all of it to dive deep into how our upbringing had affected our psychologies and our strategies for overcoming weaknesses we had inherited from our ancestors. And, as Forrest Gump says, That’s all I have to say about that.
Our current goal was a water catchment, a large, mushroom-shaped metal tank installed to catch rainwater for hikers and wildlife. This may have been the first time in my life that I was clumped into the same category as wildlife, and I quite enjoyed the idea of being classed with the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the earth—beasts of the wild, the coyote, the snake, the hiker. All looking for that good-good water.
May 27, 2025
Good Zen
For those who would like to know, here's a little about me. After finishing high school, I walked out of the back door of my family home with the goal of walking from Kansas to Denver. Instead, I hitchhiked across the U.S. a few times. Eventually I landed in California for a few years where I sold flowers as a street vendor, roamed the Bay Area, and made friends with the Moonies. They wanted me to join, but I wasn't a good fit. One of them "gifted" me a jalopy car which failed the CA smog test. Making the car CA legal was expensive, so I hit the road again until the engine blew out. Eventually, I found my way to Europe and the backpacking life. After Europe, I signed a lease in the states and slowly fell into the standard American life until COVID and fate's twists and turns sent me to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2022. Since summiting Katahdin I've also hiked the Long Trail in 2023, the Camino Frances in 2024, and am currently hiking the Arizona Trail. After the AZT, I'll hit the CDT for a 2025 SOBO.
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Medya Mansyone
The Sawyer Mini is super lightweight, fits in your pocket, and filters up to 100,000 gallons of water.
Medya Mansyone
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Medya Mansyone
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Soti nan eskwadwon an
Konvèsasyon Kanfi ak kominote nou an, ki soti nan Manm Eskwadwon ak Anbasadè yo nan Brand Patnè ak ekip la Sawyer.
