It has been a pretty good day. Kylie’s blisters and toes seem good, my foot seems great, and it feels like we’re finally hitting a stride. You get pretty rusty when you don’t thru-hike for almost 4 years, but it’s easier to get back in the groove than it is to learn for the first time. We’re finally getting the hang of the challenges in the desert. After all, the Appalachian Trail is pretty homogenous from beginning to end with only some variations in terrain, vegetation, and challenges. We’re pretty efficient hikers in the wet forests of the East Coast. We’re starting to see some efficiency in our desert hiking now too.
Since we’re just starting to hit our pace and still being mindful of our bodies limitations, we do get to go a little slower and enjoy the view more often. From a viewpoint earlier in the day we could see what I’m fairly certain was Coronado National Forest in southeastern Cochise County and maybe even a glimpse of the Chiricahuas. It’s nice to be back home in the desert. Even if it is a little different than back home, I can still almost see some of home from here. It is quite the perspective–I am many years older and a very different person, looking back on my corner of the world from afar.
