Morning walk to the Picket Post trailhead to be picked up by Fleur.

Very hot day with little shade and lots of climbs.

No water from the river to the rain collector, so quite a water carry with nasty iodinized water!

Lots of people sheltering at the collector, so some nice company .

Got a trail angel ride out to the Kelvin trailhead.

Reports of sickness amongst those drinking from the Gila river meant I procured some iodine tabs to be sure – thanks to the General Store for selling me them before they officially opened!

A very hot day skirting the river, but luckily we had shade under the railway bridge for a siesta.

Camped near a wash by the river.

More heat and the desert is completely monotonous. We all got a bit bored and decided that a trail angel’s offer of a ride to Kearny was too good to turn down!

Got a room at the General Kearny Inn and a decent Calzone at the local Pizza place.

Really friendly little town, everyone wants to talk.

An even day of undulations on the desert floor. Lots of, err, cacti.

Our day was determined by the position of the two water sources – both algae filled huge tanks used to water cattle. Thank god for our filters!

Very hot (hit 30°+ with little shade), which made the water crucial.

Got picked up at Oracle for some lovely food and a visit to the Biosphere 2.

Just a short few miles into the ski resort village of Summerhaven. Pretty tired after the exertions of the last day, so pleased to find ‘Beyond Bread’ at the Mt Lemmon Lodge open early for coffee and a pastry.

More free coffee at the general store followed, and then a great burger for lunch at the Sawmill Restaurant.

The perversity of the trail then meant that we had to sharply descend to then have a late 2500′ climb to contend with, but the burger took care of it!

Camped at over 7000′, the wind was cutting but we found a sheltered spot on the ridge. Still, the night was very cold.

The hardest day so far. Due to logistical issues, we rejoined the AZT via a side trail, the Romero Pass Trail. Downside is that it was 4000′ ascent and 6 miles.

We then did a further 4 miles and  2000′ ascent making it easily the most climbing in one day that I’ve ever done.

On the bright side, the trails were very pretty, including the aptly named ‘Wilderness of Rock’!

Also, the snowmelt meant that there was lots and lots of water. I mean more than the previous 180 miles and then some

Zero day at Green Valley, much needed.

Simple mile up the Romero Pass trail to find a camp spot.

Nice site and a long night’s sleep, but windy and raining. Picked a dry spot to pack up, but the wind and rain continued for the morning. Pretty chilly.

Thankfully it brightened up a little, just for us to face a fun, sharp little 1100′ climb before a descent to the Trans Catalina Highway and a pickup from Fleur.

Quick trip to REI (new hat and tent pegs) and back to Green Valley for a wash and well deserved zero.