Mark’s Photos #6

The hottest section of the Arizona Trail (AZT) is arguably a 60-mile stretch just north of the small town of Oracle. Being the hottest is saying something, on a trail that is known for its heat. But these five dozen miles are a shadeless, nearly featureless strip of desert with rare and unreliable water and a reputation for being like walking in an oven. I was not looking forward to it at all. Another thru-hiker named Swift and I were starting from Oracle the same day, so we decided to travel it together. On the day we left, a massive weather front moved in. The normally blue skies filled with clouds, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped into the 40s. Apparently, we were not going to be cooked for the next 60 miles, but frozen. And, against all odds, for the next 3 days, it intermittently rained, sleeted, snowed. blew, or hailed on us, but we did not get baked. I took this pic of Swift as he forged ahead after one of our short snack breaks on the second day.