well we are home. alls well that ends well. it was a great adventure and even though it didn’t last as long as we were hoping, i had an amazing time in the woods. it’s weird because we were only gone for 4 days, but as we drove into the city i felt like a stranger mingled with the cars and buildings. i have to say it was very refreshing to be away and a part of me wishes we could stay out there. but the real world calls us to work and take care of “business”.

so i’m back and on the mend. brady’s back at work. and we are living amongst another remodel. this isn’t too bad because i’ve only lost my kitchen and bathroom sinks. but it will be amazing when it’s finished. spending most of my days at my mom’s, i try to get the “organized” tasks that seem to take a backseat to cleaning done. i will start working on the 26th at charming charlie, an accessories store in scottsdale fashion square. i am currently looking for an office job….preferably good pay and part time.

molly has been dealing with some crazy allergies but i’m hoping the visit to the vet helped us. we were giving her too low of a dose of benedryl for her weight and he also gave us a spray with cortisone in it for itchy areas.

i’m also hoping my blogs get better and not so blah blah blah with catching you guys up. hoping to go back to the day to day, or at least every other day, posts and pictures to go along with it.

So today started out like any day. We set out about 8:30 and most of the terrain was the same. As we pressed on we started coming up to more and more snow. And the more snow there was the more hidden the trail became. We maneuvered quite well through most of it and thankfully the first half stayed next to the old timber railroad. There were parts we hit that felt like we had landed on everest….at least to me. We had to climb walls of snow but thankfully most of it was stable enough to hold us and we didn’t sink in. After lunch Brady decided it would be on our best interest to hit the forest road that led to Lake Mary Rd. That way we get to the lodge at a decent hour. The snow was blanketing the ground and making the trail harder and harder to find. The other thing we were realizing was that my tendon wasn’t getting any better and possibly worse. Once we hit the road Brady suggested I take off my shoes and he carry my bag. After stubbornly carry my bag shoeless I gave it up to him. I walked most of the four miles I my socks because by this time having my shoe on was extremely painful.
As we were walking Brady mentioned that we may need to call it and end at the lodge. I couldn’t help but break down. I felt like I had failed him and I didn’t want this to end. We got to the lodge and got our room. He looked at my ankle and said he thought we should call it because he didn’t think I could go on successfully.
So as of right now we are done. My mom is coming to pick us up in the morning. All I wanted was this adventure with my husband. No matter how hard it’s gotten or how many times I questioned my sanity I have loved every minute. To watch him lead on the trail and be with him in his element. I feel like I have let home down and have failed. I still hope that something can change by morning. As of right now though all I can try to do is be as flexible and understanding with myself as he is.

Wow. Let’s just say since I wrote last night things got interesting. We had swapped hammocks to see if it was better or worse. We should have listened to the motto “if it’s not broke don’t fix it.” We both had crummy nights trying to stay warm, the wind was howling and blustery, AND when Brady decided to move into the hammock I was in l(normally our 2 person one) we ended up on the ground. Talk about a wake up call! We were so lucky we didn’t land on one of the beautiful rocks underneath us.
So I lost my blog I just wrote and am going to try to get in what I had……..
Ok so Brady fixed up the double hammock and we tried to get in 2 more hours of sleep. Needless to say the morning was a rough one.
Today was the first “I quit.” Surprise surprise……yeah, I know. Whatever. My nemesis greeted us from the start and it was a grueling 4 hours of hiking in it. This mud sticks to your shoe and helps collect more trail on your shoe. In the end making your feet feel like 3lbs added to each. I slipped, stumbled, and almost lost a shoes to the crippling hold of the mud. To top it off we had to decode wether to go on the rocky/uneven terrain next to the trail (which also included parts of this mud) or walk directly on the trail and feel like you were walking through a marshland. Ugh.
After about 2 I think the terrain became dry and bearable. This is what is called easy on the trail and the whole day would have been had the land not been soaked!
Oh and did you know there are at least 5 lakes in this area? We passed by so many I almost forgot we were in Arizona. Ha! After lunch the day went better. Actually, after the mud left the day went better.
We think we hiked about 12 miles today or so. I think we’re doing pretty well. My legs are holding up well except my left Achilles tendon is sore. Only to pressure which I found out tonight I will be hiking with loosly tied shoes as long as the trail stays as it did the second half.
We didn’t see really any wildlife today, musta been the beauty of the muddy wasteland that kept them away. The weather has been amazing besides the extremely chilly winds at times. It was intense during parts of the day making me remember how Flagstaff can get. Thankfully tonight we are sleeping with no wind and therefore no tarp. I’m thinking we’ll both get good rest tonight.
Hopefully Mormon Lake Lodge is our resting place tomorrow. We hope to wake up earlier and head out by 8. That way we can maybe make it by 4 and get to spend a nice full evening there. Gosh I can’t wait for some good food! Hot and fresh! Plus a nice bed that you don’t nearly feeeze getting into or out of!
I was much funnier in the first enty but darnit I forgot to save it. Ugh! Gotta get some good shut eye.

Don’t forget to check out Brady’s blog!!

Well the end of day número two but technically the end of full day número one. This started out with a wonderful wake up to a lightly snow covered ground and the thermometer saying 15 degrees. Granted I had the best sleep I’ve ever had backpacking. Never once woke up to pee or because i was cold.  Just nice and snugly wugly. All thanks to my friend, the underquilt. Brady said it rain/hailed on us and then that snow but apparently I was so comfy I had no clue. A bear could have come into our camp and I would never had known.
We had breakfast on a nice boulder with the sun beating down on us. Perfect. Granola and blueberries with powdered milk = a deliscious meal; along with some hot coffee mix.
The hiking started about 8:45. Not too bad. Later than I expected to be out. We hiked into Walnut Canyon and then out of Walnut Canyon. We hiked up and down, right then left, and at somes points it felt like we were doing zigzags. We stopped for a rest at 1:30 and decided to have lunch. What a wonderful rest! I was SO happy. My hips (where my bag sits) and collar bones (because I have no meat on them) hurt by lunchtime. I told Brady, after taking my shoes and socks off I couldn’t wait for a pedicure. Hence my entry title. He was just jokin girls….although I did tell him “I do” and that’s all that matters. Seroiusly that sounds amazing right now. Pedicure. Even the word makes my feet tingle with joy….or that could be the frostbite/desire of toes to fall off.
We kept a good pace most of the day. Saw a 5 point buck, at least that’s what Brady said. I have no clue. I would walk right by them if he wasn’t around! It was beautiful and I didn’t even think about taking a picture. Grr! Oh well, it didn’t stay around too long. Besides birds and a squirrel; that’s about all the wildlfe we’ve come across.
Today’s nemasis, I’m sure I’ll have one each day so I’m starting with today, was the MUD. Not just any old mud. Stick to the bottom of shoes and collect until 2 more pounds are added, can barely walk on it without “mudskating” across the ground (with an almost fall by me thankfully saved by my treking poles). Seroiusly funny but I would not have been a happy camper. It was torture walking through this and it went on for about 1.2 miles.
We hiked 13.5 miles today….or that’s what we estimate. My pedometer says we walked 27,700 ish steps today. I’m not sure how accurate it is but I’ll try to figure that out tomorrow. That was a good find! We also walked along the trail part of the time because snow piles covered it. It was a rough hike today. I’m hoping my trail legs, back, feet, and shoulders come quickly.
I must head off to bed.
The following pics are of one if our boxes hidden on the side of the road, this morning with snow covered grown, and of my view once the tarp was down.

As we drive to the drop box locations I’m torn between excitement and dread. This is typical me. Dreading the unknown and uncertainty of the next two weeks but excited thinking of doing something adventurous. I’m not an adventurous girl, or at least that’s not one of the first words that come to my mind to describe myself. But this is hugely adventurous for me. (I’m seeing how many times I can use the word adventurous). We’ve dropped off two of our boxes and have one left to do at Mormon Lake Lodge. Brady’s mentioned the possibility of staying a night there but I think it’s more if an incentive to get me to that point. I’m trying to decide what to eat for lunch ad my “last meal” but I can’t even think of what I want! I think we just realized we don’t have to take our snow shoes……YES! That’s a huge weight taken off our bags although everyone I ask says my bag’s either 25-40 pounds. I’m definitely not 25 because that’s my normal weight and this bag is heavier than that. I’d say 50 but I’m no measurologist. It’s somewhere around 30-35 I’m sure. Sad we have no scale to weigh it on. Oh well!

Tonight I am trying out the wordpress app for my iPhone. This is how I will be blogging on the trail or at least how I will write everything down. I’m a little nervous about this 2 week adventure. It’s funny because we planned for a seven week hike and seemed to be ready weeks before. But for some reason it feels like we threw this one together in two days! So weird. We basically used the same info but we are only going to hike from flagstaff to Roosevelt Lake. Hopefully we’ll complete what we want but it’s going to be a bit more casual of a hike than it would have been if we had done the whole thing. I’m still hoping for the same things. To grow in my relationship with God and Brady. We just have to finish the boxes and try to figure out where exactly we will leave them for us to get on the trail. Hooray!!