Caught a Lyft from my house to the Sandy Seep trailhead on the east side of Flagstaff to get to the spot where I got off the trail on April 24, 2019. Originally, I had planned to continue on after a short stay in Flagstaff but further hiking in 2019 was not possible because of my father’s illness, and then Covid hit in 2020.

So here I am 2 years later starting a 100 mile section to the Grand Canyon south rim. Hiking this section in late May is nice because it’s a bit warmer at night and the snow has all melted. The only problem with waiting until May is that the water sources are all drying up….

The trail winds around the east side of Flagstaff with views out toward the Navajo Reservation

The temperature had dropped into the low 20’s the night before I left and many of the oak leaves were damaged by the cold temperature

Heading north, the San Francisco Peaks come in to view. The trail took me over the shoulder of the peak on the left (Agassiz)

There is no water for the first 40 miles, so I cached a gallon at the 20 mile mark and another gallon at the 40 mile mark. I am trying to cover 20 miles a day on this section.

Daytime temps in the 60’s and very little wind – perfect!!

Junco