Microadventures

I was recently exposed to the idea of Micro-Adventuring. 

I was curious so I did some research. 
What is Microadventuring?

I was led to the website of Alastair Humphreys: (http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/)
He explained: "The appeal of microadventures is that they make adventure accessible to people who may have very little outdoor experience" & "Microadventures are a refresh button for busy lives".
So basically, it's a chance to get outdoors (or out into your city/town) without having to plan a huge weekend trip. 
There are adventures all around us, and they are just out our front door! 

You can plan for something different...something exciting...and do it in just a few hours and right in the middle of the week!

This is perfect for me! While I have a fair share of outdoor experience while ultra-running, I haven't done much else in the outdoors (save for that one backpacking trip). 
I am in love with the idea of microadventures. They are just what I need right now. And it will give me a chance to showcase the city that I love so dearly: my beautiful Tucson Arizona.  This will also give me the chance to try new things that I felt were too BIG. Things like mountain biking, rock climbing, etc. 

Here is an info-graphic that he created to inspire people to GET OUT THERE! 



Are you willing to try a microadventure this week? 

~Keep Adventuring!~

Preparing to Thru-Hike the Arizona Trail - 11 Months To Go....

First, let me start off by introducing you to the Arizona Trail, especially if you have never heard of it. The Arizona Trail is an 800+ mile trail that runs from Mexico to Utah. It passes through deserts and mountains and canyons and lots of wilderness areas. Some outstanding features include the Grand Canyon, Colossal Cave, White Canyon, the Superstition Mountains, Four Peaks, and the Mazatzal Wilderness.
There are several gateway communities that the trail runs through as well: Patagonia, Vail, Summerhaven, Oracle,  Kelvin, Superior, Roosevelt, Pine, Mormon Lake Village, Flagstaff, Tusayan, Grand Canyon South Rim, Grand Canyon North Rim, and Jacob Lake.



I am planning this adventure for Spring 2015 (probably mid-March to mid-April) so that means I have about 11 months to plan. Seems like a lot of time, right? Well, not for someone with very little experience. I decided to do this about a month ago. So, I suppose, I will be planning for 1 year. I hope that is enough time!

As you know, I am thru-hiking this SOLO.
That's right. All alone.
It sounds scary and that's because it is. A female hiking alone on a wilderness trail, definitely a frightening thing to think about. I mean, there are people and animals...big animals.

But I think the most frightening thing for me is being lonely.
And that's why I'm doing this. It's something I have to overcome.
So, let's get on to planning.

11 months.....

What to do with 11 months of ahead of me? 

Here's a list of what I have been thinking about:

• How to get to Utah (my starting point) 
• Mexican Border Pick-up
• Length of trip
• Amount of food needed and how to mail food ahead
• Gear (I have most of it but need to upgrade a few things)
• Permits (especially for the Grand Canyon and the Rincon Mountains)
• Water sources and filtering systems!
• Dealing with wild animals on the trail
• Dealing with other people (unfriendly) on the trail
• Maps and GPS equipment
• Solar Chargers and my electronics (cellphone, camera, etc.)
• Resupply Points and Post Offices (for receiving food through the mail)
• Support from others on the trail (other thru-hikers, kind people along the way)
• "Journaling" my adventure
• Preparing physically (other small trips beforehand to try out gear, food, etc.)
• Preparing mentally (small trips on my own)

So, as you can see, I'm not getting into detail just yet. My trip is a long ways off. 

This list is a great start! 

I have been researching like crazy though. Reading AZT blogs has taken up a good part of my nights. I love reading about others experiences. One guy wrote about his experience with so much detail, it took me about 2 weeks to finish it!

\I am so excited! It is so hard to think about anything else while I am preparing for this. I wish I was going sooner actually. If it would work, I'd like to go this fall, but I have decided to sign up for Fire Academy instead. :)

~Keep Adventuring!~

An Introduction and A Purpose

Hello fellow adventurers and explorers!

The idea for this blog came from my desire to solo thru-hike the Arizona Trail in Spring 2016. I want to chronicle my research, planning, and of course, the trip itself! 

I had known about the Arizona Trail for some time since I am a resident of Tucson and the trail runs close to us. I also know of a few people who ran its entirety. But I recently became VERY interested in it after I ran a 50k in 2014 on a portion of it in Vail, Arizona. It's weird how that works out....one second you don't care much about something, and then the next second it consumes you! I'm not sure if it was the 50k itself or the fact that I am looking for a new way to challenge myself (I'm betting it's this one). I fell in LOVE with the trail and the idea of thru-hiking it one day. So, just a few days ago, I just decided to do it. That's it. Just quick decision. That's all it takes. 

I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm terrified of hiking alone. 

Yup, that's right. 

TERRIFIED. 

When the trail gets quiet and I feel like something is watching me, my heart is beating a million times a second. 

I',m not sure where this fear came from. I have never had a terrible experience on the trail...well, except for a little situation last year that involved an electric storm and an exposed ridge-line, but that's something else completely.

 I'm afraid of animals on the trail...mainly mountain lions. Actually, it's pretty much just mountain lions. Those things scare the crap out of me! Household cats are angry already, just imagine a really angry, REALLY BIG cat stalking you....UGH. And it's only at certain points in the trail that I feel this way, so I always think something is watching me. 

Anyway....I'm sick of feeling this way. I love the wilderness.  

And I hate that I can't properly explore it the way that I want to. When I heard that people hiked long trails solo, I just knew it was something I had to try. 

I want to push myself. I want to challenge myself. I need to get past this fear of being alone in the wilderness. 

So, here we begin...On a journey across Arizona! 

I can't wait to share all of my experiences with you. Please let me know if you have thru-hiked (or even partially hiked) the AZT. I would love to hear about your experience, knowledge and adventures. 

AZT 2016 OR BUST