Oct 1: Kaibab Plateau

Nano found us a ride back to the trail--turns out an employee at the thrift shop is an Arizona Trail trail angel, so he just asked her. Funnily, I separately simultaneously almost found us another ride by chatting with someone at the library.

We were hiking by 8AM and started Buckskin Gulch right at the highway. It's pleasant enough, but it's a solid 10+ miles before you get to the famous narrow part. I hiked the whole thing with Amy in 2011, but Nano had never been. We dropped our packs at the Wire Pass junction and did an out and back in the amazing narrows. There were quite a lot of people. 

We'd been considering whether to go to the Wave. It's not on route, but you can pretty easily make it on route. What you can't easily do is get a permit, since they only give out enough for 20 people a day and getting one on foot is basically not going to happen (apply 4 months in advance or at 8AM the day before in Kanab). Anyway, we didn't. Something something saving it for a trip with our partners, being able to go at a better time of day for photography, spend a whole day there, something something I'm a rule follower and I'm scared of authority.

So we kept going and crossed into Arizona at State line campground, where someone had left some water jugs for AZT hikers. We waited out some of the heat under a shade structure, then climbed up to the Kaibab Plateau. All easy (if hot) walking on maintained AZ trail! A lot of the area has burned (some of it prescribed?) but so far no blowdowns or trail blockage. We got water from a wildlife guzzler and hope we have enough to get us to the next one.

Few days to the Grand Canyon!