This site has blogs from Brian and Martina’s longer walking trips in the great outdoors. We have done 3 multi-month hikes in the USA over the years and there is a blog of each here; the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Hayduke. Plus lots of other stuff including Canada, the UK, Austria, Spain...There are some se kayaking posts too.
We stay in the village of Fortrose, Scotland- near to the highlands, home of some great mountains, coastal and island scenery. We get out into the mountains most weekends or more but escape from the variable weather to sunnier climates abroad whenever we can! That includes rock and ice climbing, camping, sea-kayaking, hiking and lots of sheep farming as well – in both our home country of Scotland and on trips afar. You can see these activities from our photos link on the menu.
This is a short backpacking trail (AKW below in map) running east west, connecting the west coast of Scotland at Morvich in Kintail with Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness in the east. It also acts as a link between the Great Glen Way (GGW) and the Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) at Morvich.
Walkhighlands Affric Kintail Way provides a good description of the 76km (47 mile) trail including a gpx track and off line map.
Approaching Glen Lichd with the Kintail mountains behind
The character of the trail is one of scenic low lying glens with the iconic and beautiful Glen Affric in the middle and a route through wilder mountain scenery in the west. Almost all of the walk is on good trail or vehicle tracks with only the odd bit of bog at the head of Glen Affric- I wore running shoes throughout and stayed fairly dry. Given its short length, signposts and quintessential Scottish highland scenery it would make a good introduction to backpacking in Scotland.
Cannich store with an unusual forest fire in summer 2023
Here are some pictures from Brian’s hike in May 2024…
Nice woodland and lochs in the middle of the walkCamban bothy, a basic shelter in a fine spotWaterfall at the top of Glen LichdMorvich at the western endGlen Lichd
The final miles in Glen Lichd (the river valley) from above on the hill of Sailaig
Here are some of my notes on the Arizona Trail for other hikers…
Hiker references Being quite a popular walk, there is a lot of planning information already out there….
Arizona Trail Association A great first stop and worthwhile joining the Association to support the trail.
Average Hiker, Ellie Thomas has a good website setting out the logistics.
The Trek has a guide to trail towns for resupply and resting. A web search will find many more…
Facebook There is lots of info and a place for hikers each year to ask questions on Facebook- really helpful- just search with this text for your planned year ie Arizona Trail Class of 2023
Maps and guides I love maps, I love imagining what it represents on the ground and then actually travelling through the territory displayed. For hiking, call me ‘old skool’, but paper topographic maps are my first choice. Easy to use, great for navigation, but also showing the surrounding countryside and a reasonably large area of land to provide context on distant features. I fold the current pages in the pocket of my shorts so I can easily refer to them whilst walking.
I do also download maps to my phone as a backup and to utilise the GPS.
It adds a lot to my enjoyment to have something on say the local geology, flora, fauna and history. I often take extracts from paper books or electronic documents on my phone for this- really nice to read overnight in the tent.
On this trail I cut out map pages from the Arizona Trail guidebook, which to be honest in this case didn’t offer much useful information except a rough overview and were limited value for either navigation or wider context.
In addition I had the FarOut app on my phone which has the trail marked against a low definition background map. The best use for me though was the ability to view comments from others against features (and add my own). This was superb for getting up to date info on water sources in particular and was worth paying for the app just for that alone. On the downside, I found FarOut rather reduced the trail to a line ahead with a series of waypoints of gates, fences and water tanks! Its a pity it doesn’t offer any other interesting information such as on the flora/fauna.
If hiking the trail again I would prepare my own topo maps using online mapping software such as Caltopo, add a GPS track and my comments, then print out colour map sheets in advance. I would also still take FarOut app on my phone, mostly for water and trail updates and find some more flora/fauna background reading for along the way.
After the Arizona Trail… I had a few days spare before flying out of Las Vegas back to Scotland and made good use of these for some shorter hikes near Sedona then Red Rocks Canyon, Nevada and Death Valley National Park, California.
Section 7 Molino Basin Trailhead to Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead 12th November 48 miles Oh that was a great stop in Tucson, and feeling refreshed I got an Uber back out to Molino Basin via Safeway for a food restock, bagels and coffee. I sat outside the supermarket at the trolley bay charging my phone at a mains socket, sifting food and munching bagels. It was wonderful and I had 3 people come up to me and chat asking about the Arizona Trail, maybe they felt sorry for me looking a bit trashy!
At the trailhead I was restarting where I left off following a well made undulating path southward with ever closer views of the next ‘sky island’, Mica Mountain. It was pleasant coolish hiking at between 18-22C and I made quick time to camp in the dark at the edge of Rincon Wilderness Boundary a little of the way up the climb. Away by 6am next morning in the dark I enjoyed the steady climb into Saguaro National Park and up to the top at about 8,600 feet. I had seen a torch light a few miles below me to the north and it was nice to know another hiker was out there too.
Boy but it was cold up there, it felt well below freezing and I happily headed downhill through the trees and out below into open saguaro cactus country.
Section 8 Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead to Patagonia 15th November 67 miles After a stopover with Josh and Suzanne, two kind people who let me stay with them near Colossal Cave, I kept going across I10, the last of the east-west highways, and onto lower flatter terrain again. I made good miles from here to Patagonia, assisted by some weather including clouds overhead and even the odd thunderstorm to cool things down.
Highlights included spotting a bobcat, 2 bikepackers and some pretty good water sources along the way. Hitching into Patagonia turned out to be easy and rather inevitably I headed straight to a diner for an extended brunch!
PatagoniaHiking pre-dawnI10 tunnel
Section 9 Patagonia to Mexican Border 19th November 53 miles Well refreshed again after another welcoming town of Patagonia, I left for the final push to Mexico with Swig and Firecracker, hitching a lift back to the road crossing.
Swig, Brian, Firecracker
Conditions got cold and windy once we climbed up to about 8,000 feet on the flanks of Miller Peak for one bitterly cold last camp. On the last day 20th November, I nipped up to the top of Miller Peak which was covered in frost before the steady descent to the border. Finishing there with other hikers Swig, Firecracker and Cheese Curd was fun, but it felt a little anti climatic with the weird section of high metal fencing and the super high winds…… But 800 miles of Arizona was a really great experience overall and it was superb to share it off and on with so many cool people!
Survivorman’s last night cowboy camping to the endSwig and Firecracker at camp
Section 3 Flagstaff to Pine 20th October Another long fairly flat walk of 115 miles on the next stretch to the tiny town of Pine was again going to be tough on my feet!
Leaving Flagstaff after crossing Route 66 on the ‘Urban Route’ variation of the AZT, I was back into the countryside surprisingly quickly. Ponderosa pines again dominated but then gave way to more sparse pinyon juniper. I chatted with ‘Fliss(?)’, ‘Mo’ and ‘Firecracker’ heading out of town but ended up camping solo at Horse Lake that night. Sunset here was stunning across the flat grasslands and lake, with noisy geese, elk and coyote adding to the ambience.
Arriving at Mormon Lake!Golden cottonwoodSmoldering firesSmoke hazeBack north to Humphreys PeakHorse Lake sunset
On the 2nd day out from Flagstaff I hiked round a prescribed fire set off by the Forestry Service which filled the air with thick smoke for an hour or two, before cutting off trail to the small settlement of Mormon Lake for lunch at the bar and a food top up. I came across a few of these 8 legged wonders along the way….
After another 3 days I eventually hit the pleasant Highline Trail and dropped off the ‘Mogollon Rim’, an escarpment descending from the Colorado Plateau with some welcome streams, red rock and (a rarity so far) clouds! The trail took me into the tiny town of Pine- arriving at 8.30am and diving into the Early Bird Cafe to meet a few other hikers for second breakfast. 330 miles or so hiked- hoorah
Camp above PineWater filtering break at ‘Foot in Tree’ TankBelow the Mogollon Rim
Section 4 Pine to Roosevelt Lake Marina 26th October 115 miles again to my next food resupply at Roosevelt Lake Marina. This one involved some more rugged up and down over the Mazatzal and Four Peaks Wilderness’s. A bit of rocky trail and scratchy shuffling through spikey bushes kept me on my toes. I think this was my favourite stage so far however as the variety was interesting and I saw my first javelinas (small boar that live in groups called squadrons!) ……and stunning saguaro cactus…yipee.
Saguaro cactus at dawn
Section 5 Roosevelt Lake Marina to Kearny 1st November80 miles Hikers seemed to coalesce at the lake marina with about 10 of us at one point- resting weary legs, eating, sifting gear and sharing tales from the trail.
South from the marina I entered the Superstitions Wilderness, crisscrossing and chatting with fellow hikers Grandpa, Firecracker and Survivorman. It was another fine rocky area but one that dropped in elevation meaning that, despite now in November, the temperature really ramped up in the middle of the day. I took the opportunity for a cooling dip as we traversed alongside the Gila River, the trail’s lowest point at about 1,600 feet, before reaching the mining town of Kearny the next day.
L-R Brian, Grandpa, Firecracker, Survivorman
Section 6 Kearny to Molino Basin Trailhead and Tucson 6th November 100 miles Kearny was a super friendly small town; from the offer of a place to stay by ‘Q’, easy hitching in and out, diner, pizza place, supermarket with free coffee for hikers, helpful post office staff etc…. it was just great.
With fellow hikers and ‘Q’, middle right, at her house in Kearny
Setting out from Kearny, the terrain continued as low desert scrub and the temperatures were hot- maybe 30C in the afternoon. I got into a pattern of waking about 5am and hiking by 6 in the dark for a bit to enjoy sunrise and the cool early temperatures. These were my favourite times of the day with hiking into dusk at about 17.30 to 18.00 being a close second. The disadvantage was that I spent most, if not all, of my camping time in the dark!
I met up with Carrie/Firecracker along the way and we hiked together after applying some plasters to patch Carrie up as a result of an argument with a barbed wire fence!
Preying mantis Rare shade at a water tankMount Lemmon, granite country
I was glad when the trail climbed up high to about 7.800 feet at Summerhaven (amazingly this far south, a winter ski resort) and Mount Lemmon. A veggie burger with Survivorman was a rare treat here and the granite hills and pine clad slopes were really nice. Leaving early morning was a bit harder with the sub-zero overnight temperatures but the trail remained interesting all the way down to Molino Basin trailhead road crossing. I decided to hitch from here into the city of Tucson for a full day off of luxury; real food, showers, a swim in the motel outside pool(!) and some gear fixing.
In October-November 2023 Brian walked the 800 mile Arizona Trail southwards from the Utah stateline down to the Mexican border. I wild camped most of the way, but also stayed at designated campsites, with ‘trail angels’ and some motels in town. Overall it was an excellent experience! Here is a short (ish) description of my hike, some pictures, my impressions and links to more info.
‘Lentil’ atRibbon Falls, Grand Canyon
Background The Arizona Trail (AZT) is a well defined and maintained trail heading north-south across the state of Arizona. It traverses a mix of desert, high plateau and mountain ranges up to about 9,000 feet (called Sky Islands), crossing two National Parks; the iconic Grand Canyon and less well known Saguaro outside the city of Tucson.
With blazingly hot summer temperatures at low levels and deep snow in winter on the higher sections, the best seasons to walk the whole way (‘thruhike’) are spring and autumn.
Reasons for hiking Martina and I have hiked many times in southern Utah which borders onto the north of Arizona. We have also been in the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona a few times before as part of our two Hayduke Trail adventures in 2014 and 2022, and as another wonderful 2018 loop hike in Kanab Creek area. From these we were aware of the Arizona Trail and have even hiked the northern 100 miles or so as it overlaps the Hayduke.
With Martina starting a new job, Brian chose the AZT as a less risky solo adventure than the cross country, scrambling Hayduke routes whilst providing the opportunity to hike in new areas to the south of our previous travels.
Hayduke in orange and Arizona Trail in blue below…
Section by section
Section 1 to South Rim Grand Canyon 3rd October 2023 I set off from the Utah -Arizona stateline with a heavy feeling backpack and slight trepidation in pleasant cool sunshine and an initial stretch of about 90 miles hiking to reach the north rim of the grand canyon. The trail was well made and I soon climbed up from scrub desert through pinyon-juniper trees to the higher Kiabab plateau dotted with tall ponderosa pines. Trying to take it easy for the first few days to look after my feet and avoid injury, I kept to a moderate pace and under 20 miles per day. Camping was pretty straightforward making use of plenty of clear flat ground under the shelter of trees.
I chatted with 3 other hikers starting that same day; ‘Lentil’, ‘Good News’ and ‘Kidnapper’ – their ‘trail names’ – I decided just to be ‘Brian from Scotland’! That number of hikers was quite typical throughout the trail where I would be aware of other hikers each day, sometimes meeting them but often hiking on my own occasionally seeing signs of others such as their footprints.
The highest plateau elevations (up to 9,000 feet) were really fun with grassy meadows and gorgeous golden aspen trees amidst fir and pines. Temperatures were cool during the day and a chilly sub-zero (Celsius) at night, coating the tent with a layer of ice in the morning. Wildlife was surprisingly good; horned toad, lynx, woodpeckers, elk, deer and the ubiquitous ravens with their croaking and gurgling vocals.
Starting offwith LentilLynx!
Reaching the north rim of the Grand Canyon felt like a minor but significant success as the first completed section of the trail and the chance to stock up on food at the small store, pick up a camping permit for the crossing of the canyon and meet a few other hikers congregating there.
The map below shows the AZT in blue taking a scenic 26 mile direct crossing of the grand canyon via the ‘corridor trail’ ….. as opposed to the orange line of the Hayduke, a 5-6 day rollercoaster of excitement from North to South Rim. The Hayduke then also has another 7-8 day adventurous and stunning section in the canyon heading west to Kanab creek and beyond.
Crossing the Grand Canyon
‘Bonus’ Grand Canyon loop 11th October I made an ‘on the spot’ decision to do an extra loop before leaving the Grand Canyon southwards on the AZT. My reasons were that it seemed a pity to depart the canyon after such a brief visit, I heard of a cool area around the Hermit Trail that I hadn’t been to before, and it gave me the chance to do some bigger climbs but shorter miles than the next couple of weeks of long, flat plateau hiking on the AZT. Fortunately I was able to pick up up a last minute permit easily at the backcountry park office and I set off…..
I had 3 1/2 days down the canyon (Bright Angel, Tonto West, Granite Falls and a bit of Boucher Trail) and in summary it was lovely, beautiful views, cool temperatures and away from the crowds.
Section 2 Grand Canyon South Rim to Flagstaff 14th October This section was always going to be tough for me as it was a long 115 miles of flattish high plateau to the next resupply in the town of Flagstaff – it wasn’t playing to my strengths as I like hills! That said the initial hiking through ponderosa pines was mellow, the water sources were sufficient and I was able to hike longer, up to 23.5 miles each day. The undulating terrain gave huge wide vistas, especially to Humphreys peak (the highest in Arizona that we walked up in 2017) and great sunsets and sunrises at camp. I was however relieved to arrive in Flagstaff to take a day off from hiking, sort out gear and food logistics, clean up and rest my battered feet.
One thing to consider when planning backpacking trails is the amount of up and down that is involved. This chart shows a comparison between some famous trails as well as some we have had experience with…
Some of the figures are estimates, such as the Hayduke where a number of alternates are possible meaning varying length and ascents depending on the route chosen. But it gives a rough idea of relative climbing for different trails! But you can see the steepest trails listed are in the European Alps and Dolomites- you will have strong leg muscles after hiking these!
The Alta Via 2 is a very cool high level hike that traverses the Italian Dolomites mountain range north to south. Brian had hiked the nearby Alta Via 1 way back in 1994 and that was excellent. With lots of ascent and descent and some scrambling and ‘via ferrata‘ sections the AV2 provides a really fun 1-2 week hike. There are Refugio’s along the way that can be used but I mostly wild camped starting 23rd August into the first week September 2023.
My Itinerary
Day 1 Brixen train station to camp north of Rif Genova (I used the Plose chairlift to assist the ascent for 500m- in my defence it was about 35C in Brixen!)
Day 2 To Passo Gardena camp
Day 3 To camp north of Malga Ciapela (there is also a proper campsite here in town with showers which in retrospect would have been better)
Day 4 To camp north of Passo di Velles
Day 5 To Rif Mulaz then I descended for 2-3 hours west to Passo Rolle and bus to San Martino (stormy day)
Day 6 Bus back to Passo Rolle and followed trails to Rif Rosetta on west of Pale di San Martino mtns. Then to Rif Pradidali (stayed here due to more rain)
Day 7 To Rif Treviso then to camp near Passo Cereda
Day 8 To Rif Boz
Day 9 To road end at Croce d’Aune and transport to Feltre
I thought that the southbound direction I took was slightly easier than northbound, as many of the trickier scrambles or loose sections are taken in ascent. It also seemed like the trail got wilder with less people as I hiked south, with the last few days (say from Passo Velles south) being both the wildest and for me the best. But to be honest, it was all pretty great!
I had a few days left before my flight home so I took a bus back to San Martino and did a 2 night camping hike here taking in the AV2 main route I missed from Rif Mulaz to Rif Rosetta. I think this AV2 section, though short, was probably the toughest scramble/VF on the AV2.
Eidelweiss!Rif PradidaliCooking dinner along the way
Notes for hikers
Difficulty The trail is mostly very easy to follow, but does cross some high mountain terrain with moderate exposure, scrambling and via ferrata. As a rough guide the equivalent would be short scrambling sections at US Class 4.
Some people carry special via ferrata equipment to assist (harness, slings, karabiners, maybe a helmet also). I didn’t feel the need, and that was the correct for me being able to hike without that extra weight, but I guess each individual needs to make their own decision.
An advantage of having the VF gear is that you can also then tackle some tougher via ferrata side trips to summits along the way for even more spectacular views!
The trail seemed to have a lot of ascent and descent, and since returning I have done a ‘ascent comparison‘ with other trails which confirms this. Its right up there with some other European alpine trails with the most steep up and down!
Transport I used public transport from Venice airport to both north and south terminus’s. The transport network is superb and good value. Just remember when using trains that once you buy a ticket you also need to get it stamped in the station before boarding- or you risk a fine like I did on the first train!
Guides and maps I really liked the Cicerone guide to the AV2-6 and recommend it (even though I had an old edition). I also bought a paper map – Dolomiten Hohenweg 2 by Geomarketing – at the first Refugio in the north, Plosehutte and also found this strip map style very useful and it saved me time looking at my phone which I appreciated.
As a back up I had topo maps downloaded to my phone using the OutdoorActive app. I didn’t download a gpx as the route was mostly marked on the topo maps.
In general the signposting for the route on the ground was superb though. Often the way was marked on posts as a ‘2’ in a red triangle. It helped to know the number of the local trail that the AV2 followed as well, as at times only that number was on signposts.
Food supplies Both Brixen at the north of the trail and Feltre at the southern end have excellent supermarkets for food supplies.
The Refugio’s all sell meals and most had a (fairly expensive) small supply of chocolate bars such as Ritter Sport or Snickers.
The trail crosses road passes such as Passo Gardena – Guidebook Stage 4 – and Pordoi – Guidebook Stage 5 – where a regular bus service can be used to travel down to valley towns if required.
Malga Ciapela – Guidebook Stage 6 -on the trail on the east side of Marmolada has a good small grocery store next to the cafe as well as a outdoors gear store.
I used trails to descend west from Ref Mulaz – Guidebook Stage 7-down to Passo Rolle, then local bus to San Martino which is a good supply town with plenty of accommodation. I was able then to take the bus back to Passo Rolle to restart from where I left off.
East of Passo Cereda – Guidebook Stage 10 – the village of Mis has a grocery store which you could hike as a loop to and from the trail (I didn’t go there though).
In general there was no need to carry more than 2-3 days food at any one time and you could carry less if you made more use of the Refugio’s for food than I did.
Near Passo BallBivouac MinazioSan MartinoGams – Chamouis
Water I took Chlorine Dioxide tablets to treat water where I thought it was required along the way. There were quite a few water fountains or fonts, often outside Refugio’s, so I didn’t use the tablets too often. But for me they were definitely worth carrying to be safe. Other options are to carry CO2 droplets or a water filter to treat water. The Refugios also sell bottled drinking water if you need that (at about 3 Euro per 1.5 liter bottle in 2023).
Gas canister supplies I used screw in gas canisters and found these for sale at nearby town of Bozen/Bolzano (Sportler), on trail at Malga Ciapela (De Grandi Sport Marmolada, next to the grocery) and San Martino sport shop (100g canisters only). I had the availability of canisters confirmed from Pantano Gas (about 3km south of Brixen center). I suspect also that Decathlon in Venice Mestre will sell them too.
These are two linked trails in Scotland that form part of a connected network. They are local to us, and we have hiked them as a series of day hikes throughout the years and seasons.
The Great Glen Way provides a fairly straightforward and popular 118km (74 mile) hike between Fort William and Inverness. It travels along an iconic glen that slices north east through Scotland with a series of waterways including Loch Ness.
The South Loch Ness Trail is a 55km (34 miles) hike linked to the GGW, in effect acting as a variant on the northern half from Fort Augustus to Inverness. It is less busy but is also easily navigated on good trails.
The northern part of the GGW could be hiked together with the SLNT as a loop around Loch Ness -the Loch Ness 360 at 129km (80 miles).
The scenery traveled through is a mix of forestry (managed and natural), fields grazed by sheep/cattle and lochsides. As the trails stay relatively low (maximum of 450m on the SLNT) and are well made and dry in the most part, they can be hiked enjoyably for most of the year, even in winter – if you can handle the short days!
It should be said that both are also possible by mountain bike or gravel bike, with some short pushes needed on the SLNT.
Great Glen Way Good resources are the Great Glen Way Walkhighlands website, Cicerone guidebook and Harvey Map. You can either stay in accommodation along the way as described in the guides above or can wild camp. I recommend the two high route options (well I would of course!) between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit which provide some nice views of Loch Ness from above and spend more time above the forestry.
Winter snow on the high route north of Invermoriston
Here are some pictures from our hikes on the Great Glen Way…
I don’t recall seeing any long distance hikers on the trail and very few other hikers away from the small towns. The SLNT has fewer towns along the way than the equivalent GGW section north of Fort Augustus. There is a shop and café at Foyers and cafes and pub at Dores before reaching Inverness. I thought there was a bit more variety than on the GGW with more views to Loch Ness, but both trails provide a similar experience through relatively low level scenery. Again wild camping is possible along the way, and some accommodation at Whitebridge, Foyers and Dores.
The John O’Groats trail (JoGT) is a 147 mile (236km), mostly coastal route from the city of Inverness to John O’Groats on the north east tip of Scotland. The scenery varies from pleasant inland agricultural areas, to beaches and wildly impressive sea cliffs with arches and sea stacks. The area is home to lots of seabird colonies and you have the chance to spot seals, dolphins and even whales. On top of that there is a tremendous historical interest along the way such as iron age Nybster broch to the Viking Old Wick Castle. And from more recent times there are many picturesque harbours and sights like Whaligoe Steps.
The John O’Groats trail acts as an excellent connector with the 74 mile long Great Glen Way in the south. And south of the GGW, the 94 mile West Highland Way connects to the outskirts of the city of Glasgow.
The JoGT trail is fairly new and is still being improved in places with some rougher, boggy sections and barbed wire fences particularly between Helmsdale to Wick. So it can be a pretty challenging walk overall but constant improvements are being made by the Friends of the John O’ Groats Trail on the trail and signage.
Our hikes
We live near to the southern area, and have walked the trail in sections, including Brian backpacking the northern part from Dunbeath to John O’Groats in 2023. Here are a few pictures from those hikes…
Resources
John O’ Groats website has lots of details including status updates, green/amber/red ratings for each stage, blog posts, plus you can join or donate to the Friends of JoGT
A wee walk 