
The Grand Enchantment Trail
03/24/25—05/02/25
I walked 837 miles from Phoenix, AZ, to Albuquerque, NM, over the course of 40 days. These were some of the hardest miles I’ve ever walked, completing this trail—recommitting to it every day, even when I was scared, exhausted, and feeling defeated—was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done.
The GET involves long stretches of cross country travel, plenty of burn-scar hiking, long stretches without any water, and plenty of opportunity for critical decision making in a wilderness setting. I traveled across the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts, traversed the Superstition Wilderness, White Canyon Wilderness, Aravaipa Wilderness, Pinaleño Mountains, Old Safford-Morenci Trail, Eagle Creek, Painted Bluffs Primitive Route, San Francisco Mountains, Gila Wilderness, Mogollon Mountains, Aldo Leopold Wilderness Area, Black Range, Apache Kid Wilderness, San Mateo Mountains, Magdalena Mountains, Manzano Mountains, Sandia Mountains and every dry basin in between.
My favorite parts of this trail were walking in the crystal clear waters of Aravaipa Creek, seeing a black bear scratching themself on a big ol’ Ponderosa tree along upper Diamond Creek, and a special encounter I had with a horny toad on the climb up Grassy Lookout.
Water Canyon Trailhead
Sunset in the Superstition Wilderness
Angel Basin
Roger's Canyon Cliff Dwelling
I found Sara Spolrich!
Ocotillo in bloom
heat rash coming into Superior
Walnut Canyon
Railway near Kearney
pencil cholla
Putnam Wash
San Pedro River
Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness
Aravaipa Creek
ancient Salado Ruin
Turkey Creek
Klondyke General Store
LeeRoy in his cool jeep, Klondyke Rd
Clark Peak Trail
Colder than expected
Joshua Tree on the way into Safford
Gila Outdoors
Catclaw scratches
Dirt tan (and real tan)
Cotton Culvert got me
Prickly Pear
Slot canyon along the Painted Bluffs Primitive Route
Eagle Creek
San Francisco Mountains
Cave spring
Alligator Juniper
White Throated Swift
Mogollon Crest
Whitewater Baldy burn-scar
thorns did a number on my FrogTogs
West Fork Gila River
"waylaid and murdered"
Sarah + Tim at Lightfeather Hot Spring
Upper Diamond Creek
Iron Spring
soonest water source (27.8 miles) after Iron Spring
there's a storm a'coming!
Monticello Box Canyon (private land managed by the county ditch association, skirted via a circuitous, off-trail detour)
snow capped cholla
Squalls rolling in from all directions
yum.
kitted out to defend against wind and dust
Lauren and her beautiful front door in Monticello, NM
The San Mateo Mountains
Sunset on Grassy Lookout
Descent into Potato Canyon
burn scar scars
skeptical cows none too thrilled about sharing their trough with me
the trough in question
The Magdalena Mountains
South Baldy Summit
South Canyon
camp at the feet of the Magdalenas
Exposed walk into Socorro
Sonic is the jam
Final resupply
Rio Grande River
wind, dust, and cows
beautiful unnamed wash
a view into the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and many miles of cross country and fence line walking to avoid it.
Abo Aroyo (polluted by cattle and covered in a blanket of foul algae)
bear prints in Priest Canyon
Cliff Swallows and their mud nests
Manzano Mountains
quite literally the cutest, most prim cactus
View from Manzano Peak
Spruce Spring
another burn
Manzano Crest
two sleeps away from ABQ
not only was my sun hoodie full of holes, it was no longer sun-proof and I was tanning through it
make it sing
my first view of Albuquerque
the ULTIMATE trail snack, disagree with me, I dare you
View from South Sandia Peak
Andrew, the mathematician who was actually a geologist at heart, with a special interest in lichen
impenetrable gamble oak
thank you tired feet
I found you
Arguably the best photo of the whole trip: socks stiff as boots