{"id":254,"date":"2023-04-11T01:52:12","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T01:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudonweb.com\/azt\/?p=254"},"modified":"2023-04-11T02:00:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-11T02:00:31","slug":"day-17-flat-but-hot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudonweb.com\/azt\/2023\/04\/11\/day-17-flat-but-hot\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 17: Flat but hot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Day 17: April 10, 2023
AZT mile 240.6 to 258.7
Hiked today: 18.1 miles \/ 29.1 km
AZT ascents today: 210m , descents: 589m
AZT hiked to date: 32.3%<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was warmer last night, and we were camped right by a water cache with good flat tent sites, so we were set for a good night’s sleep, but although we sleep solidly for stretches, we also have stretches of just lying awake and trying to get comfortable. I am really looking forward to sleeping in a bed when we get to Kearney tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The skies have remained clear, and today was hot, making walking even on the flat quite tiring. We are glad when we are occasionally refreshed by a cool breeze. It is hard to find any shade at all for breaks. At lunchtime, we sat holding some tyvek sheeting over our heads for shade, and, in the afternoon, we stopped a couple of times in the shade of a saguaro cactus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When the path is easy, your mind wanders to all sorts of things other than the trail ahead and, it is always when this happens that we are startled by a threatening rattle and see a snake heading towards us down the trail. We saw two rattle snakes today, bringing our total to six so far. We also saw more rabbits, ground squirrels, lizards, and a jack rabbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n